TY - BOOK AU - Sumner,Charles TI - The Duel Between France and Germany AV - DC PY - 2004/// CY - Salt Lake City, UT PB - Project Gutenberg KW - Franco-Prussian War, 1870-1871 N1 - Release date is 2004-08-01; Ralph Zimmerman, David Starner, Charles Franks and the Online Distributed Proofreading Team; Original publication data not identified N2 - "The Duel Between France and Germany" by Charles Sumner is a historical account likely written in the late 19th century. This work is a lecture originally delivered in Boston during the Franco-Prussian War, reflecting on the deeper implications of the conflict between these two nations. Sumner explores the concept of war as a continuation of dueling practices on a grander scale, dissecting the actions and motivations of leaders in the context of national honor and politics. At the start of the lecture, the author emphasizes the rapid and unexpected escalation of hostilities between France and Germany, highlighting that the war began from trivial provocations and culminated in national tragedy. Sumner details the public discourse leading up to the war, pointing out the irrationality of waging war over seemingly minor diplomatic issues. He condemns the brutality of war, critiques the motivations of leaders like Louis Napoleon, and underscores the need for a shift from war to arbitration among nations. This opening portion sets the stage for a broader discussion on how civilization must evolve to avoid such destructive conflicts. (This is an automatically generated summary.) UR - https://www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/6303 ER -