"A great European war under modern conditions would be a catastrophe for which previous wars afforded no precedent. In old days nations could collect only portions of their men and resources at a time and dribble them out by degrees. Under modern conditions whole nations could be mobilized at once and their whole life-blood and resources poured out in a torrent. Instead of a few hundreds of thousands of men meeting each other in war, millions would now meet, and modern weapons would multiply manifold the power of destruction. The financial strain and the expenditure of wealth would be incredible. I thought this must be obvious to everyone else, as it seemed obvious to me; and that, if once it became apparent that we were on the edge, all the Great Powers would call a halt and recoil from the abyss."
Quote Details
Added by wikiquote-import-bot
Unverified quote
0 likes
Members of the Parliament of the United KingdomAmbassadorsGovernment ministersSecretaries of State for Foreign Affairs of Great Britain and the United KingdomBritish Ambassadors to the United States
Original Language: English
Available Languages (1)
Sources
Recalling his thoughts of July 1914 on the prospect of war with Germany.
https://en.wikiquote.org/wiki/Edward_Grey%2C_1st_Viscount_Grey_of_Fallodon
Revision History
No revisions have been submitted for this quote.
Categories
Edward Grey, 1st Viscount Grey of Fallodon
Sir Edward Grey, 3rd Bt., 1st Viscount Grey of Fallodon (25 April 1862 – 7 September 1933) was British Foreign Secretary from 1905 to 1916.
94 quotes on TrueQuotesView all quotes by Edward Grey, 1st Viscount Grey of Fallodon →
Related Quotes
"I welcome the Agreement, and I hope...the Government will lose no opportunity of making it a working model for other …"
"They all knew what Anti-Semitic feeling was, and what it gave rise to. But there was another view of the Jewish race,…"
"If, when the time comes, the United States proposes the reduction or limitation of Armaments as a subject for conside…"
"Now, a word as to our policy. It is not anti-German. But it must be independent of Germany. We wish to keep and stren…"
"If, on the other hand, by some misfortune or blunder our Entente with France were to be broken up, France will have t…"
"My own personal feeling is that we are justified in any measures which will result in taking the Congo out of the han…"
"[T]here is no comparison between the importance of the German Navy to Germany, and the importance of our Navy to us. …"
"The great countries of Europe are raising enormous revenues, and something like half of them is being spent on naval …"
"If we alone, among the great Powers, gave up the competition and sank into a position of inferiority, what good shoul…"
"Europe was some time ago divided into two, I will not say hostile, but certainly not friendly, camps—the Triple Allia…"