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Germany’s geographical position had prompted German military leaders to anticipate a two front war in which Germany faced enemies to east (Russia) and France on the west. Thus in 1905 Count Alfred von Schlieffen drew up a plan. The plan was from military point of view, brilliant but was immoral and a political folly, as many viewed at violating Belgian neutrality. It was crucial to the success of the plan.
Events went on more bellicose and threatening while the generals went through their manoeuvers on paper and the Kaiser went on adding battleships to the Imperial Navy and the British press clamored for action. The matters came to a head when Gavrilo Princip shot dead Arch-duke Franz Ferdinand of Austria in June 1914. The assassination shut out all diplomatic moves. With the WWI the old order was changed forever.
The First World War would trigger another war more violent and more far reaching in results. The changes were not in proportion to the shot fired by a Serb nationalist. I cited this example to show the Cluster Principle in action.
Tailpiece: The principle throws light into the Finagle’s corollary to Murphy’s law, ’Anything that can go wrong, will.

benny