The senseless slaughter of WWI boggles the mind. But goes a long way in explaining British caution under Montgomery. The Brit public wouldn’t have accepted such losses again.
WWI was one of the greatest disasters in Western Civilization.
It was the latent cause of WWII. It destroyed the order of civilization and the respect for the rule of law.
So much that is wrong with the west had its genesis in the aftermath of WWI.
WWI was a really stupid war. The Germans, Brits, and French all had memories of wars that were much smaller, shorter, and less lethal.
Their young men clamored for war, for glory, with a "we can take those guys" attitude.
WWII was engendered by WWI.
WWI was the start of the suicide of the West.
Europe died on those fields.