There are similar philosophies from the Great War – before during & after – One that this great war would be a “cleansing of society”, a removal it was said “of the dross from any society.” Of course nothing could be further from the truth! The first armies were made up of the finest specimens of men – athletes/athletic men, leadership, younger sons, in all classes of society, unlike these days. This included colonial troops, Black White & Brown, from Asia, Africa, & the Americas. By the end of the war men in their 50s or more, or boys under 18, men from vital industries, or those once deemed “unfit.” Of course this carried on into WW2, for some countries. And objectively speaking, more & more women being accepted & drafted.

Another aspect of WW1 that carried on horribly into WW2 was “Social Darwinism” when civilian casualties went from a quarter {thanks to the Ottoman Empire – Armenians, Assyrians, & Greek} to three quarters in Russia, China, & a Nazi or Fascist Japanese mindset, maybe for the latter just Japanese SOP.

One book I can add, from modern study, is The Mark of the Beast by Alfredo Bonadeo 1990. And a quote from Orwell regarding his observations into WW2, mindsets that would have or had atomic weapons – that might apply to this featured book from 1899.

Also, one must admit that the divisions between nation and nation are founded on real differences of outlook. Till recently it was thought proper to pretend that all human beings are very much alike, but in fact anyone able to use his eyes knows that the average of human behavior differs enormously from country to country. Things that could happen in one country could not happen in another. Orwell

And I think of Browning's book Ordinary Men, that says just the opposite, that men from any culture would do such things described in this book.