The problem with the League of Nations was that the USA, Russia and Germany were not in it. The USA had a tendency to not participate in forums/arrangements that it did not control ie. it would opt out of joint banking that involved Europeans. The Kaiser thought that he was the balance of power in Europe, that didn't work. Pre 1913 Europeans thought of a pan-European war as we think of Nuclear War today, its very unlikely as it would be too horrific to think about.
Here is a
1913 estimate
COST OF WAR.
IF EUROPE SHOULD FIGHT.
What would a European war cost?
Professor Charles Richer, of University of Paris, and a . prominent member of the Peace Society, has worked out an eleborate estimate of the vast amount of money which would have to bo spent daily to maintain the armies and navies of Great Britain, Russia, Franco, Germany, Austria, and Italy in the field. A conflict between those, nations is still not unlikely to happen as an outcome of the Balkan war.
In the event of such a-war Professor Richer declares 10.000,000 would be led immediately on to the fields of battle, and 20,000,000 would be placed
under arms.
- Germany 3,600,000 Men
- England 1,500,000 Men
- Austria 2,500,000 Men
- France 3,400,000 Men
- Italy 2,800,000 Men
- Roumania , 300,000 Men
- Russia 7,000.000 Men
- Total - 21,100,000 Men
The daily expense of maintaining these men in food and ammunition. &c. is made up by the professor as follows:-
- Food for men £ 2,400,000
- Food for horses £200,000
- Pay £840,000
- Pay for non-combatants £200,000
- Mobilisation expenses £800,000
- Transport of food £400,000
- Infantry,ammunition £840,000
- Artillery ammunition £??0,000
- Naval ammunition .... ?
- Equipments ........ £840,000
- Ambulances £100,000
- Warship expenses (coal, &.. £100.000
- Decrease in ? £2.000,000
- Releif of ? £1,360,000
- Indemnities £400.000
- Total: £11,260,000 per day
Professor. Richer has estimated this daily cost on present market prices. He points out, however that prices would be enormously increased as soon as war was declared. Factories would be closed, farms would be deserted, commerce would be paralyzed banks would fail, and the nations themselves would soon become bankrupt. A war to decide whether Durrazzo should be Austrian or Serbian would bring famine and epidemics to Paris, Berlin, Vienna, Moscow, Milan, and Rome, and it would take half a century to repair the ruin and wipe out the hate aroused.
They did think that arms and arms control were worthwhile and that the Hague Peace conferences brought regulation to warfare. It took 2 World Wars to come up with the UN, that's a lot of blood and treasure for the lessons learned. For WW1 to be avoided, Germany would have to be actually encircled - not them just thinking so. Even if Albert Balin had come back from his informal sounding out GB's position with an unequivocal 'GB will support France' then an Ambassadors conference would have ensued and the war avoided without having a global body.