More Against the Days

[Mike Weaver]

>
>That worldwide disaster (WW1) wasn't foreseen, was it?  So in this
>sense the phrase "against the day" would imply a causal action
>resulting in the "day."
>
>Or what am I missing?

The inevitable collision between the British and German empires was 
predicted up to 20 years before it happened. The period between the 
Boer Wars and World War One was one of international peace 
campaigning and a steady rise of militarism. The development of youth 
groups like the Boy Scouts was accompanied by ideological battles 
over their militarist v internationalist purpose. The Second 
International was riven by the issue of international socialism 
versus nationalist patriotism, the precursor of the 
communist/socialist split of the post war era.