Stefan Zweig's book The World of Yesterday is very good on this as regards WWI from the point of view of Austria-Hungary. Your comment also reminds me of a phr

Stefan Zweig's book The World of Yesterday is very good on this as regards WWI from the point of view of Austria-Hungary. Your comment also reminds me of a phrase from one of the last surviving British soliders from WWI, Harry Patch: "If two Governments can't agree give them a rifle each and let them fight it out. Don't lose 20,000 men. It isn't worth it."