For the sake of the greater good --- Thanks for this link, Petru. I note that the emperor started out his pronouncement on ending the war with a statement in which he puts the survival of his people first and an end to worldwide destruction. It seems therefore that the greater good, to his mind, won out against values such as respect for seniority and responsibility for defeat "I have given serious thought to the situation prevailing at home and abroad and have concluded that continuing the war can only mean destruction for the nation and prolongation of bloodshed and cruelty in the world. I cannot bear to see my innocent people suffer any longer.

Source author: Biljana Scott biscott@diplomacy.edu