I was perusing Gore Vidal's lively series of essays, Imperial America: Reflections on the United States of America (New York: Nation Books, 2004) and came across these nuggets on page 45.

Ulysses S. Grant, who had led troops at Veracruz, wrote in his memoirs:"The war was an instance of a republic following the bad example of European monarchies, in not considering the justice in their desire to acquire additional territory."

Many years later, he characterized the Civil War as"largely the outgrowth of the Mexican War. Nations, like individuals, are punished for their transgressions. We got our punishment in the most sanguinary and expensive war of modern times."

The same could be said, of course, about World War II as an"outgrowth" of World War I.