Decision and indecision in warfare

Croesus Elphinstone Stalin Johnson Guy de Lusignon

The Phrase "get off the dime" originated in the 1920s and it was meant to stimulate people who were hesitant or indecisive to get a move on and get something done. Sometimes that has been the best course of action but on other occasions it would have been better to have done nothing at all! History is littered with examples of each.

Conventional thinking goes that our leaders are people of great vision who have superior thought processes to we mere mortals - oh if this were only true! Another myth is that all great events are put in motion by firm decisions and that when battles or even entire wars have been lost it has been because the well thought out decisions of the leadership have been thwarted by matters outside their hands, such as brash commanders, cowardly soldiers or brilliant enemy generals. Whilst this is sometimes true, historical indecisions have also greatly impacted the course of nations and empires. When leaders can't make a decision, they fall back on several options. Some turn to religion for the answer, some to reckless gambles, others allow themselves to be swayed by the opinion of their advisors, whether they are competent or not to do so. Others again are simply so overwhelmed by the realities of the situation that they are stunned into inactivity, hoping that something will simply turn up and solve the problem for them. And some try to have it both ways!

Here are examples of people who made, or did not make, important decisions; the consequences of which changed the whole course of history.

Croesus Elphinstone Stalin Johnson Guy de Lusignon

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