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The Second World War — 70 Years Later
http://article.nationalreview.com/?q=ZDA3NmExZDYzZTBiMGJmOTY5ODAwZmUzZDU1ZmFmNWY= ^ | Victor Davis Hanson

Posted on 09/03/2009 7:44:24 AM PDT by mainepatsfan

The Second World War — 70 Years Later Did any good come from such a monstrous bloodletting?

By Victor Davis Hanson

Seventy years ago this week, on Sept. 1, 1939, the Second World War broke out with the German invasion of Poland. Thousands of books have been written about the war. And by now revisionist historians of revisionist historians engage in an endless cycle of disagreement over why the war started, how it ended, and what it all meant.

Here are a few more controversial thoughts on the horrific conflict that killed 60 million people, wrecked Europe, and set the stage for an ensuing half-century Cold War.

Many blame Germany’s aggressions on the supposedly harsh terms of the Versailles Treaty following the First World War, which stripped a defeated Germany of territory, required reparations, and dismantled its military.

But Versailles was far more lenient than what the Germans had planned for Britain and France should they have won in 1918. And it was not nearly as harsh as the terms the Germans imposed on a defeated Russia under the Treaty of Brest-Litovsk in early 1918, before they lost the larger conflict.

(Excerpt) Read more at article.nationalreview.com ...


TOPICS: Editorial; Miscellaneous; Politics/Elections
KEYWORDS: sourcetitlenoturl; vdh; victordavishanson
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1 posted on 09/03/2009 7:44:24 AM PDT by mainepatsfan
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To: mainepatsfan

Ok the “Second World War” was nothing more than a continuation of the “First World War”. The 20th Century was embroiled in war from 1914 to 1991. Anyone have any other thought please ping me.


2 posted on 09/03/2009 7:48:41 AM PDT by US Navy Vet
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To: mainepatsfan

One thing to come away from World War Two was the blatant communist coddling by the FDR administration. And the infiltration there after by the Reds in the fifties and 60s.. Now we are reaping the wonderful utopia of national communism in our own country. FDR was the biggest trader in our history till recently. Patton was right, we should have taken the Russians when we had a chance.. NO COLD WAR NO KOREA NO VIETNAM Nothing... OK MY 2 cents.


3 posted on 09/03/2009 7:52:27 AM PDT by crazydad
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To: mainepatsfan
“Those who judge the past using the moral standards of today will never understand history.” .......Anonymous
4 posted on 09/03/2009 7:54:04 AM PDT by gdzla
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To: US Navy Vet
I concur - 1914 to 1991 was a contiguous serious of events involving new powers.

1991 onwards is a move to asymetric warfare with the seeds of such being planted by the rise of Islamism.

5 posted on 09/03/2009 8:02:51 AM PDT by dirtboy
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To: gdzla

Those who fail to learn from history have to repeat the class in summer school - dirtboy


6 posted on 09/03/2009 8:03:25 AM PDT by dirtboy
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To: crazydad
FDR was the biggest trader in our history

How could he have been?

He didn't even have a broker's license!

7 posted on 09/03/2009 8:04:41 AM PDT by Lazamataz
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To: Homer_J_Simpson

Thought this might interest you...


8 posted on 09/03/2009 8:10:01 AM PDT by bamahead (Avoid self-righteousness like the devil- nothing is so self-blinding. -- B.H. Liddell Hart)
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To: dirtboy
It seems to me that MOST of the combatants is WW I were Queen Vic's relatives. “Great Britain” the “gift” that keeps on giving.
9 posted on 09/03/2009 8:10:16 AM PDT by US Navy Vet
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To: crazydad

WRONG on FDR WILSON was a FAR larger traitor than FDR(where do you think that FDR and LBJ got MOST of thier “ideas” from WILSON)!


10 posted on 09/03/2009 8:12:13 AM PDT by US Navy Vet
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To: crazydad

The Pentagon came up with a plan in 1948 to use American nuclear power (then a monoploy) to attack and invade the USSR.


11 posted on 09/03/2009 8:16:45 AM PDT by canuck_conservative (Obama - The "Big Owe")
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To: mainepatsfan; Tolik

bump & a VDH ping


12 posted on 09/03/2009 8:26:10 AM PDT by neverdem (Xin loi minh oi)
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To: crazydad

Amen to you there!


13 posted on 09/03/2009 8:30:00 AM PDT by Lyantana (A Southern View)
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To: US Navy Vet

I have heard in the past that since recorded history, there has only been about seven years that there hasn’t been a major war some place in the world. Humans are warlike creatures. As for WWII, the US stayed out of it for quiet a while. One reason, other than being isolationists, we didn’t have the arms to go to war. Once Germany declared war against the United States, the country had no choice and our people went to work. That’s my understanding. I’m sure there’s more to it though.


14 posted on 09/03/2009 8:34:46 AM PDT by RC2
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To: All
Victor Davis Hanson:

http://www.freerepublic.com/tag/victordavishanson/index:

From Preparedness to Appeasement
What We Are Learning About the Era of Obama
War — What War? We have public confusion about both wars: Iraq and Afghanistan
Obama and "Redistributive Change". His real agenda
Obama vs. Obama "The fault, dear Barack, is not in our stars, But in ourselves"
The Strange Case of the Obama Meltdown
The Obama Administration : What Went Wrong
Our Road to Oceania
When America Will Become Europe. Thoughts of Our European Future to Come
Bullying Israel-only country with which the U.S. has worse relations since Obama took office
Prairie-Fire Anger. Why Are People in Revolt?
Obama's Great Race to Change America
Obama’s Path Not Taken. What Might Have Happened
On Shearing Sheep (relentless hostility to small business)
The War Against the Producers
A Thug’s Primer - How to win liberal friends and oppress your people
What Do these First Six Months Mean? Where Are We Going?
The New Orwellianism
Our Historically Challenged President. A list of distortions
I No Longer Quite Believe ... [Victor Davis Hanson on Orwellian media & science, race relations]
The Reckoning. Obama Versus the Way of the Universe
President Palin’s First 100 Days. Imagine if Sarah Palin had Obama’s record
Confessions of a Contrarian [deconstructing Obama, the Left and more]
Thoughts About Depressed Americans
Bush Did It. What a difference an election makes [Brilliant Parody]
Our Battered American [gets angrier - Must Read Rant]
Just a partial list. Much more at the link:  http://www.freerepublic.com/tag/victordavishanson/index
15 posted on 09/03/2009 8:42:37 AM PDT by Tolik
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To: mainepatsfan; neverdem; Lando Lincoln; SJackson; dennisw; kellynla; monkeyshine; Alouette; ...

 

  Ping !

Let me know if you want in or out.

Links:   

FR Index of his articles:  http://www.freerepublic.com/tag/victordavishanson/index
NRO archive: http://author.nationalreview.com/?q=MjI1MQ==
Pajamasmedia:  http://pajamasmedia.com/victordavishanson/
His website: http://victorhanson.com/

16 posted on 09/03/2009 8:44:17 AM PDT by Tolik
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To: Tolik

Thanks for the list of links, and the ping.

The spread of communist ideology had permeated the US even as WWII was being waged. I don’t think that taking out Russia would have prevented that. The dieseas had already crossed the Atlantic.

Socialism/communism has been a failure wherever it has been tried. The problem is that these ideologues don’t learn from history and from empirical evidence, and they are consumed by their percepton of class oppression.


17 posted on 09/03/2009 8:53:17 AM PDT by Canedawg (FUBO)
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To: US Navy Vet

I agree with your thought. I would also add that I think the Second World War was not over until the Berlin Wall fell.


18 posted on 09/03/2009 9:19:27 AM PDT by alarm rider (Live free or die.)
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To: gdzla
“Those who judge the past using the moral standards of today will never understand history.” .......Anonymous

Good quote. Must have been from a guy watching Obama on one of his apology tours.

19 posted on 09/03/2009 9:52:59 AM PDT by Night Hides Not (If Dick Cheney = Darth Vader, then Joe Biden = Dark Helmet)
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To: US Navy Vet

“The 20th Century was embroiled in war from 1914 to 1991.”

I suppose you could take any 77-year block of time and make the same general statement about that century.

Depending on when you start measuring, one might also state that the Franco-Prussian War (and any number of big European wars before that) set up the next war in the series, eventually leading to 1914.

History flows. It is man who chops it up.


20 posted on 09/03/2009 10:08:26 AM PDT by Owl558 ("Those who remember George Satayana are doomed to repeat him")
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