[You Dirty Rats]

Better examples would be Germany and Japan. These were two countries with no real democratic heritage at the time we conquered them in 1945. (In Japan's case, it had been in the Middle Ages until 1854). Lots of people thought neither of those countries could develop free, democratic systems either; one swift boot to ass from the USA cured that nonsense.

[billbears]

Better examples would be Germany and Japan. These were two countries with no real democratic heritage at the time we conquered them in 1945. (In Japan's case, it had been in the Middle Ages until 1854). Lots of people thought neither of those countries could develop free, democratic systems either; one swift boot to ass from the USA cured that nonsense.

Of course no popular elections throughout the 1920s or even in 1933 in Germany was there? Germany and Japan both had working, albeit limited, democracies before WWII. And look what it brought the Germans. Yes, rah-rah, democracy..