Do you still think of the War?

Terodil wrote: »

Thanks for this post, but I feel the need to say something here...

I think we need and should want to remember the past. It is important because the lure towards the 'strong hand' is present everywhere and at all times (not just in Germany, look around). Especially in times of crisis like now. So it would be wrong to forget it.

Quite agree with your point. I suspect it might be worth recognising that had the German economy not been in such a mess when Hitler rose to power, he possibly wouldn't have been able to take over the country in the way he did. The people desperately needed a strong leader, and Hitler was that in spades. It would even be possible to argue that he was the best thing Germany ever had at the beginning. I also agree that what happened in Germany could just as easily happen in other countries without continual vigilance, particularly in times of severe recession. How many people lately have been calling for a strong leader for Ireland? OK, we aren't about to start a blitzkrieg (not enough of us unless we invade the Isle of Man).

So teaching the history of the war in Germany and everywhere else is important in maintaining vigilance, but blaming the current population of Germany for Hitler or the Russian people for Stalin and the USSR is stupid. In any case, if blame is going to be thrown about, let's include Stalin and Emperor Hirohito, Mussolini. The Russians and the Japanese and the Italians.

Terodil wrote: »

However you may not be aware of a political campaign afterwards to collect all the German flags that had been flying and to burn them.

must have been a very small campaign since I never heard of it.

It was a pleasure to see people in Germany displaying their national flag with honour and not being worried that they would be looked upon as somewhat bad just for being and displaying proudness of their country (which other countries were always "allowed" to do).

People need to realise that there were many other countries guilty of knowingly allowing what was happened in the holocost.

I wonder do the british feel guilty for the millions their country killed since they invented and successfully used concentration camps in africa and elsewhere? Should they be made feel guilty?

My girlfriend grew up in east germany and I can tell you they (her and her family) suffered well under Russian occupation for many years after the war with little food and a very corrupt system so they were the victims of this war and aftermath - not some sort of a guilty party.

axer wrote: »

I wonder do the british feel guilty for the millions their country killed since they invented and successfully used concentration camps in africa and elsewhere? Should they be made feel guilty?

And those Belgians don't feel guilty over their genocidal activities.

Fratton Fred wrote: »

Not at all.

WWII was a big part of 20th century history, the evidence of it is still knocking around the UK so there are constant reminders. That is why WWII is probably talked about more in the UK than it is in the US.

Why on earth people feel the need to bring the 6 counties, the Boer war or England WINNING THE WORLD CUP into a thread about Germany is beyond me.

It's an alternative version of "Godwin"

I spent quite a bit of time in Germany from 1978 to date, and think it's a great country. I found the Germans to be very nice people, with a great sense of humour when you break the ice with them. In all of my visits there I was treated very very well, and shown hospitality that surpassed any I recieved in any other country I ever visited. I think one of the reasons was, that I never went there with any ill feeling about the war, or preconceptions about the Germans.

Lets be realists here, war is the pits, it's absolute shit, horror and bloodshed everwhere, where the normal rules of society no longer apply. Lets not forget, that we need to be objective about WW2, and that every country involved in WW2 committed crimes, in some shape or form.

Look at it this way, the Nazis did medical experiments on Concentration camp prisoners, but the British did similar experiments on their own men in Porton Down and most of these men are still seeking compensation from the British Government to this day, for long term illnesses, etc. and they are largely being ignored by the british Ministry of Defence. The British, under Bomber Harris also vigourously pursued a policy of firebombing German civillians.

The Americans, who were instrumental in showing the crimes of the Holocaust to the whole world just after the war, had racial segregation in their own Army at the time, and in their own society, up until the Civil Rights era of the 1960's, 20 years after the end of WW2. They also rounded up anyone of Japanese extraction, living in the US and interred them in Concentration Camps, because they were Japanese.
Not to mention that, like the SS and Gestapo, The US Military and CIA indulged in torture of prisoners up to very recently in Iraq. The Americans also dropped 2 Atomic Bombs on Hiroshima and Nagasaki, which were not Military targets, and burned hundreds of thousands of people to death in the process.

In terms of killing opponents of the regime, Stalin would have put Hitler in the Genocidal Kindergarden, end of.

Finally, when we look at the Holocaust, well the similarities between Nazi treatment of the Jews
, and Jewish treatment of the Palestinians, is frightening, to say the very least. I also often wonder how much money Stephen Spielberg gave to Holocaust survivors, out of the money he made from Schindlers List ?? considering the Jewish organisations who screwed the Swiss and German banks in the 1990's, gave 'sweet fuck all' to the survivors they were supposed to be claiming the money for, and used the money to build Opera houses in Tel Aviv, and more Holocaust Memorial museums in the US instead.

There is a Huge Holocaust Memorial in Washington DC, and there is no Memorial there to the victims of American Black Slavery. I wonder what the Americans would think, if the Germans built such a Memorial to the victims of American Black Slavery, in Berlin ???

Yeah WW2 was bad and the Germans were 'the bad guys', but in my honest opinion, we've learned little, and people in glass houses shouldn't be slinging stones at anyone, especially if those glass houses are built on illegal settlements, for example.

I hold no malice towards Germans because of the War, why should I ?? Besides, they had nicer uniforms :pac: