1000ydstare I agree with oy on that one. It is the same with George Bush. Why, he attacked Afganistan for the Twin Towers and topeld Sadam, but look at the f***up in the middel east right now. Now that Sadam is away Iran is the new threat becasue Sadam was the enemy of Iran.
So what I am saying is that a leader can do great things but will mostly be remberd for the bad things.
Henk
The difference, of course, being that Iran is a country which has on several occasions threatened to annihilate one of its neighbours… but don’t let that get in the way of a simplistic anti-bush rant.
I must say that Iran was a way bigger threat than Iraq. Bush was stupid.
Henk
Take it to off Topic, I will delete any counterposts here about non-ww2.
I am sorry Firefly.
Henk
I find it very interesting that all of you chose to ignore ANY of Germany’s pre-20th century history. From the Polish perspective, the 1939 agression was nothing new. Germany was ALWAYS an extermely agressive neighbor to just about everybody. In 1000 years of coexistence, there was only about 300 years of peace between Poland and Germany. By contrast, the longest peaceful coexistence in the world between neighbors was recorded between Poland and Hungary (well, at least without an open war; there were some minor hostilities). So, the fact that Germany would attack their neighbors was just a matter of time and timing.
In my opinion, the only reason there was over 60 years of peace since 1945 (little more than an eyeblink in the context of the previous 1000 years) around Germany were 2 facts 1) Soviets kept everybody at bay in Eastern Europe, 2) Germany DID suffer a crushing defeat in WW2.
Sooo, it was the fact that Germany was (is) Germany, that caused WW2. Or, from the perspective of recent events, democracy. After all, Germans freely elected Hitler, right ?
One man, one vote, once?
Well they did not actualy vote for him democraticaly!
Henk
Can you expand on that Henk as I thought they did. Althought the share of the vote was actually down for the Nazis in the election from the previous one I still believe they were the majority Party?
In the general election of September 1930, the Nazis won 6.5 million votes, took 107 seats in the Reichstag and became the second largest party in the country. The Communists obtained 4.5 million votes and 77 seats. Although the Social Democrats remained the largest party, it had lost much popularity and support.
Since the Republican coalition (the Social Democrats, Catholic Centrists, Democrats) could not command a majority in the Reichstag. Dr. Bruning (a member of the Catholic Centre Party), the Chancellor from 1930 to 1932, could only rule by issuing emergency decrees. His unconstitutional and undemocratic rule made his government increasingly unpopular. The unpopularity of the government was shown in the presidential election of April 1932. The Republican coalition put forward Hindenburg. He was re-elected with nineteen million votes. But Hitler, who also entered himself for election, won thirteen and a half million votes. So it may not be far from truth by saying that at least 40% of the German people were more willing to support Hitler than the Republican government.
I think you’ll find they did:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/German_election,_1933
Nazi Party (NSDAP) 43.9%
Social Democratic Party (SPD) 18.3%
Communist Party of Germany (KPD) 12.3%
Centre Party (Catholic) 11.2%
DNVP (Conservatives) 8.0%
Bavarian People’s Party (BVP) 2.7%
German Democratic Party (DDP) 0.9%
All Others 2.7%
Totals 100.0%
Note that the current British government only polled 36%, 7.9 percentage points behind what the Nazis polled in 1933… it’s official, guys – Adolf Hitler was more popular than Tony Blair!
Wait a minut guys. They did vote for Hitler but it was not to my opinion fair. Yes Hitler did win but how did he get the voters to do so is what I mean.
Henk
Well as the Weimar Republic was a Democratic one. How do you think the Nazis got the most votes?
The propeganda and the crushing the other partys who Hitler did not like.
Henk
The other parties were out to do the same to the Nazis.
it is all politics, they all are the same, they all lie, cheat and have their own interists at heart, power.
Henk
I agree. But how do you think Hitler came to power?
Yep, he did the same thing all of them does.
Henk
Henk
What do you think was the main pushing factor in Post WW1 Germany that led to the Nazis gaining power in 1933?
Of course the big depresion the country was under and the poor econamy and the fact that the country was poor and people still mad about the Treaty of Verseis (excuse my spelling ) and he promesed them to take them out of this and make them great again.
Henk
Excuse my 2 cents. Yup, Germany was in the depression, as most of the world at that time. Hitler came in and promissed Germans what every dictator does-the World. Germans liked the Hitler’s idea that Germany is better than the rest of the World (“Deutchland, Deutchland, uber alles”, right???) and, therefore, they DESERVE more “living room” (entitlement-remember it was a Social Democrat party). I believe the intimidation, and open hostility toward other German parties came mostly after the election. BTW, my in-laws were friends with a German lady who came from Germany, and was a Social Democrat before WWII. Until her death last year she openly proclaimed that Hitler was the best leader Germany ever had. And she was NOT a member of the Nazi party. This gives you an idea, that Germany went to war because majority of people in Germany believed that they deserve to rule the rest of us (and I hear that some people in Germany STILL belive that today).