#65 War, What is it Good For?
"It is no sin to kill a killer." ~Hindu Proverb
If you pay attention to the news you know America is at war right now. Your probably also know there is a vocal minority that is pushing a peace movement, and decries war as more violence which won’t solve any problems. This voice is mainly coming from university campuses and other liberal establishments, but it represents quite a bit of the intellectuals, the intelligencia, who abhor war, and see us as no better than the terrorists. Don’t dismiss this; peace movements have their place in history. I thought I would give you an example of one such.
War, What is it Good For? A one-act rant
WWI left Germany with virtually no military and not a global threat. In 1933 Adolph Hitler took power in Germany, and despite a book detailing his plans on world domination (and killing Jews), no country raised much of a protest.
March, 1935: Hitler announces Germany will no longer go by the Treaty of Versailles, which drastically limited Germany’s military power, and instead says Germany will have a “permanent peace-time force” of 600,000 men. Britain, France, and Italy do nothing.
March 3, 1936: Germany takes back the Rhineland, a buffer zone between them and France. According to the Lacarno Pact, Britain is obligated to come to France’s aid and attack Germany. Britain and France do nothing. Italy decides to be more like Germany.
1937: Neville Chamberlain becomes Prime Minister of Britain, promising a “new face” on the German threat.
February, 1938: Austrian chancellor Schuschnigg is brought to Hitler and told that he is “voluntarily” making Austria a part of Germany. Chamberlain approves.
September 30, 1938: Neville Chamberlain emerges after a conference with Hitler with a pronouncement of “Peace in our time.” As part of the agreement, Chamberlain agrees to Hitler’s demand the Germany take the Sedentenland, a large chunk of Czechoslovakia.
November, 1938: In response to a German diplomat who is killed in Paris, Hitler begins a more thorough persecution of Jews (more than the concentration camps they are already in). Many Jews are beaten or killed. Word reaches Chamberlain, but unwilling to break the “peace”, Britain does nothing.
March, 1939: Germany moves its army into Prague and takes Lithuania. Hitler prepares to take the other Baltic states. Britain’s response is (betcha can’t guess)
March 30, 1939: Hitler makes a demand for Poland. In response Britain signs a treaty with Poland that says the day Poland is attacked, Britain will declare war on Germany. With British intentions announced, Hitler tells his generals to prepare for war, which begins a four month ramp-up of troops, arms, and equipment. Britain stands by waiting while Germany prepares.
September 1, 1939: As promised, Germany invades Poland, and true to its word, Britain finally declares war on Germany, too little too late.
1945: In the European Theater, millions of soldiers have died in the deadliest war in history. Civilians are killed all over. In German held territory, Hitler’s “Final Solution” kills 6 million Jews and over 5 million other “undesirables”; Poles, Gypsies, blacks, and homosexuals. Russia loses over 20 million of her own people stopping Germany, when British and U.S. aid doesn’t arrive as promised. Resulting anger in Russia makes it simple for Stalin to impose his iron will, and a new “Cold War” is born.
Yeah, war costs many lives, many of them innocent. Sometimes peace costs a whole lot more.
Hyperion,
October 11, 2001
0 comments:
Post a Comment