1. The main target of the Nazis, and of Hitler's Mein Kampf, was two-fold: the destruction of Jewish autonomy in Europe, and the defeat of Communism in Europe. They saw these two as combined, in the huge Jewish presence in Poland and Eastern Europe, and in Soviet Communism in Eastern Europe. The Soviet Union had been promoting and aiding Yiddish language autonomy for Jews, meaning that Yiddish was regarded as an official language in many areas in Eastern Europe. It was for a time official in the Ukraine, and the Soviet Union had set up a Jewish Autonomous region in the Soviet Far East. One of the major centers of Yiddish was Poland, which is the country Germany attacked to begin World War II. Yiddish is essentially a dialect of German, written with Hebrew letters. Under Soviet support, Jews were publishing in Yiddish, creating educational materials in Yiddish, and having schools and colleges in Yiddish. Yiddish was on its way to becoming an official European language - uniquely the language of the European Jews. And all this was happening and flourishing, under Soviet/Communist auspices. The Nazis perceived this Jewish/Yiddish/Communist phenomenon as a primary threat.
2. After the war, the United States inherited one of the Nazis' two main goals: the anti-Communist goal. The second of the Nazis' two main goals was inherited by the Soviet Union: the anti-Jewish autonomy goal. In contrast to the Nazi goals, however, the U. S. and the Soviet Union both took up an anti-Nazi goal at the same time. So, the U. S. became the great supporter of Jewish Autonomy - especially in Israel. And the Soviet Union became the great supporter of Communism, which manifested primarily in its support of the People's Republic of China. Thus the anti-Communist world, led by the U. S., was instrumental in supporting the Jewish autonomous State of Israel, founded in 1948, just after the end of World War II. And the Communist world, lead by the Soviet Union, was instrumental in supporting the communist People's Republic of China, founded in 1949. While the Nazi goals of eliminating Communism and Jewish/Yiddish Autonomy in Europe were essentially successful, the two re-flourished within two countries more or less stable and accepted within the international community: the Jewish autonomous State of Israel, and the Chinese communist People's Republic of China.
Wednesday, May 16, 2012
Thursday, March 22, 2012
Key Events Immediately After World War II
1. William L. Shirer was the U.S. war reporter who remained inside of Nazi Germany during the war, until December 1940. He returned to Berlin in 1945 for the Nuremberg trials. He published "The Berlin Diaries" (1941), "The Rise and Fall of the Third Reich", and other major works. He was the American reporter closest to the center of what was happening in Nazi Germany.
2. George F. Kennan, on the other hand, was the U.S. war reporter who remained in Moscow, during World War II. In contrast to the internal reporting of the Nazis produced by Shirer, Kennan published documents such as "The Long Telegram" (1946), a description of what he described as the Soviet/Communist threat. Kennan's work was used by the government of President Truman (who replaced FDR in 1945, after FDR died during his fourth term as President), to formulate the "Truman Doctrine", which presented the U.S. as a "Free World" fighting against communist expansion - first and foremost, against the Soviet Union.
3. William Shirer, who gave the United States the most accurate report of World War II from the inside of Nazi Germany, was blacklisted as a communist sympathizer in 1950, for the sole reason that he opposed the Truman Doctrine.
4. Julius and Ethel Rosenberg were the only Americans executed for espionage as a result of their spying for the Soviets during World War II. Their characteristics: They came from eastern European, Yiddish speaking, Jewish families, who were supportive of the Soviet Union and of communism. These were exactly the same type of Jews who were targeted by the Nazis. The majority of the 6 million Jews killed by the Nazis, were eastern European, Yiddish speaking Jews, supportive of socialism and communism, who were benefiting from eastern European and Soviet programs to promote the Yiddish language and Jewish autonomy in Europe. The Nazis perceived this as a direct attack/threat against German autonomy and "Lebensraum".
5. The United States, instead of seeing Nazi Germany from the inside and recognizing its internal dynamics (as expressed by Shirer), instead adopted the skewed, Soviet/communist threat world view presented by Kennan. The U.S., unwittingly or not, adapted the Nazi anti-communist mission to meet U.S. standards. The Jews, and Yiddish communists, were no longer seen as a threat, as the Nazis had completely uprooted them as a threat from Europe. Instead, the world could now deal with a Hebrew (not Yiddish) speaking people, who had their own country, not in Europe, but in the Middle East. In other words, the Jewish threat as perceived by the Nazis, had ceased to exist - for the United States, as well.
6. The essential inability of the United States in not being able to perceive accurately the inner dynamics of World War II in Europe, is based almost completely on the U.S. not being able to break out of an English language world view, in order to embrace the German and Yiddish languages, in the context of Germany and the Jewish State of Israel, as the only solution to clearly understanding the events surrounding World War II.
7. Note that the State of Israel also discouraged the use of Yiddish, and promoted Hebrew. There was also an agreement, the Haavara Agreement, between German Jewish Zionists Organizations and the Nazis, which began in 1933 and continued up until the outbreak of the war, to transfer Jews and there property/capital from Germany to Palestine. There were some efforts to continue this project even during the war. Also, "assimilated Jews" are considered those Jews who took on the language of the surrounding non-Jewish countries, instead of preserving their Jewish language. Before World War II, this language was Yiddish. After World War II, this language became Hebrew. Those Jews who are more comfortable using a non-Jewish language (that is, not Hebrew or Yiddish), are considered to be assimilated Jews - they have lost their Jewish identity to the degree that they have become assimilated (lost their ability to communicate comfortably in a Jewish language - Hebrew or Yiddish).
Sunday, June 14, 2009
Key things to know about World War II
1. As in World War I, the U.S. was led by a Democrat president - Franklin Delano Roosevelt (FDR), the most popular president in American history, and the only president to serve more than two terms (he served from 1933-1945)
2. The Axis powers, Germany, Italy, and Japan - the enemies of the United States and the Soviet Union - were united under a number of agreements, the original of which was originally written between Germany and Japan in 1936, called the Anti-Comintern pact. Anti-Comintern is short for "Anti Communist International", and was created for Nazi Germany and Imperial Japan to unite in a fight against communism, and the Soviet Union. When Italy joined, it became known as the "Tripartite Pact". The ideologies of Germany and Japan were racialist, claiming that the "race" of the Germans and the "race" of the Japanese were superior, and were thus destined to conquer and rule over other peoples - which they were entitled to either enslave or annihilate. The doctrines of the Soviet Union and the United States that all peoples were equal and should share the world's resources equally, was a direct obstacle to the Japanese and German doctrine that only the Japanese and the German "races" should be able to control the world's resources.
3. The United Nations, created in the middle of World War II as a way of the nations of the world to to permanently unite against the Axis powers, specifically mentions Japanese Imperialism, German Nazism, and the Tripartite Pact in its founding documents. The anti-communist, racialist doctrines held to by the Germans and the Japanese, were seen as the enemies of a free, united world under the United Nations, with the two main superpowers - the United States and the Soviet Union - destined to take the lead.
4. Roosevelt and Joseph Stalin were very close allies, and the U.S. and the Soviet Union were very close allies. There was no anti-communist sentiment in the Roosevelt administration; in fact, communists and pro-Soviets served at various echelons of the Roosevelt administration. (All of FDR's writings are available in an online website dedicated to FDR. They can be searched for keywords like "Stalin", "Soviet Union", and "Russia" to verify FDR's attitude towards the Soviet Union).
5. The largest turnouts of Communist voters in the United States were during the elections before and during World War II. Communism was seen as an acceptable option in the U.S. during FDR's administration, and Eleanor Roosevelt had at times invited communist university students to the White House for discussions.
6. In spite of the pride many Americans feel about fighting in World War II, the amount that the United States suffered in World War II is only minimal compared to what the other key countries suffered: the United States lost less than 1/2 million soldiers in World War II (and few thousand civilians). The Soviet Union, on the other hand, lost over 10 million soldiers and 11 million civilians. China lost over 40 million people total. Germany about 6 million, Japan around 3 million.
7. Prior to the end of World War II, people in the United States who were vocally anti-communist, were also supporters of Adolf Hitler. Henry Ford is a prominent example of an American, who before World War II publically supported Hitler (and Hitler also publically supported Henry Ford). Anti-communism and Nazism were synonymous before World War II - Americans who were anti-communist also were supporters of Adolf Hitler and the Nazis.
8. During the 3 days between the dropping of the first atom bomb and the second on the Japanese, the Soviet Union began the invasion of Manchuria and defeated the Japanese forces in China. This was in complete cooperation with prior agreements made with the U.S. government - the overthrow of the Japanese in World War II was a combined effort of the Soviet Union and the United States. The Soviet Union's defeat of the Japanese Army in China was a decisive blow that caused Hirohito to surrender and end World War II.
9. Then, the United States and the Soviet Union were faced with the task of clearing out the Japanese from Korea and setting up a Korean government. This task was divided between the two, the Soviet Union clearing the Japanese from the North, the United States clearing the Japanese from the South. While the Soviet Union allowed Koreans who had fought against the Japanese to take control in the North, the United States, much to the shock of the Korean population, allowed Korean war criminals and collaborators with the Japanese, to take control of the South. This was the first step in the United States implementing anti-Roosevelt, pro-Nazi policies after the end of World War II.
2. The Axis powers, Germany, Italy, and Japan - the enemies of the United States and the Soviet Union - were united under a number of agreements, the original of which was originally written between Germany and Japan in 1936, called the Anti-Comintern pact. Anti-Comintern is short for "Anti Communist International", and was created for Nazi Germany and Imperial Japan to unite in a fight against communism, and the Soviet Union. When Italy joined, it became known as the "Tripartite Pact". The ideologies of Germany and Japan were racialist, claiming that the "race" of the Germans and the "race" of the Japanese were superior, and were thus destined to conquer and rule over other peoples - which they were entitled to either enslave or annihilate. The doctrines of the Soviet Union and the United States that all peoples were equal and should share the world's resources equally, was a direct obstacle to the Japanese and German doctrine that only the Japanese and the German "races" should be able to control the world's resources.
3. The United Nations, created in the middle of World War II as a way of the nations of the world to to permanently unite against the Axis powers, specifically mentions Japanese Imperialism, German Nazism, and the Tripartite Pact in its founding documents. The anti-communist, racialist doctrines held to by the Germans and the Japanese, were seen as the enemies of a free, united world under the United Nations, with the two main superpowers - the United States and the Soviet Union - destined to take the lead.
4. Roosevelt and Joseph Stalin were very close allies, and the U.S. and the Soviet Union were very close allies. There was no anti-communist sentiment in the Roosevelt administration; in fact, communists and pro-Soviets served at various echelons of the Roosevelt administration. (All of FDR's writings are available in an online website dedicated to FDR. They can be searched for keywords like "Stalin", "Soviet Union", and "Russia" to verify FDR's attitude towards the Soviet Union).
5. The largest turnouts of Communist voters in the United States were during the elections before and during World War II. Communism was seen as an acceptable option in the U.S. during FDR's administration, and Eleanor Roosevelt had at times invited communist university students to the White House for discussions.
6. In spite of the pride many Americans feel about fighting in World War II, the amount that the United States suffered in World War II is only minimal compared to what the other key countries suffered: the United States lost less than 1/2 million soldiers in World War II (and few thousand civilians). The Soviet Union, on the other hand, lost over 10 million soldiers and 11 million civilians. China lost over 40 million people total. Germany about 6 million, Japan around 3 million.
7. Prior to the end of World War II, people in the United States who were vocally anti-communist, were also supporters of Adolf Hitler. Henry Ford is a prominent example of an American, who before World War II publically supported Hitler (and Hitler also publically supported Henry Ford). Anti-communism and Nazism were synonymous before World War II - Americans who were anti-communist also were supporters of Adolf Hitler and the Nazis.
8. During the 3 days between the dropping of the first atom bomb and the second on the Japanese, the Soviet Union began the invasion of Manchuria and defeated the Japanese forces in China. This was in complete cooperation with prior agreements made with the U.S. government - the overthrow of the Japanese in World War II was a combined effort of the Soviet Union and the United States. The Soviet Union's defeat of the Japanese Army in China was a decisive blow that caused Hirohito to surrender and end World War II.
9. Then, the United States and the Soviet Union were faced with the task of clearing out the Japanese from Korea and setting up a Korean government. This task was divided between the two, the Soviet Union clearing the Japanese from the North, the United States clearing the Japanese from the South. While the Soviet Union allowed Koreans who had fought against the Japanese to take control in the North, the United States, much to the shock of the Korean population, allowed Korean war criminals and collaborators with the Japanese, to take control of the South. This was the first step in the United States implementing anti-Roosevelt, pro-Nazi policies after the end of World War II.
World War II
Well, I thought and thought, and it seems like the most central thing I would start talking about if I was discussing what was important with my opinions and trying to explain my world view to someone, would be to start with World War II. It just seems like a central rallying point for everyone's political opinions, although some people may not realize it.
What I mean is, people act like their opinions are new, but what I'm saying is that everyone's opinions about what's right and wrong in the world, can be best understood by looking at them from the perspective of World War II.
(boy, this is a pain. I don't know if I want to keep blogging or not, I might as well just write a book or something. to be continued)
What I mean is, people act like their opinions are new, but what I'm saying is that everyone's opinions about what's right and wrong in the world, can be best understood by looking at them from the perspective of World War II.
(boy, this is a pain. I don't know if I want to keep blogging or not, I might as well just write a book or something. to be continued)
Why I started to blog
Well, you know how you can write wikipedia articles on various topics, and make web pages on various topics? Also, you can go into news groups or other online groups and talk about various topics? Ok, with all these freedoms to talk about various topics, one form of expression is missing - just talking in general about what you feel and think. The main reason I thought about starting a blog was because there are certain opinions I have formed by listening to other people's opinions and thinking about them. But, there was no way to express these random opinions or ideas about various general topics. The blog is an outlet to do this - you can basically express all those things you want to say that don't fit neatly into particular topics on diverse discussion groups or web pages.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)