My position would be that WW2 was as immoral as any other war. It was started
by immoral people for immoral reasons. That the enemies and victims of Germany
and Japan fought back suggests to me that they acted immorally, but can be
forgiven because of the magnitude of the transgressions against them. They did
wrong things for right reasons.
Along those lines, my aunt, who is against any war at any time for any reason,
once asked me how much difference it would have made if the American colonies
had not rebelled against the crown, and had, like Canada and other Commonwealth
nations, evolved to independence as a matter of course.
That is an interesting question to ponder. For starters, the War of 1812 would
not have occurred. Our Civil War, had it been fought in an effort by slave
states to retain their franchise, would have been a very different thing as the
South would have faced the combined might of the North, the Midwest, and Great
Britain--and perhaps a few other European nations as well. It might not even
have occurred as the power of the crown might have been enough to put an end to
slavery peacefully.
One can go on and on. American regiments would have served with Wellington on
the Peninsula and at Waterloo; American ships and sailors would have served
with the Royal Navy and Nelson. And, of course, American would have been
involved in World War I from the beginning, which could have meant the loss of
a generation here, too--or, on the other hand, the prospect of facing America
as well as Italy, Russia and Great Britain might have been enough to alter the
course of events that lead to war's outbreak.
There most likely would have been no Vietnam. World War II and the Cold War
would have been different characters as well.
We'll never know, but it's fascinating to think about.
--Bob Whitmire
Certified Neanderthal
On Dec 9, 2013, at 5:29 PM, Andrew Fildes wrote:
> Hmmm - most.
> WW2?
> I know these arguments are subjective in the extreme but I don't think you
> can be absolute.
--
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