Are you tired of WWII history?

Question

Do you ever notice the size of the WWII book section in a bookstore? It is easily larger than any other section sometimes. The amount of WWII documentaries made year after year after year? Hollywood films? Images of Hitler? Pearl Harbor? Im not saying Im offended and Im not trying to insult people who do like it but am wondering if anyone ielse s tired of it. I think too many people automatically think of Nazism when they think of Germany.

"I wonder why. Could it be all the millions of people that met their deaths because of the NAZIs in....GERMANY?" And Im sure the first thing you think of is the miillions of natives that were slaughtered when you hear 'American" or "English" or "Christian"

Im very familiar with that quote mistress which is why I think there should be a little more balance. I guess it makes Americans that are walking over the graves of mass genocided Native Americans and African slaves feel better to see Germany as the imperial racist devil.

"smallpox blankets and slave ships are kind of pedestrian" What a disgusting racist.

Answer 1

Yes.

Answer 2

Yeah but...WW2 was the biggest event in history ever. It's a harsh thing to say but compared to the OSS, the SS, Churchill, FDR, Stalin, D-day, the Maquis, the Manhattan project, kamikaze, Spitfires, Mustangs, Zeros, Rommel, Patton, the Devil's Brigade, etc. etc.; smallpox blankets and slave ships are kind of pedestrian. I'm one of the people who keep those WW2 book sections in business, and I will continue to do so. I have been to Germany and enjoyed it very much. The fact that I'm a WW2 buff doesn't mean I have anything against Germans. If anything, I know a lot more about the Germans who opposed the Nazis than the average person.

Answer 3

I am tired of only seeing the Western european theater being discussed in books and movies. The Eastern front is a whole vast subject that we do not hear much of in the West. You could easily say that is where WWII was decided. Reflecting on Germany and Nazis, yes they were terrible but look who's side we were on : Stalin. Stalin murdered what 20 million? I'm not defending Hitler by any means but Stalin was just as bad The atrocities of the Soviets are always glossed over most of the time. It tickles me how in the newsreels the Soviets change from our friends to the terrible mericless enemy in a matter of months.

Answer 4

You see the two main differences between the colonial powers of the nineteenth century and the third reich were two fold:
One, that whilst the colonial powers had a policy of expansion, this policy was to displace whoever got in the way. It was not at all and every time to exterminate them. If for instance the Indians moved to a reservation or there was no need for the settlers or miners to come in, then they would be left alone. Most of the deaths occured as a result of either the hunting of their buffalo or disease. Things that happened as a result of much that was unforseen at the time and as a result of something else. Even under the colonial regimes the natives did have a place in the system-abet degraded. However the nazis had no place in the system at all for the peoples they exterminated. Their's was a deliberate policy of extermination. There was no alternative for these people. No possibility at all.
The second was that although the colonial powers did by the doing of their imperialism target mostly certain peoples, it was not on the pure base of their race, rather it was on the base of their cultural status. Therefore an American Indian,***** or Indian could advance somewhat and have some type of good life under these powers. They made at least formal treaties with them and there were areas whereby these people were semi independent if not independent of sorts.(eg. The Mahabrata Confederacy in Southern India and the Nizam of Hydderbrad.)
On the other hand however, the nazis targeted particular races, wholly and soley because of their race, and no matter what the person did there was no place for them and no hope whatsoever.
The nazis had a deliberate policy of geonacide and extermination, unlike the colonial powers, who just got rid of or moved out of the way anyone who got in the way of their imperialism. Furthermore the end result of many of those peoples under colonism was independence and many times a better life. The end result of the peoples targeted under nazism was death, pure and simple, total and absolute.
Now the very reason why world war II is important is that we fought a bloody six year war against some of the nastiest and most evil bastards in history for the very survival of our way of life. The victory in the war made the world that is today.
But I for one would like to see more on other periods of history and maybe a little less fanatism for world war II. After all there are many periods in history and world war II is only one. There are about 6,000 years of recorded or fairly known history. Of world war II there is only six.(One thousandth of the time) Lets put it in perspective. There are many many periods, nations, empires and great interesting things in history. I for one would like to see more of these.
However, one reason of importance for World War II is that the evil and crimes were so deliberate, selective, discriminatley and evil. The episode serves as an eternal warning to that which was and that which the world very nearly became. That war was so bloody close. You had a power selecting certain races because they were certain races, and no hope whatsoever, and systematiclally and deliberately exterminating them. No power in history has ever done this. Not even the Mongol hordes. They accepted all who would join them and when there was peace, they instituted a system of law, protection and tolerance that would be the envy of nations today. The difference between them, one of the most brutal conquerers in history, and the nazis was that whilst Hitler was planning the final solution in areas that had been pacified-it was said with accuracy that a virgin with a bag of gold on her head could walk from one end of the Mongol empire to the other-with both intact. A comparision between butchers of plonk( a cheap cask wine) to champange (In the butcher and bastard stakes- the mongols being the former and the nazis being the latter). A comparison of efficient and worthwile empires of between a mentally deficient lunatic and a ruthless but great and inspired world conquerer of historic standards. In one case the end of one empire was one of social order and an efficient administration, on the other-one of useless and stupidly maniacal death, destruction, degradation and doom.
Although I must admit I am getting a bit tired of seeing tons on world war II on the history channel and would really appreciate a much more variety. For if you bore people too much they will not remember.

Answer 5

I am into WWII and i do understand what you mean, but it doesn't bother me at all no matter which section has more books, I do agree too that many people automatically think of Nazism when Germany is mentioned.

I know your question isnt aimed like this but i think many people would say we shouldnt forget the war at all and with this i agree with

Answer 6

WWII ended what exactly? Naziism, no. Fascism, no. Eugenics, no. The ideologies had supporters then and now. What were the lessons learned, by governments, by groups, by individuals? Some learned to be more efficient in population control, some learned there are ideals worth fighting, dying and suffering for and some have learned nothing.

Answer 7

the WWII veterans are dying out quickly and feel as though their stories should be recorded as quickly as possible.

there are still a few WWI veterans alive and they will be gone before long. sad to say that the Korean veterans and even the Vietnam Veterans are also getting along in years.

once the older generation is gone there is a lot of knowledge and wisdom which goes with it and the younger generation needs to gain as much as possible while it can.

Answer 8

Why should there be balance? Did you think it was a competition between the history of WW11 and Native American history? WW11 would win that competition easily. Everyone has an ax to grind, but WW11 is a much bigger ax than the alternatives you are offering.

Answer 9

NEVER!! Try to comprehend WWII is, since the dawn of history, the largest engagement ever! Just American COMBAT deaths numbered 450,000 in 4 years!!! You can't fit everything or even half of what happened in what you see in your local book store.

Answer 10

Are you familiar with the quote by George Santayana, "Those who cannot remember the past are condemned to repeat it"?

The more people learn about horrific events in history, the more they will stop them from happening again.

Answer 11

No. Knowledge of past events and why they happen can help prevent those things from happening in the future. Sadly most people don't see this and thus we keep repeating the same mistakes of the past.