Who thinks the US saved the world in WW2?

Question

I mainly intend this question for Americans, but am open to other answers, I just ask you tell me your nationality.

Thanks.

Answer 1

Hosebeastess.... i thought i told you not to mention the war hehehe.

Kermit M - BRAVO! First class answer. There is certainly a hell of a lot of blowback from the good ol' days of paranoid imperialism.

Hollywood has certainly put a lot of US fighters in brave struggles in battles the US weren't even in, and a lot of people fall for this... they shouldn't, that's just dumb.

I do think the US helped, but they tend to ignore the enormous sacrifices made by everyone else for the war's duration. I am sure there is a lot they don't know, probably a mixture of the education system and a reluctance to question their folklore critically. The literature is certainly out there. For example, the story of Australia's PM Curtin fighting tooth and nail to get our troops back home when the Japs bombed Darwin and hit PNG. The Brits and the Yanks tried to keep them from defending their own shores, but we got em back and we won Kokoda, that's a great yarn. Another time. (series coming up on TV soon for other interested australians, tells the whole story, looks like it will be great..ABC I think)

My biggest problem with the US war fairytale is the use of nukes against Japan. They claim it saved 1 million lives and ended the war for good, and people generally congratulate them. The Japanese were incredibly vicious. However, the truth of the matter is (and again the literature is freely available)-

a/ the targets were admittedly civilian centres, chosen for their psychological impact, not military value. Their target of choice was originally Kyoto as the cultural and spiritual heart of Japan. Imagine the loss!

b/ they had their fun, unleashed this horror of horrors upon innocents......and went and did it again!! Why?? Enough already!! Geez!!!!

c/ The Japanese had been trying to surrender for some time before the bombs were dropped, the only sticking point was the role of the Emperor. This would have been easily negotiated, but the US didn't want to let Japan surrender, they wanted to show the world their new toy. They pretended to the world that Japan chose death before dishonour, that Hirohito was a madman, and mass anihilation was the only solution (anything ringing bells here?)

d/ the bombs were used to gain leverage over Russia especially and gave the US artificial leverage over the new global structure. The success of the Marshall plan depended on a show of US might, ending the war didn't really come into it. The cold war was premeditated.

e/ the use of the bombs has been glorified to the point where people see it as a legitimate way of resolving disputes and the world has been a nightmare ever since. A dangerous shift in discourse that we have never recovered from.

f/ If any other nation had perpetrated such an act, it would have been a heinous war crime, necks would have been stretched. But for some reason it is now part of proud US mythology. And now whole nations are being wiped out for having WMD? Convenient historical amnesia?

So morally and militarily, the US did not contribute to vanquishing Japan in the way they have made out to have.
They played a necessary part once they got involved, and made sacrifices, but in the bigger scheme of things, they were a cog. Oh yeah, and the nukes were waaay out of line. Did I already say that??

Peace to everyone.

Answer 2

We certainly helped. Together with the United Kingdom and its Commonwealth Nations and with the Soviet Union and China, we defeated German, Italian, and Japanese fascism.

Truly there is no question that America played in incredibly important role. Our industrial strength ensured that Britain had destroyers, that Russia had extra tanks and enough trucks to mobilize its infantry formations and ensure the speedy transport of supplies in a huge theater of operations.

And the Marshall Plan following the war significantly shaped Post War Europe. Had the Soviets allowed it, the Marshall Plan might also have helped Eastern Europe as well.

In Asia, Japan is again a leading nation of commerce and industry, which has laid down the Katana...hopefully once and for all.

Before the Cold War, America had helped shape a very promising post WWII world. But then we slipped into the paranoid madness of anti-communism that propelled us into a Cold War that we fought with proxy nations against the Soviet Union. And today, global terrorism is the unfortunate result of having fought that war with proxy troops and nations. Now neither we or the Soviets can control these nations, who are so well equipped with the military legacy of the Cold War.

Answer 3

Ah, CJ.....

The Germans suffered 85% of their casualties on the Russian front. 85% mate. Count 'em.

Given that North Africa and Italy were a sideshow, held by the Germans with just a few divisions, that means the US didn't really get around to fighting the Germans on the goround until June 1944. Now, lets look at those WW2 dates: started September 1939 (no mate, not December 1941), ended in Europe in May 1945 and in the Pacific in August.

So that gives America less than one year of ground combat in a war that lasted 5 1/2 years. Oops.

So that's the material war. Morally: the British resisted Germany for a full year (June 1940 to June 1941) on her own. No help from anyone. Few nations in modern history have shown that sort of fortitude, and it makes the hysterical reaction shown by other countries to far lesser threats look... somewhat hysterical.

And no, Spam, trucks and boots from America were not the difference between victory and defeat for the Russkies (though you'd never have beaten the British for independence without those loathesome French).

As for the Pacific war- definitely an American show- well done- though Japan was a far weaker proposition than Germany.

I am Australian.

Answer 4

Please examine all of this in the previous you get offended If the U. S. does no longer are transforming into in touch interior the war while we did then it would have, no less than, bought extra time for Germany. that's been shown that Germany grew to become into very close to to coming up nuclear weapons. It has additionally been shown that the Germans have been attempting to strengthen nukes that have been deliverable with the help of rocket technologies. they could have been in a position to %. off objectives from a secure distance. My wager is that there is no longer something that the united kingdom, or all and sundry else including the U. S., could have been in a position to do if the German's efforts might have come to fruition. If the U. S. grew to become into no longer interior the war then we does no longer have been attempting help German scientist get away persecution to assist strengthen our very own nukes. this might have allowed those loopy Nazi bastards to first take over the British Isles and then flow directly to the U. S.. we would all be speaking German!

Answer 5

I am an American,I don't think we save the world I believe Hilter was an very evil man an would have been killed by his people sooner or later If the league of nation would had listen to the British prime minister after WWI there would not have been a WW2

Answer 6

I`m English. The Americans did their bit.........eventually. Message for Eelfins, the Germans did not control the whole of Europe. Great Britain has not been conquered since the year 1066! and is part of Europe. Russia played the biggest part in the Nazi defeat, suffering 20 million dead. Every countries history books will tell a different story, but I believe what I have written here is true. Message for "I was thinking", is that irony or sarcasm?

Answer 7

Without a doubt, the US saved the world. The French had surrendered to the Germans, the Russians were on their heels, and the British were almost blockaded from the rest of the world. The only supplies they got were sent to them from the Lend-Lease Act. (U.S.)

The US forces defeated the Japanese in the Pacific and thus put World War II to rest.

Yes, I think the world owes it's existance to American military might.

Answer 8

I am an American. Without the US Industrial capability, the allies would have a hard time. Also, Stalin made a lot of sacrifices to tied down the Germans.

Overall, it was the U S industrial might that saved the world.

Answer 9

Partly, but even if the Americans had not entered Hitler given up on invading Britian and had attacked Russia and they were the ones who had turned the tide of the war. Most of the German causualties were on the Russian front and they captured Berlin.

Answer 10

Well the Nazis certainly didn't save the world. Every Jew on the planet would be dust particles in the atmosphere if the Nazis had won the war. The Nazis were social darwinists, which means they belived they were helping evolution by wiping out lesser races. Not only that, but it was their duty to do so. It was bad science in my opinion, Darwin was just a scientist. The Nazis controlled all of Europe until America chipped in and defeated them just about single-handedly. The Empire of Japan wasn't any better than the Nazis at the time either. Their methods were harsher, they treated their conquered nations far worse than the Nazis did, as well as our POWs.

EDIT
Except for GB, of course