Are American children taught that the USA won WW2?

Question

It seems that Americans believe that THEY single-handedly won WW2!

My belief is that it was a joint effort and that the USA quickened the win!

Does the US version paint Great Britain as a plucky and resourceful holdout against Hitler, on the verge of falling? Russia portrayed as a bunch of hobos with flintlock rifles who got lucky because the Nazis didn’t have warm coats? The French presented as beret-wearing cheese-eaters taking German lessons?

Is it just a question of "National one-upmanship" with every Country believing that without their effort Hitler would have won?

I'm not anti-US, it's just I think that a more balanced view point of where the US has contributed in historical events should be taught!

National pride is a great thing, but don't believe every thing that you are taught!

Thank you so far!

Reason for asking is that on a number of questions many, many US cotributors keep mentioning,

"Don't forget we saved your sorry @ss in WW2" some even WW1. Which makes me think that their view is somewhat skued.

Thank you team!

Amanda K - Thank you for your candour!

Answer 1

I was taught very little about WW2 growing up. Basically we were taught that we went over kicked some @ss and went home. It was not until I was older that I realized that it was a combined effort from all of the allies. Thank You History Channel. I'm from the US and growing up I thought we did win the war. It's what we have been taught from others.

Answer 2

The version of history that I learned included the contribution of all three major allied combatants, Great Britan, the US, and the Soviet Union against Germany and Italy. To view the US as only an acclerator of events doesn't give a complete picture of events. Without US factories, both England and Russia would have had a much harder job, possibly an unwinnable one. Without the effort of ALL three major allies, it IS quite possible that Hitler would have won.

History SHOULD be presented accurately and in context, but it is also the academic discipline that is the most politicized. Each nation presents its contributions as key and neglects the contribution of its allies, or the positive traits of its enemies. This is true not only in the US, but world wide.

The USSR/CIS neglects the effects of a second front on Germany and the general incompetance of it's senior leadership. France neglects the fact that they produced more goods for the Nazis than Germany did and contributed almost nothing in terms of fighting. Japan neglects its atrocities, especially in China. The US neglects the effects of Russia weakening Germany, and so on.

Mistakes by the Nazis also contributed to their defeat. With 20/20 hindsight, the decision to not pursue jet aircraft was important for their defeat. Invading North Africa was a costly mistake. Probably their key mistake was the mistreatment of the Slavic people they conquered. Hitler was origionally welcomed as a liberator in Soviet areas where racism was the only major difference between the Nazi's and the communists. Until Nazi brutality toward the general population became apparent, he had fairly strong support in Eastern Europe.

Answer 3

WOW .. what a bunch of answers you have , I think my favourite would have to be Rev Ron's :


~ did anther country defeat japan and America didnt beat Germany alone but ~

What the hell does this mean "did anther country defeat japan "?? does rev ron believe that the USA was THE ONLY nation fighting Japan ?
How about these countries Australia New Zealand, England, the Dutch the Indians etc .... ????
have you ever heard of the Burma Railway? the Kokoda trail?
AND we all got involved in the WAR before we were attacked,
Tell you what rev Ron .. I CHALLENGE YOU to read about the Kokoda Trail ... yeah YOU guys did it all on your own *ROLLS EYES*.
Also if you are refering to the bombing of Nagasaki and Hiroshima.. are you aware of the technology behind the bombs and where that came from initially ? are you also aware that the USA mainland was not in the turmoil that Europe was or even under the threat that it was assumed australia was under, and so many scientists went to the usa for safety( they were from other nations)

AND THEN THERE'S THIS LITTLE GEM :
"they were all fighting for five years and then America came in and invaded Germany in one year they didn't do it alone but they deserve the most credit"
we had been fighting for TWO years ( not five dimwit) before the USA got involved and there was so much more to the war other than .. WELL WE WENT TO FIGHT AND THEY WENT TO FIGHT AND THEN THEY LOST AND WE WON ..
there are REASONS for the changing Dynamics of the war and america coming into the war IS JUST ONE...

Don't get me wrong .. I am NOT bagging the USA effort ..but more the fact that the effort of OTHER nations is often ignored by people like REV RON.. .

As Radstar wrote "IT WAS A JOINT EFFORT" may the rest of us NEVER forget, and may some become aware of that

EDIT: SASSY .. you're more aware and knowledgable than some who post re this topic ..I know many americans know the USA didn't win the war ( alone ) but those who do keep posting the crap that some do .. really annoy the hell out of us.

Answer 4

The NY State public school system (where I went) from what I've heard is better than some other states' public school systems, so it might not be like this everywhere.

What my History lessons taught was that more so facts about events, who was involved, when, where, etc:

Pearl Harbor, December 7th, US involvement.

D-day, June 6th, 1944, US, British, Canadian, and other forces, I can't remember if I learned about the Spanish double agent named Juan Pujol Garcia hired by the British (largely responsible for D-Day not being a failure) in school or out of school though.

August 6th and 9th 1945 as bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki. In school, that Oppenheimer was largely responsible and was able to get an audience with Einstein, explain the physics behind "the bomb," letting Einstein come to the realization that Nazi Germany would be working on the same thing and would use it, and sign a letter to the President saying to listen to Oppenheimer. Out of school that the UK and Canada were involved in the Manhattan project as well.

In school that there was a French resistance. Out of school that it was decently effective considering the unconventional warfare, but that it also had problems and wouldn't be effective on its own, but gave valuable time to the Allies by tying up and destroying German resources.

Other events, in between...

There may have been some bias, but I'm not sure that's necessarily down right terrible, as its hard not for writers to have some bias even if they're attempting not to. In particular most of WWII history in High Schools these days is taught in a US History class as opposed to a World History class since World History classes tend to cover events up to the beginning of the 19th Century.


I certainly don't think the US was alone in its victory of WWII, and dont think they would have won on their own, but I also don't think its particularly important speculating about what could have been. Nazi Germany could have won WWII if they had been smarter, or developed the atomic bomb first, etc but they didn't and that's the important part.

Answer 5

We weren't taught that we won singlehandedly, but you do have to admit it would not have been feasible if the US hadn't have entered. Thats probably why they made that comment. I do like the fact that when many allies including the US ARMY were retreating the USMC stayed and turned the tide. ie Belleau Wood (WWI). The USMC also pretty much won the Pacific single handedly (WWII). Iwo Jima, Peleliu, Okinawa etc etc.
If you really want to find out just research major battles in the European theater and the Pacific and see what countries did what.
For the retard haggisbasher that mentioned we thought we won Viet Nam too. Read some history. Nam was a political loss,but militarily it was being won. After the Tet Offensive every single offensive was put down by the US Military, but due to lack of political and social support back in the states the US Military was forced by its bean counters to turn over all operations to the ARVN units, which eventually due to lack of military capability and funds lost to the NVA. If you believe we are taught history by Rambo movies you are even more retarded than you sound.

Answer 6

We don't think that we won the war single handedly. However remember, the reason the US didnt join the war in the first place was due to a few reasons. One was the policy of isolation the American people supported after WWI. Beginning in 1929 the US went through a major economic depression. That combined with the memory of the losses of WW2 made the US wary. (Thats for the people who think the US didnt join because we just didnt want to.)

As for the children being taught the US won the war by themselves? No. Did we help? Yes. Was Hilter trying to attack the US? Yes, in a way. Anyone remember the Zimmerman letter to Mexico?

But please remember that just because you have heard something, like the US is taught they won the war by themselves, take it with a grain of salt. It might not be true.

Answer 7

From the education I received in High-School (4 years ago) in Politics/Government/History class; it was collaboration between 3 major powers that defeated the axis powers. Russia, Britain, & USA.

From what I remember we were sketchy about jumping in, until we were attacked at Pearl Harbor, which awakened the USA against the Axis.

Britain had a lot of problems with Air, and Sea superiority, so we sent all the help we could afford to assist not only for their sake, but to help fight from a different angle for the USA.

Also Russia was struggling and losing its foothold to protect the motherland, and we assisted as best we could.

That is what I was taught in class as an American student. Atleast what I remember.

Answer 8

If the RAF had lost the Battle of Britain, the UK would've been out of the war in 1940, maybe early 1941. British Commonwealth ie Australia, Canada, India, New Zealand, South Africa etc would have wiped Rommel from Nth Africa etc without Churchill telling them what to do, and without Yanks. If Russians had folded faster in 1941, Hitler would have knocked them out of the war by mid-42. If the 9th Australian Division had lost Tobruk in 41, Rommel would've linked Afrika Korps with Army Group South in Russia/Turkey area. Aussies took honours over Germans on ground in 41 before anyone else, and over Japanese five times in 42 and early 43 before USMC won Guadalcanal!!! The only bragging rights Yanks have regarding victory are A-Bombs, Navy and George Patton. All MacArthur did was f**k Diggers over in the Pacific islands.
(Oh, and the first controlled nuclear reaction was supervised by an Italian)

Proud Australian here!

PS. For the occasional ******** who says that the US saved the day in 1918, I have news for you also - if any one man 'saved the day', he was an Australian-born general of German parentage called John Monash!

Answer 9

Well I'm American and they did not teach me that we won the war all alone. America didn't really get into the war till December 7th 1941 i do believe. I know on D-day June 6th 1944 when the Americans landed on Omaha beach that there were Brits and Canadians landing on beaches near by as well. There are dumb people everywhere though sooooo wouldn't surprise me if somebody believes that.


Oh I just read the "we saved your *** in ww2"
I think that could be taken two ways, as a joke or just some dumb prick who truely believes that.

Answer 10

Every country is this way. I once saw a world map with Spain in the center and the rest of the world all distorted around it. Have you ever read the poem the Persian Version?

The Persian Version
Graves, Robert (1895-1985)

Truth-loving Persians do not dwell upon
The trivial skirmish fought near Marathon.
As for the Greek theatrical tradition
Which represents that summer's expedition
Not as a mere reconnaissance in force
By three brigades of foot and one of horse
(Their left flank covered by some obsolete
Light craft detached from the main Persian fleet)
But as a grandiose, ill-starred attempt
To conquer Greece--they treat it with contempt;
And only incidentally refute
Major Greek claims, by stressing what repute
The Persian monarch and Persian nation
Won by this salutary demonstration:
Despite a strong defence and adverse weather
All arms combined mangificently together.