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When the words "cease fire" really meant something.

August 14th 1945. The deadliest war in the history of mankind comes to an end.

From Wikipedia.

snip.

"The total estimated human loss of life caused by World War II, irrespective of political alignment, was roughly 62 million people. The civilian toll was around 37 million, the military toll about 25 million."

end snip.

62 Million people, from a world wide population estimated at 2 billion. Extrapolated to the current world population, this would equivalent to losing 186 million people today.

You simply cannot conceptualize the reality of what those numbers actually mean. 186 million people, roughly half of the current population of the United States. As you walk down the street today in "big city USA", count off each person that passes you. Every odd number counted would be a casualty.

The official peace treaty ending the war was signed a month later in Tokyo bay. While outright war itself has not returned to the former enemies since the capitulation, sporadic fights would go on in Asia for the next few months, with several members of the Imperial Japanese Army fighting on until the 1980's. Insurgent actions and reprisals against civilians continued in Europe until the 1950's.

None of the goals that were behind the start of the war were accomplished by any of the aggressor states. The war that started with combatants using horse calvary in Poland ended with the world witness to racial genocide, city destroying firestorms and the advent of the nuclear age.

In August 1939, political pundits and all the other smart people of the world believed that world war could be avoided if only the parties in these minor conflicts would talk and come to an agreement for the common cause and the natural desire of mankind for peace.

6 years later, 52 million people around the world had died for their foolishness. The Americans chose to stay out of the war until forced into it by the actions of the Japanese attack at Pearl Harbor.

How different the world might be had the world leaders decided at that time that Hitler should have been stopped when he reoccupied the Ruhr. How different the world would be if we had worked against Japan in China in 1933.

How different the world might be if so many of our side hadnt collaborated with the Axis powers and quietly admired the forces of fascism.

"Well they make the trains run on time" they said; but how many of us knew then that those trains ran into a gateway that said " Arbiet Macht Frei". We know now, and yet, what do we do?

Let us hope that the lesson of that war was learned by this generation so as to avoid another tragedy for the losses in the next war will surely prove to be far beyond what was experienced in that generation.

Posted @ August 14, 2006 10:14 AM | History file

Comments

I think that we are that place similar to 1933. We have yet to (and I hate to use the word) collectively awaken to the true threat.

The Giant Still Sleeps

The Hobo

Posted by: Robohobo at August 14, 2006 11:53 AM

Small correction: That would be "Arbeit Macht Frei". In German, it's always the second of the "ie" pair that you hear...

Posted by: Rob at August 14, 2006 02:31 PM

Given recent events in the mid-east and the political climate at home, I doubt we've learned anything.

Posted by: Tim P at August 15, 2006 06:24 AM

Suppose Hitler had been stopped at the Ruhr, and had been content to rule Germany for the next 40 years? Stalin would never have neede to rebuild the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics, and likely would have found common ground with the National Socialists.

Sometimes I wonder if the world isn't better off to have had the war and resolved Facism at least.


And might I add, Typekey is an enormous pain in the butt.

Posted by: RPD at August 15, 2006 07:30 AM

Actually, when discussing the long tail of WWII, it should be noted that ODESSA, the NAZI holdout organization, claimed credit for a carbombing during the 1970s.

And might I add, Typekey is flatass not working here.

Posted by: triticale at August 15, 2006 04:28 PM

And Mussolini DIDN'T make the trains run on time, darnit! That's a MYTH!

http://www.snopes.com/history/govern/trains.htm

Posted by: class-factotum at August 16, 2006 12:24 PM