Who was to blame for World War II?

[DotCommunist]

I think, even without Hitler, the western powers would have had to deal with aggresive german nationalism before too long - the sense of greivance at versialle, the economic chaos and the myth of the 'stab in the back' would most likely have led that way.

The actions of the western powers in the 30s certainally contributed to Hitlers success. They're was significent sympathy and support for the Nazis amongst the ruling classes - particualrly their anti-communism, and Chamberlin and co were totally out of their depth when dealing with Hitler.
The betrayal of Czechoslovakia was particularly shameful.

However, Stalins cynical deal to carve up of poland was even more stomach churning - and counter productive.

Let's not forget the murder of polish partisans, a proper stab in the back long attributed to the Nazis.

 

[meurig]

After ww1, France just wouldn't get reasonable about the whole reparations business.

No, that was us (UK) unfortunately, as I recently discovered when I got into a protracted argument with a Frenchman on the subject of Versailles.

We insisted that military expenditure (pensions for ex-soldiers, war widows etc) was brought into the mix for reparation, whereas previously all reparations had been for civilian loss - we had little to compensate for in the line of civilian losses.

Clemenceau didn't fight the level of cash reparations we wanted - although he thought them too much, but did want the Saarland transferred to France to compensate for the destruction of coal mines in Northern France by the Germans. Clemenceau also wanted an army of occupation in Germany.

Some French still blame us for not allowing Germany to be occupied as Clemenceau wanted in 1919, and as we actually did in 1945. Perhaps they have a point and it took occupation to get militarism out of the German political system.

It's an interesting argument as it's so far from what we're taught in the UK - and apparently Canada as well.

 

[xes]

The Illuminati, obviously.

http://www.illuminati-news.com/hitler-hess-deception.htm

 

[revol68]

I blame the German Social Democrats crushing the German Revolution with the aid of the Freikorps.

 

[mistere]

Screwed the germans hard that did. Was always likely to happen.

Arguably the ToV actually left Germany relatively stronger, at least in the medium to long term. Russia didn't get back many of the territiories lost at Brest-Litovsk and instead, thaks to Wilson and national self-determination, a whole load of small, weak, divided and unstable countries were created who lothed Russia, Germany and each other in just about equal measure. Previously Germany had always been surrounded by two strong states, Russia and France, after the ToV German power relative to eastern Europe was massively increased; given the French reliance on a strong Russia to contain Germany Germany's strength relative the west was also increased. Especially given the destruction of the French coal mines and French industry when German industry was largely intact and reparations came nowhere near compensating the French material losses.