Posted by Declan on June 14, 2006, at 14:02:20
In reply to Re: Neccessary Wars » Declan, posted by AuntieMel on June 14, 2006, at 13:03:55
Even Hitler, although a willing barabarian, thought he was (in part) redressing past wrongs, or at least fighting the war again the way it should have been fought. Normally everyone feels attacked and sometimes are delighted to have been. Trapped by history?
What do you think of this (about WWI)? I don't understand the second sentence.
"The war had no meaning. For something that has meaning war is not neccessary. But once war is there people find a meaning for it; they cannot believe that all their sacrifices are meaningless. The leaders look for a meaning in order to fill the people with enthusiasm and to keep down despondency and indifference. The meaning of the German war therefore was to measure Germany against Britain, to punish Britain for jealously having wanted to destroy Germany's greatness. Those poor people everywhere--how they allowed themselves to be fooled, how they fooled themselves. How courageously, how patiently they bore the consequences; what sorrow, what immeasurable misery they suffered." (Golo Mann, "The History of Germany Since 1789")
It's very beautiful, not quite sure why.Declan
poster:Declan
thread:656104
URL: http://www.dr-bob.org/babble/poli/20060610/msgs/656896.html