“I bet that the % who have the basic facts about WWI or the Korean War or the Civil War is miniscule.”
American’s lack of historical knowledge is an embarrassment - even amongst those WITH the basic facts about WWI, WWII, Civil War, etc. I for one get tired of the endless references to Hitler, Hitler, Hitler for every event that happens in the world - as if all history starts with the man. Just once, I’d love to hear the WWII buffs sing a different song and relate some event to King Leopold II or Ceasar - ANYTHING other than Hitler, Hitler, Hitler, Hitler, Hitler.....
“——————other than Hitler, Hitler, Hitler, Hitler, Hitler.....”
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I’m from the Korean War generation and is is often ignored,even though approx. 35,000 died.
Conversations often go from WWII to Vietnam as if Korea never happened.
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Did anyone watch the recent three-day look at the "World Wars" on the History Channel? The concentration was on some of the pivotal characters and their development: Hitler, Churchill, Roosevelt, Mussolini, Stalin and Patton. At one point in the series however, they really seemed to emphasize how the "American Depression" in the 1930's negatively impacted Germany and the rest of the world. Almost...almost suggesting that Hitler's rise was OUR fault!
Did anyone else catch that?
I am not quite sure how to respond to your comment. It seems to me that while WWI seems to have been triggered by many different players, WWII was driven primarily by the decisions and vision of one man. Sure there were numerous other factors and actors, but without Hitler would WWII have happened? I know these are counterfactuals but it is hard for me to see how any big picture discussion of WWII could not focus on Hitler.