(that Subject sure sounds as if one should know better than to get involved...)

quoting E.F.Schelby <schelby@swcp.com> :
>superoutland@aol.com (SuperOutland) wrote:
>> Bad example, as germany's enemies took strenuous measures to keep her
>> divided.

        you failed making it clear (by including sufficient quoted material)
        what this was (NOT) an example for, but that the division into
        occupation zones was indeed an important factor and that all else
        has to be seen and interpreted in that context, that's certainly
        true (and explains a lot which is causing you problems, if I read
        between the lines correctly.  I don't see any of those preceding
        articles listed in this thread; maybe it wasn't posted to scg?)


>>...while the average Japanese farmer had little to do with politics, or
>> rogue generals in Manchuria, the germans actually VOTED the nazis in...

        that differentiation also seems to have some merit (to me).
        ...though its questionable what the German voter knew ahead of time
        (that s/he was voting for criminals to run amock in office later
         surely was not expected or desired; one should be allowed to think
         and say that, I hope).  The point your trying to make, however, is
        lost on me due to the lacking context of preceding quoted material.


> The Germans did NOT vote Hitler into power. Check your facts before 
> you repeat age-old propaganda.

        oh yes, they did.  That was as legitimate a government as any
        that preceded or followed them since... the NSDAP was dominant
        in the Reichstag and thus it was unavoidable that Hitler should
        be offered his turn to form a coalition government with him as
        chancellor.  In fact, had it happened sooner, he might not have
        gotten away with what happened later, might have fallen like all
        the other Weimar republic chancellors before. Hindenburg's death
        would then have caused a different kind of crisis, no matter who
        was chancellor (but if and how Germans history would have evolved
        differently can only be idle speculation, nothing I consider
        worthwhile recycling electrons over...)


>> Also keep in mind (west) germany received FOUR TIMES the per
>> capita aid as japan did after the war.

        I don't know the figures (nor what to "keep in mind") but
        I don't doubt them.  The European scene was a struggle and
        America didn't come to Europe's aid happily or willingly...
        (but because it was starving and strikes and revolts were
         causing a danger of communists gaining power in countries
         like Greece, France, Italy... and the Soviets expected
         Germany and Austria to "see things their way" also, in fact).

        "life in 1947 Paris was worse than under Nazi occupation" in
        consequence (quoted from a documentary on the History Channel)
        and after departing as decisive victors on the battlefield,
        the political future outlook seemed rather grim...

        ...as grim as it is in today's Iraq, in fact, come to think
        of it <sigh> (but I'm not interested in exploring parallels
        further, it's a different topic!)


> I don't know how much "aid" Japan received, but Germany's allotment
> was $ 1,4 billion in loans and credits. It REPAID every penny of it.
> Please be precise in your language. As an American born in Germany
> I am extremely tired of listening to the same old distortions.

        what did he say that caused that?  I don't see it!
        certainly nothing to be labelled "distortion" !
        what a bizarre rant against something that doesn't seem at
        all difficult to understand, interpret, even agree with...

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