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People like to think of WW2 as a noble war, and I'm not for a moment suggesting that Adolf Hitler shouldn't have been stopped. But the fact is that none of the
by Synaesthesia 7y ago
People like to think of WW2 as a noble war, and I'm not for a moment suggesting that Adolf Hitler shouldn't have been stopped. But the fact is that none of the sides entered the war for benevolent reasons.
An interesting historical essay is Noam Chomsky's "Background to the Pacific war" (1967) in which he explains an often missed cause of that war - the economic one. Japan being shut out of the international trade by tariffs imposed by the British and US in 1937. This crippled Japanese industry, as expected.
https://chomsky.info/196709__/ https://chomsky.info/196709__/
- kryptiskt 7y agoBut the war in Asia had already started, Japan was sanctioned because of their aggression in China.
- Synaesthesia 7y agoThe western powers also colonised China, by force. One could say the war in China was over which colonial powers would have rights to trade in China.
- Nasrudith 7y agoThey had already shown what their industry was being used for in Nanking so the sanctions were eminently justified for those who don't want more of it. It was beyond the pale and appaled even imperial powers whose other history included things starting like the Opium War, passed the Chinese Exclusion Act and putting down the Boxer Rebellion. Given that military action caused it that is a rather egregious to complain about the resulting sanctions and even worse to claim causus beli over it.