30th June 2003, 12:07 AM
My point is that the vast, vast majorities of the populations in those nations were exactly the same as everyone in the Allied nations: people doing what they could to defend their nation in the face of enemies. Doing that isn't evil... and all sides use propaganda so that's not bad either, really...
Go ahead and blame the leaders. They are mostly guilty. And blame the sadists, etc who did things that are cruel and unusual and beyond what their society sees as normal and beyond what they were taught.
But blaming the soldiers for just doing what is the only thing they know as right, or the only thing they know will keep them from being killed for desertion of aiding the enemy or being an enemy of the state or something? No, I don't blame them for that.
And I certainly don't blame the civilians at home. They really didn't know the full extent of what was going on...
Sure, they supported their governments. But they didn't know what their governments and armies were really doing... and in that atmosphere of fear and patriotism, it'd be hard to do anything else. So anyone who DID have doubts would justifiably keep silent...
Go ahead and blame the leaders. They are mostly guilty. And blame the sadists, etc who did things that are cruel and unusual and beyond what their society sees as normal and beyond what they were taught.
But blaming the soldiers for just doing what is the only thing they know as right, or the only thing they know will keep them from being killed for desertion of aiding the enemy or being an enemy of the state or something? No, I don't blame them for that.
And I certainly don't blame the civilians at home. They really didn't know the full extent of what was going on...
Sure, they supported their governments. But they didn't know what their governments and armies were really doing... and in that atmosphere of fear and patriotism, it'd be hard to do anything else. So anyone who DID have doubts would justifiably keep silent...