How historical context can shed light on World War II

World War II was the largest conflict in history. It tore the continent of Europe apart, both during the war and in its immediate aftermath. Millions had been mowed down in battlefields from Normandy to Stalingrad to Iwo Jima. Others had been murdered in the Holocaust, or in prison camps in Soviet Russia or Imperial Japan. Still others had been killed in the bombing campaigns, from London and Warsaw to Berlin and Hiroshima. A standard estimate is that 50 million people died as a direct result of World War II, or in war-related famines. At the end, the seeds of a future Cold War had been sown, as Germany (and particularly Berlin) were divided. The conflicts in Europe were not over – nor were those in Asia, which would see further shooting wars in Korea and Vietnam in the coming decades. Thus, why did the upheavals of World War II happen? What explains the awful carnage, in this war or in the other brutal wars that have racked humanity throughout its history? The answer is both complicated and simple: historical context. Many people naturally grasp the idea that prior context is relevant – whether in historical pursuits, or in other areas of life. But how far back do you have to go to find the answers? What kinds of context shed light on things, and what others fail to do so? And how can historical context help us to make some sense out of major events – events that are both complicated and multi-faceted? (And that includes virtually everything in history, because that’s just the nature of life itself.)

American tank incinerates Japanese pillbox with a flame thrower – Saipan, 1944

These are the kinds of questions that I will try to answer in this post. I will be focusing primarily on World War II here, because popular knowledge of this subject makes it somewhat easier to illustrate my points with some related stories and anecdotes from this conflict. So, without further ado, let’s dive into the importance of historical context, and how it can allow us to make some sense out of the most complicated events of history.

Soviets preparing to ward off a German attack in Stalingrad’s suburbs

A review of “World War II” (audiobook)

I should preface this review by saying that I’ve seen a number of other great histories of World War II. For example, I’ve seen the American perspective covered in Ken Burns’ 15-hour series “The War” (made for PBS). I’ve seen other series that cover the Canadian and Australian perspectives respectively. I’ve seen the so-called “BBC History of World War II” – which, despite its inaccurate name, is still quite good. And I’ve seen the 23-hour British miniseries “The World at War.” This may be the most comprehensive television history of World War II. Thus, I’ve seen a number of other great histories of World War II. The “BBC History of World War II” has a fantastic program on the causes of the war, and another giving in-depth coverage of the Holocaust. But the primary focus of the BBC is on the combat of the war itself. Many of these series were able to interview eyewitnesses and participants, which adds another dynamic to the various documentaries.

What was the “Hundred Years’ War”? (Depends on which one you mean)

There are a few candidates for this name, all of them involving Britain and France

You might already know that the Normans invaded England in 1066 – now the most famous year in English history. The Norman rulers seem to have been genetically Scandinavian, rather than French. That is, they seem to have been of Viking stock. But these Norman rulers had been living in France for a few generations. Thus, they and their followers were all native speakers of French. They soon came to impose the French language and laws on the people of England, as well as a few other parts of Britain. This explains why the English language has so many French loanwords in its vocabulary. Scholars estimate that perhaps 30% of Modern English words are of French origin (usually Norman French origin). Another 30% come directly from the related language of Latin. The first war between England and France seems to have begun in 1109. In that same century, the Norman reign in England gave way to another French-speaking dynasty: the Plantagenet dynasty. The Plantagenet rulers would also remain French-speaking for the next few centuries. (But that’s a story for another post.) England and France would be at each other’s throats, on and off, for many centuries to come. Not all of their wars are today considered a part of some “Hundred Years’ War” or other. But all of the candidates for the name of “Hundred Years’ War” involved France and England – or, in later centuries, France and Great Britain. By examining those three conflicts that are candidates for this name, we may learn something about the centuries-long struggle between the French and the English, and why they still have some amount of rivalry today – although it’s now more good-natured.

Battle of Bouvines, 1214 – part of the “First” Hundred Years’ War

The Thirty Years’ War was intertwined with many other conflicts

The Thirty Years’ War eventually claimed at least four million lives …

It was one of the most destructive wars in European history. The Thirty Years’ War eventually claimed at least four million lives. It was part of the European wars of religion, which arose in the wake of the Protestant Reformation. Several wars which began long before it, and several other wars which ended long after its termination, would eventually become connected with the massive “Thirty Years’ War.” This means that it was part of a series of conflicts that rocked the European world – and some of them spilled over into other parts of the world as well. Thus, this might be a good time to look at a few of these forgotten conflicts, and what they can tell us about early modern Europe. Some of these conflicts began back during the Renaissance and the Reformation, while others continued into the Age of Enlightenment. But all of them would leave casualties behind them, leaving a trail of destruction from one end of the Continent to the other.

Gustavus Adolphus of Sweden at the Battle of Breitenfeld, 1631 – part of the Thirty Years’ War

The Sack of Magdeburg, 1631 – part of the Thirty Years’ War

The wars commemorated on “Cinco de Mayo”

In 1862, the Battle of Puebla was fought in Mexico. Specifically, Mexican forces defeated the invading armies of France on the 5th of May. Thus, on “Cinco de Mayo,” the anniversary of this battle is today celebrated by some Mexican Americans. This is the most famous legacy of the war today. But why did the French want to invade Mexico in the first place? What can we learn from another French intervention in Mexico, which happened in an earlier decade? And how can we understand these two French interventions in Mexico … in their broader historical context? These are the questions that I will be trying to answer today. I will try to mention other nineteenth-century wars fought by either France or Mexico. By so doing, we can achieve a greater understanding of these two interventions, their connection to the American Civil War, and the “Cinco de Mayo” holiday.

Photo of Queretaro taken during the battle there – Mexico, 1867

A few problems with Karl Marx’s “Das Kapital” (Volume One)

“We have further seen that the capitalist buys with the same capital a greater mass of labour power, as he progressively replaces skilled labourers by less skilled, mature labour power by immature, male by female, that of adults by that of young persons or children.”

– Karl Marx, in “Das Kapital. Kritik der politischen Ökonomie” (“Capital: A Critique of Political Economy”), Volume 1 (published 1867), Part 1, Chapter 25

So I recently finished reading the first volume of Karl Marx’s “Das Kapital.” It seemed to me that many a fallacy could be found therein. A few examples may suffice here to show how the problems with “Das Kapital” seem to begin in the very first volume. Thus, without further ado, let me launch into some of the problems with Volume One. They include faulty definitions, self-contradictions, circular arguments, and many other problems – as I will soon show.

Karl Marx

Why your utopian scheme will never work (and may even make things worse)

How I fell in love with my homeland (the United States), particularly in early childhood

Since the earliest years of my childhood, my family and I would go to visit my grandparents’ home in California. Fireworks are perfectly legal where they lived, so we would always celebrate America’s Independence Day with some fireworks, right there in my grandparents’ back yard. It seems safe to say that I enjoyed the fireworks, long before I learned anything about the holiday that these fireworks were supposed to commemorate. As I’ve mentioned in a few other blog posts, I grew up on the stories of the American Revolution. Specifically, sometime in elementary school, I read an illustrated children’s book about the American Revolutionary War. I remember my childhood admiration for General George Washington, and my feeling betrayed by the treachery of Benedict Arnold. I may have lost some of my admiration for the fireworks (old age does that), but I still have great enthusiasm for America. And I’m still happy to watch the fireworks with family, because I know that it helps them to experience these patriotic feelings that the holiday encourages. I also love the freedom of religion that comes from our Bill of Rights, which made it possible to have a Restorationist church like my own. I also love freedom of speech, freedom of the press, and the other rights enshrined in the United States Constitution. I was born in the United States in Sacramento, California – with both sides of my family having been American citizens for generations. I also grew up hearing about how one of my grandfathers had served in World War II. Specifically, my Grandpa Wells served in the Pacific as a Marine. Long before I understood just what a terrible sacrifice that was, I knew that he had put his life on the line for his country – and I knew, in some little-boy way, that this was important. My other grandfather (along with the intervening generation of my own father) got me into World War II movies. When I entered high school, these two generations on my dad’s side got me into the Civil War as well. All of these things remain lifelong interests today, and remain part of my love of the United States.

Alexander Hamilton, whom I shall soon quote herein

George Washington crossing the Delaware, 1776