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| No | 81% | 105 votes | Total: 130 votes | |
| Yes | 19% | 25 votes |
Yes, the modern Germans must be held responsible. It is a recurrent problem, the German tendency to want to expand and rule a large geography and impose a Prussian dominant philosophy.
We may only use HISTORY as an indicator of what we should do about the tendencies of a people.
It would perhaps be wrong to assess a people for the sins of their fathers but there is such a recurrent theme of aggression among the Germanic peoples that it cannot be ignored. Scientists have made an at least readable case for a genetic tendency to the German people acting in group-belligerence, though it would be very difficult to prove such a premise.
EINSTEIN and ADLER and FREUD, all somewhat acceptable brain trusts, explained many of the atrocities of the Germans as fundamentally coming from a nationalistic desire to be bigger in expanse than the ordinary geographic Germany. HITLER called that "Lebensraum" or a need for more room for the German people.
When we go back even to early Roman times, we find the barbarian hordes of Germany already invading the civilized world, ROME for instance.
More recently,in 1840, they once again tried to dominate the world and were stopped by another dominant force, Napoleon.
Once again, they pursued European domination in 1870, running rampant over Europe until finally stopped.
Then in 1914, using the pretense of the assassination of the Grandduke Ferdinand as an excuse, they invaded France, Belgium, Italy and Spain. After millions of deaths, they were subdued by the Allies with the help of the United States. (World War I).
The U.S. and some of the Allies rebuilt the industrial complex of Germany, making it possible for Hitler to use the bad Armistice agreements as an excuse to mount the global World War II with at least 50,000,000 killed, and including the Holocaust.
Whatever the reason, it would seem after centuries of bullying coming out of Germany that the world should be wary of redevelopment of war tendencies among them.
General Dwight David Eisenhower, later President, wanted a PERMANENT occupation of Germany to the extent that they would not be allowed to build up aggressive forces, nor have nuclear weapons. They should also be made to repay reparations to the world they had destroyed, with Russia and the rest of Europe being the main recipients.
President Franklin Delano Roosevelt agreed.
But it did not happen.
The Americans instituted the MARSHALL PLAN and rebuilt Europe, including once again the German Industrial Complex of Krupp, Siemens, Mercedes and others.
It is of the utmost import that we not again make the mistake of lowering our guard against the historically accurate tendency of Germany to instigate global warfare.
That can only be done by they having perpetual reminders of their past histories through repayments of wrongs perpetrated by their fathers and grandfathers.
Learn more about this author, William Cobbs.
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