all 14 comments

[–]Richard_Parker 8 insightful - 2 fun8 insightful - 1 fun9 insightful - 2 fun -  (0 children)

No. Just no.

For starters, it was well known Hitler did not want war with the UK and actually admired the British Empire. It would take decades for Germany to ever equal the Royal Navy even with a peace deal. The current state of Britain proves that Britain would be much better off had they just walked away. Is this in infact Caspar, or did someone break into his account.

[–]NeoRail 6 insightful - 2 fun6 insightful - 1 fun7 insightful - 2 fun -  (0 children)

Your core argument seems very reasonable, but the title is misleading. Your post makes it very clear that Britain had a choice. You are also ignoring the context which lead up to that situation in the first place. Britain did not have to go to war at all. In fact, Mosley himself articulated some very realistic alternatives. A reorganised British empire would have been perfectly able to preserve and increase its power through isolationism.

It was all one tragic farce. It would've been best had the war never started. If Hitler had never invaded Poland. The assassination of Ferdinand in 1914 started the death slide of Western civilization, Hitler's invasion of Poland cemented it.

The claims in this entire paragraph are completely arbitrary.

[–]Chipit 5 insightful - 2 fun5 insightful - 1 fun6 insightful - 2 fun -  (0 children)

So...you know Germany wanted to ally with Britain, right? And together they would end the deadly threat of communism. Rudolf Hess brought a very generous peace deal, for which he was kept incommunicado for the rest of his very long life.

[–]IkeConn 3 insightful - 2 fun3 insightful - 1 fun4 insightful - 2 fun -  (7 children)

Winston Churchill forced the war with Germany. The Germans tried to avert it up to the end.

[–]Richard_Parker 1 insightful - 1 fun1 insightful - 0 fun2 insightful - 1 fun -  (6 children)

That is not true either. Partition of Czechoslovakia after Sudrtrnland was without merit. Fall Weiss was a provocation,, even though claims on Danzig were absolutely justified.

[–]NeoRail 3 insightful - 1 fun3 insightful - 0 fun4 insightful - 1 fun -  (5 children)

The partition of Czechoslovakia was to a large extent justified on the same rhetoric the Entente used in the first world war - self determination. The annexation of the Czech lands, however, was another matter and indeed a pretty blatant land grab. Hitler justified this on the basis of centuries of coexistence and commercial cooperation with the Czechs, but given the context, that was pretty clearly just an excuse.

[–]Richard_Parker 1 insightful - 1 fun1 insightful - 0 fun2 insightful - 1 fun -  (4 children)

No. Germany had legitimate claims on the Sudetenland. They had no legitimate claims against the Czech lands populated by Czechs and no Germans.

[–]NeoRail 3 insightful - 1 fun3 insightful - 0 fun4 insightful - 1 fun -  (3 children)

That's exactly what I just said, so I am not sure what this "no" is directed at.

[–]Richard_Parker 1 insightful - 1 fun1 insightful - 0 fun2 insightful - 1 fun -  (2 children)

You are correct. Partition of Czechoslovakia usually refers to what you call annexation. Term I am familiar with is Sudetenland Award. My apologies.

[–]NeoRail 2 insightful - 1 fun2 insightful - 0 fun3 insightful - 1 fun -  (1 child)

Don't worry about it. Since you said partition, I assumed that you were referring to the parcelling out of Czechoslovak territory to Hungary, Poland, Slovakia etc.

[–]Richard_Parker 1 insightful - 1 fun1 insightful - 0 fun2 insightful - 1 fun -  (0 children)

I am a little quick on the draw. People are bothering me on Twitter and Reddit, then I see stuff like this stating Britain just had to carry on, from someone I respect no less.

[–]Brewdabier 2 insightful - 3 fun2 insightful - 2 fun3 insightful - 3 fun -  (1 child)

Going back to about 1930 when Hitler ask all jews to leave Germany and offered them free pasage out is what started the whole shit show.

[–]casparvoneverecBig tiddy respecter[S] 3 insightful - 4 fun3 insightful - 3 fun4 insightful - 4 fun -  (0 children)

The balance of power went out of wack in Europe with the rise of Germany and Russia and the decline of France in the late 19th and early 20th centuries. The world wars were in large part owed to this imbalance.

[–]JasonCarswellVoluntaryist 2 insightful - 3 fun2 insightful - 2 fun3 insightful - 3 fun -  (0 children)

Britain had no option but to fight Germany to the bitter end after the fall of France.

If only the UK were the largest empire in the world... /s

WWI and WWII were planned by the ruling class starting in the 1800's. Queen Vic was a junkie recluse and most royals are useless, but her son filled in, was actually clever resourceful - and he was hell bent on setting the world on fire.