Historical myths

**Evil_Maniac From Mars** · 07-31-2005, 02:37

Originally Posted by Kaiser of Arabia

That the Nazis and Japanese were the only ones to commit war crimes during WWII.

That always makes me laugh. *cough* Dresden carpet bombings */cough*

**swirly_the_toilet_fish** · 07-31-2005, 03:35

Just so everyone knows, only losers commit war crimes. Our most recent example of this double standard is rather clear, isn't it?

**Ace of Spades** · 07-31-2005, 04:40

Mine would have to be the myth that if the Confederates would've taken Little Round Top on the second day of the Battle of Gettysburg, the Union line would've been rolled up and the battle would've been over, thus ending the ACW. This myth has been perpetuated by "The Killer Angels" and then the movie "Gettysburg".

**Incongruous** · 07-31-2005, 06:15

Some people actually think that Lenin and his Bolsheviks were great people, jesus, that make me collapse all the time.

**Soulforged** · 08-07-2005, 23:38

Originally Posted by Bopa the Magyar

Some people actually think that Lenin and his Bolsheviks were great people, jesus, that make me collapse all the time.

Maybe not ("but no one is free from sin"), they were just humans. But that leads me to another myth: that the "Communist" Soviet Union was actually communist, and that communism is a bad thing and should be banned (following the words of that great demagogue: JFK). Besides Lenin didn't interprete well the theories of communism (of Marx and Engels), the Bolsheviks should have been trained and educated people with a general idea of politics, socialism and with an undertanding of government, they were far from this, that allowed Stalin to control them like sheeps, and with the death of Lenin all fell down.

**Meneldil** · 08-08-2005, 08:55

Statement or myth?

Since we are in the Historical Myths topic, I'll let you guess

But yeah, I'm currently reading 'Le devisement du Monde' (Marco Polo's travel to the East, don't know the english name sorry), and apart from the fact he's really biased toward Muslims (he hates them) and 'Tartars', as he calls the Mongols (he loves them), we can see how the common view of the Mongols in the Western world is screwed up. Marco Polo speaks about all the cities they destroyed, he explains how they wipped out Persia, how Cingis killed the christian 'King Jean' and how Kubilai killed his possibly christian uncle, but he also speaks about all the huge cities they built, the Yasa, their civilised customs, their wonderful palaces, etc.

As for burning whole cities and killing all survivors, I know a few european lords who did the samein France, Germany, though not on the same scale.

**Kraxis** · 08-08-2005, 14:05

It is not killing the entire population, or even the destruction of cities. But the way it was done.

Almost always tere were some that somehow managed to survive. Hiding, fleeing, whatever, but in any case they survive. The Mongols wanted to get those too, where most others were satisfied with the destruction of the city. Sending back a patrol after a few days is a very effective way of dealing with the survivors, but to what end? The point has already been made, the few hundred survivors (if that many) are of no consequence.

And the absolute destruction of a city is also very much beyond what others did. Sure, they burned cities, but ripping it to pieces, and taking the time to plough over the land afterwards, well that is in my mind too much (well it all is really). Again no need for it, their point had been made. Would people be more scared because of it? Doubt it, chances are that they would die to a normal sack anyway.

**Duke Malcolm** · 08-24-2005, 20:52

I hate the myth that the battle of Culloden was Scots versus English.

**Soulforged** · 08-05-2005, 07:13

Originally Posted by swirly_the_toilet_fish

Just so everyone knows, only losers commit war crimes. Our most recent example of this double standard is rather clear, isn't it?

Just so everyone knows, there is not actual "war crime" because there are not laws in war. All that bullshit about the ONU (who mostly the US who created it doesn't respect at all, an it's an example) and it's treaties, and respect the cameraman (hey he is just filming some guy cutted in two asking for help!!!) and the honor, and the medical care... all proven bullshit, war is a crime (and if you're yankee this is actually a surprise for you ¿no?) all that happens in it is just a consequence of ignorance an respect to an idea. So please don't talk about that myth of war crimes.

**Soulforged** · 08-05-2005, 07:24

Because i can't edit my post i will add this:
King Arthur- It's true that a french was who first called it Arthur, but Sir Thomas Mallori was actually the first on writting it's story, very different but also centuries before.
Atlantida (Atlantis)- Ok i think that you know much of this history for the actual myth. There are some evidence (doubtful) on South America about Atlantida, things that refer directly to the story provided by Plato. You may want to read the story that he tells, and also notice that he even says that he listened the history from an egyptian. The eqyptians are beleaved to had some connecction (commercial) with the so called Atlantis, the marihuana founded on the rests of their kings, plant that only comes from Eqypt. The thing is that all that about their amazing civilization are certainly a meet.