Quote Originally Posted by Alexanderofmacedon View Post
Seamus,

I don't deny Germany had something to do with the war, but that doesn't make the Versailles treaty any more tolerable. It did lead to the war, as did the ideology. Expansion - land, resources etc. has always been an aim of nations in war, and was in this case too. Like I said, no nation goes to war thinking themselves inferior to their enemy!
"Had something to do with" is a little too "nuanced." They started it. Yes, the Versailles Treaty of 1919 was loathsome and unfair; yes, France in particular treated Germany harshly after the war and for years thereafter; yes, colonies etc. had been excised; yes, Stalin would likely have begun the war if Hitler had not (the Baltic states would have been absorbed for certain, Finland had been on the agenda for some time, and Rumania would likely have been targeted by the Sovs next); none of which changes the facts about Czechoslovakia, Poland, and numerous others.

Actually, nations do sometimes go to war under such circumstances, but I'll admit its not the normal choice. However, I wasn't referring to the sense of superiority in resources/ability but a sense of "inherent" superiority based on their cockeyed racial notions. I think the evidence is clear that these ideas influenced their choice of targets (though I acknowledge that these racist attitudes are unlikely to have been the primary motivation for launching the war).