September 1, 1939 : The Third Reich invades Poland, 70 years since the beginning of World War II

[SidneyCarton]

70 years ago today, at 4:45 local time, the German battleship Schleswig-Holstein opened fire on Polish fortifications on the Westerplatte peninsula. These opening shots, which took the Poles by complete surprise, are considered to be the opening shots of the Second World War. While the historically minded part of me, is moved by this fact (indeed, why not write a post about it otherwise) The fact that the Second World War began with a German warship firing on Polish troops would likely come as news to the Chinese, who had been at war with Japan intermittently since either 1931 or 1936, depending on which yardstick one wishes to choose. Hence our date for the outbreak of the Second World War is rather euro-centric in focus. Perhaps this makes sense, after all, we date the beginning of the First World War (August 1, 1914) from its outbreak in Europe as well, but unlike its far more brutal successor, the First World War truly took place mostly in Europe, while the Second World War was far more global in scope.

There are no sufficient words to describe the suffering of this monstrous conflict. Between 1939 and 1945 nearly 50 million people, soldiers and non-combatants alike, were slaughtered. They died in direct combat, they died from massive aerial bombardment on a scale never before seen, they died from engineered famine, and in camps specifically designed for the extermination of groups deemed undesirable by the racial doctrines of certain combatant powers. And of course, this war saw the first (and as of yet only) fatalities from the belligerent use of nuclear weapons.

The Second World War changed the face of our planet in ways that are still unfolding to this day. The deaths of over 20 million Russians has had demographic effects on that nation that are still visible today. This was also the war that brought the sun to set on the British Empire, and set de-colonization in motion across the world. One of the many effects of the tragedy of the Shoah was the founding of the State of Israel, a development which has had tragic, and long-standing effects of its own in the years since 1945. The war also brought with it the Cold War, with its superpower rivalry that led to the ongoing wars in regions such as Afghanistan and the Congo, as well as long-term instability for nations such as Angola and Colombia.

As we were taught, this was America’s “Good War” the war in which the United States saved Western Civilization from the clutches of Fascism and Totalitarianism. In one sense this is true, without the assistance of our nation, the war would have been lost in the Pacific, and the situation in Europe would be very different as well. That said, even an ostensibly “Good War” has its dark side. Hatred and atrocity were mutual in this conflict, particularly in the Pacific, where the war against the Japanese took on the aspects of a race war, on both sides. Furthermore, as this was a total war, civilian targets were often chosen by the allies for bombing, leading to the leveling of Cologne, Hamburg, Dresden, Tokyo etc… Lest it be thought that I make these comments wholly in condemnation of my forefathers, let it be understood that I fully believe that had our foes had the same capabilities that we did, things would have been much worse. I point this out only to let it be understood that war has a terrible logic all its own, and once the shooting starts, it is monstrously difficult to stop before it comes to its awful conclusion.

Today then is a day to remember tragedy. To remember a day when man found his hatred to be stronger than any other feeling he had, and gave into it more fully than ever before. Today is a day to re-examine our relations with our fellow men, and our fellow nations and decide to recommit ourselves again to the cause of peace. May it be a peace with honor and security, and may it persist, that the awful days of our grandfathers may not be relived by us, our our children.

[davepc]

1. Lets not forget Stalin stabbing the Poles in the back 17 days later

Launching his own invasion in a pre-arranged deal with Hitler.

[SidneyCarton]

2. Indeed, the Molotov-Ribbentrop pact was an abomination.

It also ultimately proved to be a disaster for Stalin. But alas, that must wait for June 22, 2011.

[FarCenter]

3. WW II is just the second phase of conflict that runs from August 1914 through May 1950

In 1914 the world was mostly ruled by hereditary empires: the British, Russian, German, Austro-Hungarian, Ottomans, and Japanese, with the democracies of France and the United States playing a smaller role.

By May 1950, the emperors have been largely deposed, with only the British monarch and the Japanese emperor still on their thrones. Noble birth is no longer seen as the qualification that entitles anyone to political power, except in Middle Eastern countries where unwise policies of the US and UK prop up or restore monarchs in places like Morrocco, Egypt, Jordan, Iraq, and Saudi Arabia. Only a few other reactionary states like Thailand and Spain continue as monarchies.

Germany is divided into democratic and communist sectors. Japan becomes a one-party democracy. Austria-Hungary is splinterd into several democratic and communist states. The Chinese civil war from 1927 through 1950 (interrupted by the Japanese invasion) is largely ended by the communist take over.

The Thirty Five Years War of the 20th century, which broke the power of the nobility, is as transformative as the Thirty Years War of the 17th centrury, which broke the power of the clergy.

[SidneyCarton]

4. That is certainly one way to look at the first half of the 20th century.

And not one that I wholly disagree with.