No matter how much advancement the world seems to have gone through there is always some conflict in the world. We have put people on the moon and are now building underwater hotels. Miracles of the human mind. The human mind seems to chained to the idea of conflict for the furthering of ones goal. Each conflict always does have to have a goal to it. Nationalist thought is what sets these goals and helps continue it.
George Orwell, the political writer who lived to long enough to see the end of WWII had his thoughts on nationalism. He defined nationalism in his 1945 essay Notes on Nationalism as "the habit of identifying oneself with a single nation or unit, placing it beyond good and evil and recognizing no other duty than that of advancing its interest". Nationalism is still very much alive today and it still continues to hamper the true possibilities of the human race.
Orwell believed that it was a trait that stunted moral thought on the part of the person who has a nationalist outlook. They would be angry about what Germany would do but at the same time fail to see what atrocity their own country has committed. This type of thought does not allow for a realistic advancement of human progress. How can one progress when they fail to see their own shortcomings?
Nationalism about religion and a fixed way of democracy is the nationalist cause of today. America's advancements in science and politics are overshadowed by many of those in power who believe in our righteousness. The area of the world where civilization began is in turmoil over religious nationalism. In 2007 George Orwell writings continue to be as relevant today and they were in 1945.
Saturday, March 31, 2007
Saturday, March 24, 2007
Japan
Japan is a country with limited space and limited natural resources. In order to acquire these natural resources, they did as other countries did in the early 20th century. Japan was looking to dominate their Asian neighbors. Under the guise of Asian brotherhood, Japan started to look at China for territory.
History shows that what the Japanese did was wrong. History does not criticize so much what western powers were doing to Japan for so long before Pearl Harbor. Western powers took heavy advantages of Asian countries such as China and Japan. The Japanese could not even get equal racial status recognition at the Paris Peace Conference.
Japan was looking to expand and make 'Asia for Asians". This goes into the same school of thought as Hitler with his German leaving space idea. The Japanese did also see themselves as the superior race in Asia as well. Like Hitler's superior race idea, the Japanese dominance did last long either.
Japan today is an economic but this time it is because their lack of natural resources has made them highly efficient. Their dominance has come more in a peaceful way. A peaceful way that helps those residents of western countries in a more mutual way than those western countries would have done for Japan in the early 19th and 20th century.
History shows that what the Japanese did was wrong. History does not criticize so much what western powers were doing to Japan for so long before Pearl Harbor. Western powers took heavy advantages of Asian countries such as China and Japan. The Japanese could not even get equal racial status recognition at the Paris Peace Conference.
Japan was looking to expand and make 'Asia for Asians". This goes into the same school of thought as Hitler with his German leaving space idea. The Japanese did also see themselves as the superior race in Asia as well. Like Hitler's superior race idea, the Japanese dominance did last long either.
Japan today is an economic but this time it is because their lack of natural resources has made them highly efficient. Their dominance has come more in a peaceful way. A peaceful way that helps those residents of western countries in a more mutual way than those western countries would have done for Japan in the early 19th and 20th century.
Saturday, March 3, 2007
Hitler
Hitler, has had perhaps a thousand books written about him. He was a man who sold the idea of the superior race. The superior race that was blond and blued, two things of which he was neither. He was not taken serious in the 1920s because he worked both sides of what his nation and the alliances wanted to hear. He told his country that there was a certain group of people that were to blame for their problems and they advanced him through their democracy. He then told the international world what they wanted to hear and they underestimated him.
Adolf Hitler was affected by his service in WWI, but he thought it was a great thing that he saw. He, like many others else did not believe in the actual defeat of Germany in WWI. He believed it was the weak socialist government in charge at the end of war that was responsible for Germany's turmoil. Although as and artist, he wished to express his thoughts on canvas, but he soon fought out that he was a very persuasive orator. Through his oratory skills he became the leader of a group that he was originally sent to spy on. Through his new Nazi party, Hitler would climb democratically up the ladder, and eventually to rule over Germany.
Once in power, politicians from Germany believed that he would simply fall in line with the rest of the politicians. They believed that his radicalism would end. This also a mistake that the British made. I think that the French were always weary of the Germans no matter who was in power. Hitler would commit atrocities in Germany that coincided with his anti Semitic message. Hitler would then turn to Germany's former opponents and convey messages of peace, while all the time he himself knowing his full intentions of a German empire.
Hitler was a man who had his ideals before the Treaty of Versailles. He was brought to power by democracy, just to end as quickly as he could. He found his niche in oration, only to have his dream of an expanded German homeland crushed by his inability to excel in anything else. Now the fear politics of today recall his future war opponents appeasement strategy when ever possible. Hitler the enigma, was not taken seriously in the 1920s, but he is the subject now of countless scholars wondering, "how?".
Adolf Hitler was affected by his service in WWI, but he thought it was a great thing that he saw. He, like many others else did not believe in the actual defeat of Germany in WWI. He believed it was the weak socialist government in charge at the end of war that was responsible for Germany's turmoil. Although as and artist, he wished to express his thoughts on canvas, but he soon fought out that he was a very persuasive orator. Through his oratory skills he became the leader of a group that he was originally sent to spy on. Through his new Nazi party, Hitler would climb democratically up the ladder, and eventually to rule over Germany.
Once in power, politicians from Germany believed that he would simply fall in line with the rest of the politicians. They believed that his radicalism would end. This also a mistake that the British made. I think that the French were always weary of the Germans no matter who was in power. Hitler would commit atrocities in Germany that coincided with his anti Semitic message. Hitler would then turn to Germany's former opponents and convey messages of peace, while all the time he himself knowing his full intentions of a German empire.
Hitler was a man who had his ideals before the Treaty of Versailles. He was brought to power by democracy, just to end as quickly as he could. He found his niche in oration, only to have his dream of an expanded German homeland crushed by his inability to excel in anything else. Now the fear politics of today recall his future war opponents appeasement strategy when ever possible. Hitler the enigma, was not taken seriously in the 1920s, but he is the subject now of countless scholars wondering, "how?".
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)