A World War II commentary
The original purpose of this site was to provide a background of World War II. As time progressed, however, I found that I had little to provide in terms of new, original thought. Everything I have to say has been picked up by reading the works of others. After all, as a 25 year old I only have access to books for information sources, with no first hand information or primary sources (though I am actually in the process of interviewing my grandfather in law about his experiences). As I read more and more books to gather more information for the page, I noted what was good and bad about each book, and a review began. This book review is probably the most useful aspect of my web page, and can be found here
. Each book is rated subjectively in terms of readability, sources, and subject value. By looking at this book review you can find out which books are essential reading and which are best avoided.Why is knowledge about World War II important today?
World War II is important to today's world because it shows how our society can act when pushed to extremes. 1941 was not that long ago. Though two generations have passed since the war many people who fought in it are alive today. In WWII many of the modern conveniences we consider recent developments were either in use or being invented. Some examples are radar, computers, rockets, jets, antibiotics, and plastic. Just as the world today is being transformed by the proliferation of computers, so the world of the 1940's was transformed by the massive proliferation of automobiles.
Our world's political climate is still feeling the effects of WWII. Immediately following the War the United nations was formed. The War pulled the United States out of a backwards introversion and into a world power. Finally, some of the goals of the United States immediately preceding and during World War II which dissapeared during the Cold War have cycled and are now returning again. During this time period we were trying to cement positive relations with China because we saw her great potential as a world leader. Like bell bottoms, the fashions of the past sometimes return in politics.
My underlying point is that the lessons that we can learn from WWII can be directly compared to today's situations. Unlike histories of Rome or of the Romantic Period, a study of WWII deals with issues that tie into the modern world.
A thorough study of World War II should include a chronology to help us to understand the political motivations behind the conflict, a look at the famous personalities who arose out of the war, including Hitler, Moussilini, Rommel, and Eisenhower, and the technological breakthroughs that allowed armies to decimate numerically superior enemies.
Finally, I include an editorial that discusses my reflections on the War including Hitler's mistakes as well as the genocide of the Jews in Europe.
Once again, I am also including a section on references and further reading. I have read every book listed from cover to cover, and rate each book in several catagories.
Read about my trip to Europe, and my impressions of the Normandy Beaches Sword and Omaha, Dachau concentration camp, and Oosterbeek and Arnhem, location of Operation Market Garden.
Want to see what others have said? Then view my guestbook.
I am an avid road cyclist, and have compiled a list of tips for the beginning cyclist who wishes to race.
On another topic, I dabble in writing short stories and have included a few increasingly outdated computer game reviews. I have moved my earlier writings to this following link in order to clean up my front page and better focus the theme of these pages.
Note- I apologize for the advertisement that may have popped up on your browser in a seperate window. Apparently some people get this advertisement while others do not. I was not asked for permission to put it up and I am receiving no compensation for it other than the ability to maintain my page, so this is still not technically a commercial site. I am generally disgruntled by it, since it has been my goal to make this web site low bandwidth and usable on even the most ancient browsers and computers. I am afraid that the addition of the advertisement has pretty much shot down that goal.
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