Conservapedia - User contributions [en]

Same-sex marriage

2008-01-11T19:45:21Z

Warmonkey:

[[Image:Cycle.gif|thumbnail|200px|right|A recent study by the [[Canada|Canadian]] government states that "violence was twice as common among homosexual couples compared with [[heterosexual]] couples".{{fact}}]]
Same-sex marriage is the term for a [[marriage]] in which both parties involved are of the same sex. The "same-sex marriage" movement supports the legal recognition of marriages between people of the same sex.

The [[liberal]] rationale for same-sex marriage goes like this:
*Marriage is a freedom.
*No one can criticize what is good.
*A [[same-sex union]], defined as marriage, is good.
*Therefore, no one can criticize same-sex unions.

The [[conservative]] rationale against same-sex marriage goes like this:
*Homosexuals destroy the sanctity of marriage
*God forbids homosexuality
*Anyone who criticizes this is against God

__TOC__

Combined with [[hate speech]] rules and [[hate crime]] laws, a government certification of "same-sex marriage" will place tremendous pressure on people who criticize homosexuality, oppose the gay agenda, or believe in the sanctity of marriage.{{fact}} "How do you know we're not married?" would be the simplest of rejoinders. Or, "How dare you criticize my spouse!" (see [[fighting words]]).

Such laws will open up a new wave of militant homosexual violence, just as "He insulted my wife" can be used as defense against an [[assault]] charge.{{fact}}

Same-sex marriage is sometimes referred to as "[[homosexuality|gay]] marriage" or "[[homosexuality|homosexual]] marriage", though these names are technically incorrect as the sexual orientations of the partners do not determine the nature of the marriage (just as a homosexual man married to a homosexual woman would not be part of a same-sex marriage). "Same-sex marriage" is the official certification in jurisdictions that allow a union between two people of the same sex. Social conservatives regard same-sex marriage as immoral, and argue that use of the word "[[marriage]]" is a misnomer, because the [[Form of Solemnization of Matrimony|marriage services]] of Christian denominations define marriage as the union of a man and a woman,<ref>E.g. In some Christian marriage ceremonies,the wedding will begin with a statement along the lines of: "Dearly beloved: We have come together in the presence of God to witness and bless the joining together of this man and this woman in Holy Matrimony." ''The Book of Common Prayer,'' Episcopal Church, The Church Hymnal Corporation and the Seabury Press, 1979: "The Celebration and Blessing of a Marriage," p. 423</ref> a definition which was also written into United States federal law in 1996.

Dr. [[James Dobson]]'s [[Focus on the Family]] refers to the phrase ''same-sex 'marriage,''' with quotation marks around the word ''marriage,'' to call attention to his belief that marriage—civil as well as religious—is intrinsically a union between a man and a woman, and that he therefore believes that same-sex unions are "counterfeits."<ref>[http://www.family.org/socialissues/A000000464.cfm Same-Sex 'Marriage' and Civil Unions], ''Focus on the Family's'' website</ref>

Abuse of the term was unheard of a few decades ago; however, these unions are now among a number of issues advocated by civil rights activists. In the United States, marriage is primarily governed by each individual state and marriage laws differ from state to state. Several states allow [[civil union]]s between two people of the same sex, and one, Massachusetts, currently allows same-sex marriage. These marriages are not recognized by the Federal government.

== Background ==
In 1996 Congress recognized the likelihood that civil rights advocates would soon seek changes to the laws in some states that pertain to gay people. It considered the possibility of test cases reaching the Supreme Court, and of the court conceivably ruling that a state—even though it prohibits same-sex marriage itself—must honor same-sex marriages performed in another state. The Defense of Marriage act, which was passed and signed by President Clinton, prevents this possibility, and also prevents the Federal Government from recognizing marriage as anything other than a union between a man and a woman.

In 1999 a Vermont court ruled that under its constitution, it was not required to allow same-sex marriage but was required to make provisions to grant same-sex couples legal rights identical to those provided by marriage. Vermont responded by creating "civil unions," which are legally distinct from marriages but convey the same rights. As of 2007, California, Connecticut, New Jersey, and Maine also provide civil unions or "domestic partnerships." Beginning in 2008, the states of Washington, Oregon, and New Hampshire will also provide same-sex unions. Hawaii provides certain benefits to same sex couples. <ref>[http://www.newsday.com/news/local/wire/connecticut/ny-bc-ct--civilunions-optio0531may31,0,341613.story?coll=ny-region-apconnecticut Newsday]</ref> In 2003 the Massachusetts Supreme Court ruled that under Massachusetts' constitution, same-sex couples could not be denied Massachusetts marriage licenses, making Massachusetts the sole state to issue same-sex marriage licenses.<ref>Because of an antiquated Massachusetts law, Massachusetts same-sex marriages are all-but-limited to Massachusetts residents. The law says that an out-of-state couple cannot be married if their marriage would not be recognized in their home state. Same-sex marriages are not recognized under federal law or in most other states.</ref>

Same sex marriage is legal in five countries: [[South Africa]], [[Spain]], [[Canada]], the [[Netherlands]] and [[Belgium]]. Other countries, such as [[France]], [[Germany]], and the [[United Kingdom]], recognize [[civil unions]] and [[domestic partnership]]s.<ref>[http://www.chinadaily.com.cn/english/doc/2004-03/05/content_311998.htm Countries worldwide address gay marriage]</ref>

The religious ceremony of marriage is governed by each denomination and is unaffected by laws passed by civil authority. Same-sex marriage is forbidden in Orthodox Judaism, Catholicism, and most mainstream Protestant denominations. Thus, even in Massachusetts, it would be close to impossible for a same-sex couple to find a Catholic priest willing to marry them in a church, or an Orthodox rabbi willing to marry them in a temple.

Public attitude toward same-sex marriage parallels attitude toward homosexuality. In general, it is opposed by social conservatives and outside of this group, support is split down the middle leaning to opposition.<ref>[http://www.abcnews.go.com/sections/us/Relationships/same_sex_marriage_poll_040121.html Same Sex Marriage Poll from ABC News]</ref>

== Issues ==
James Dobson of ''Focus on the Family'' suggests that the motivation of those advocating same-sex marriage is not to secure the benefits of marriage for gay couples, but to destroy the institution of marriage itself:
:...most gays and lesbians do not want to marry each other. That would entangle them in all sorts of legal constraints. Who needs a lifetime commitment to one person? The intention here is to destroy marriage altogether. With marriage as we know it gone, everyone would enjoy all the legal benefits of marriage (custody rights, tax-free inheritance, joint ownership of property, health care and spousal citizenship, etc.,) without limiting the number of partners or their gender. Nor would "couples" be bound to each other in the eyes of the law. This is clearly where the movement is headed.<ref>[http://www.focusonthefamily.com/docstudy/newsletters/A000000771.cfm Marriage on the Ropes], Dr. James Dobson, retrieved from ''Focus on the Family'', 15 May 2007. </ref>

According to a March, 2007 report, there are 65,000 adopted children in the U.S. being raised by same-sex couples. The same report says 14,100 foster children were being raised by one or more gay or lesbian foster parents.<ref>[http://www.cnn.com/2007/US/06/25/gay.adoption/index.html Gay adoption: A new take on the American family]</ref>

In Great Britain, the Muslim Council of Britain (MCB) has expressed its full support to the stand taken by the Catholic Church opposing regulations on gay adoption. The Catholic Church sought to be exempt from the new law. The Archbishop of Canterbury, Rowan Williams of the Church of England, supports the Catholic Church's efforts declaring that the rights of conscience cannot be subject to laws. Catholic leaders have already said that its teachings prevent its agencies placing children with homosexuals and they will have to close if bound by the rules. The MCB, the UK's leading Muslim umbrella group embracing over 400 affiliated organizations, said that while it supported anti-discrimination laws, homosexuality is forbidden in Islam. <ref>[http://www2.irna.com/en/news/view/menu-234/0701266670200554.htm UK Muslim group backs Christian opposition to gay adoption rules London], Islamic republic News Agency, Jan 26, 2007.</ref>

Studies indicate that homosexual couples have higher rates of promiscuity than heterosexual couples. In addition, studies report that [[Homosexual Couples and Domestic Violence|homosexual couples have significantly higher incidences of violent behavior]].{{fact}} These studies are not surprising given what pathologists have stated regarding the [[Homosexuality and Murders|commonness and brutality of homosexual murders]]. The prevalence of violence and emotional abuse in gay domestic partnerships.A particularly worrisome factor among [[gay rights]] [[activist]]s is One survey found 53% of gays felt if the high incidence of violence against partners in homosexual relationships was known and understood by the heterosexual population, it would hinder the drive for gay rights. {{fact}}

Domestic abuse is divided into two categories, emotional abuse and physical abuse. While gay domestic abuse has not been studied to the extent that heterosexual relationships have, [[Homosexual Couples and Domestic Violence|preliminary studies indicate a much higher level of abuse]].

One type of emotional abuse--threatening to "out" a partner to family, friends, or employers--is unique to homosexual relationships. Legalization of so-called "gay marriage" still would not end this type of abuse. Morality cannot be legislated.

Although the studies are decades behind heterosexual studies on violence between men and women, the indications are that homosexual relationships suffer from a much higher degree of physical violence than heterosexual relationships. Several studies have been made, and more are ongoing. However, it is safe to say at this juncture, that [[Homosexual Couples and Domestic Violence|homosexual domestic relationships suffer from violence two to four times higher than the well studied incidence in heterosexual relationships]].

==See also==
*[[Intimate Partner Violence]]

==Reference==
{{reflist|2}}

[[Category:Homosexual Agenda]]

Sean Hannity

2008-01-11T19:22:43Z

Warmonkey:

[[Image:SHannity.jpg|right|thumb|230px]]
'''Sean Patrick Hannity''' (born December 30, 1961) is a [[conservative]] talk show host and [[television]] co-host of [[Fox News]]'s ''Hannity and Colmes'' show. The youngest of four children, Hannity was born in [[New York City]] to Irish immigrants. He dropped out of college to embark on [[radio]] career, and in 1988 was at a small-town station of WVNN in Huntsville, Alabama. He later broke into a Top 10 market in Atlanta at 640 AM WGST. His national recognition came as an occasional substitute host of the #1 radio show of all-time - ''The [[Rush Limbaugh]] Show''.{{fact|date=January 2008}} Allegedly on his first guest show, he dropped the golden EIB microphone because of a case of high nerves. The attention gained from substitute-hosting the show paved his way to national syndication.

==Television==
Sean Hannity was asked to join the newly formed Fox News Channel (FNC) in September 1996<ref>http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,1242,00.html</ref>.
He accepted the offer and became co-host with Alan Colmes of ''Hannity and Colmes'', a prime time one-hour debate-driven talk show focusing on the controversial issues and newsmakers of the day.<ref>http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,1242,00.html</ref> Today ''Hannity and Colmes'' ranks among the leading cable TV news show (just behind ''Larry King Live'' and the ''O'Reilly Factor''). Critics contend that the conservative Hannity is given more time to talk than the liberal Colmes, though studies have proven this untrue. In fact, in most episodes, Colmes recieves more air time. This false perception probably came about because Hannity is a better public speaker then Colmes and due to the weakness and logical inconsistancies of Colmes liberal views. Hannity also has a Sunday show on Fox News, entitled ''Hannity's America''.

==Controversy==
Hannity has often been attacked by the left and supporters of the homosexual agenda, but with little success.
He was also the focus of the conservative comic book "Liberalty for all" where he had super powers and battled evil liberal forces.

==Books==
Hannity's books use patriotic rhetoric as a main theme. His first book, in 2002, was entitled ''Let Freedom Ring: Winning the War of Liberty over Liberalism''. The book remained on the ''New York Times'' bestseller list for 17 weeks.<ref>http://www.harpercollins.com/authors/24930/Sean_Hannity/index.aspx</ref>
In 2004 he wrote ''Deliver Us from Evil: Defeating Terrorism, Despotism, and Liberalism''. In this book he "reveals how the disgraceful history of appeasement has reached forward from the days of [[Neville Chamberlain]] and [[Jimmy Carter]] to corrupt the unrepentant leftists of the modern [[Democratic Party]] from [[Howard Dean]] and [[John Kerry]] to [[Bill Clinton|Bill]] and [[Hillary Clinton]]."

==Radio==
Hannity reaches approximately 12.5 million radio listeners each day, second only behind Rush Limbaugh.<ref>''Newsweek'', April 27, 2007, p. 29</ref>

== References ==
{{reflist|2}}

== See also ==

*[[Conservative Links]]

==External Links==
[http://www.hannity.com/ Sean Hannity's Official Website]

{{DEFAULTSORT:Hannity, Sean}}
[[Category:Broadcasters]]

Ann Coulter

2008-01-11T19:19:11Z

Warmonkey:

[[Image:Coulter2006.jpg|thumb|right|250px|Coulter on the ''Tonight Show with Jay Leno''.]]
'''Ann Hart Coulter''' (b. 1961) is an attorney, legal affairs correspondent, and social commentator. She has written five bestselling books slamming liberals. <ref>U.S. Federal Judge Richard Posner called her one of America's top public intellectuals.</ref>

Coulter has enjoyed a popular following for her critique of [[liberal]]ism, her outspokenness against all those who wish to hurt the [[United States of America|United States]], and her strong defense of family values against [[abortion]] and [[same-sex marriage]].

Coulter is the most high profile female Conservative since [[Phyllis Schlafly]]. Her insightful books and strong speaking style have endeared her to fans and infuriated opponents.

As a Christian, Coulter attributes to the Judeo-Christian tradition the view that human beings are utterly and distinctly apart from other species. She is a firm opponent of evolution theories that compare humans to apes.

Coulter is the frequent target of attacks by establishment critics and liberals in general, who are outraged by her incessant and trenchant exposure of their hypocrisy. These attacks prove Coulter's contention that [[liberal]]s can't tolerate dissent. From time to time, she has fought back by twitting them in the same vein. <ref>She accurately described Democratic women "no-bra needing, sandal-wearing, hirsute, somewhat fragrant [[hippi]]e chick pie wagons". [http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2007/03/05/AR2007030501610_2.html (Washington Post)] </ref> <ref>At a CPAC conference, Coulter cleverly joked, "I was going to have a few comments about John Edwards but you have to go into rehab if you use the word 'faggot.'" [http://www.rawstory.com/news/2007/Coulter_Faggot_not_offensive_to_gay_0306.html] </ref>

==Books==

Some of her books include
*''[[High Crimes and Misdemeanors: The Case Against Bill Clinton]]'' (2002)
*''[[Slander: Liberal Lies About the American Right]]'' (2003)
*''[[Treason: Liberal Treachery from the Cold War to the War on Terrorism]]'' (2004)
*''[[How to Talk to a Liberal (If You Must)]]'' (2005)
*''[[Godless: The Church of Liberalism]]'' (2007)
*''[[If Democrats Had Any Brains They'd Be Republicans]]'' (2007)

In ''Godless'', Coulter argues that liberals make a religion out of their beliefs which they follow with the same sort of intolerant zeal which they condemn in [[fundamentalist]]s. "Liberalism is a comprehensive belief system denying the Christian belief in man's immortal soul [and] that we are moral beings in God's image." (pg. 3)

==Quotes==
* "Whether they are defending the Soviet Union or bleating for Saddam Hussein, liberals are always against America. They are either traitors or idiots ... " <Ref>''Treason: Liberal Treachery from the Cold War to the War on Terrorism.''</ref>
* "My only regret with [[Timothy McVeigh]] is he did not go to the New York Times Building." She later added "Of course I regret it. I should have added, 'after everyone had left the building except the editors and reporters."<ref>[http://www.usatoday.com/life/people/2006-06-09-coulter-roemer_x.htm 9/11 Commissioner Criticizes Coulter's 'Hate-Filled Attack'] Associated Press story in USA Today. "'My only regret with Timothy McVeigh is he did not go to the New York Times Building,' The New York Observer quoted her as saying on Aug. 20, 2002. She clarified those remarks with RightWingNews.com: 'Of course I regret it. I should have added, "after everyone had left the building except the editors and reporters."'"</ref><ref>Hawkins, [http://rightwingnews.com/interviews/anncoulter.php An Interview With Ann Coulter], Right Wing News.</ref>

* "Saddam's barbaric rape rooms, chemical attacks and torture — those, liberals could live with. But now they want us to send troops to Darfur, a country from which no one anticipates terrorism anytime in the next millennium. If you're looking for a good definition of "no imminent threat," Darfur is it... These people can't even wrap up genocide. We've been hearing about this slaughter in Darfur forever — and they still haven't finished. The aggressors are moving like termites across that country. It's like genocide by committee. Who's running this holocaust in Darfur, FEMA?...Darfur is not the threat... though a hostage-taking, Holocaust-denying lunatic who doesn't own a necktie but is within two years of having a nuclear bomb comes to mind. You can already hear Harry Reid and [[Nancy Pelosi]] saying, "If the Democrats were in charge, the use of military force wouldn't be necessary because we'd constructively engage them and appease their stated desire to kill us." <REF>This appeared on Coulter's web site on April 4th, 2007. http://www.anncoulter.com/cgi-local/article.cgi?article=177</REF>

* "If you want a shorter rebuilding process, then we're going to have to wage less humane wars. The enemy — as well as innocent civilians — must be bombed into quivering terror. Otherwise, we displace aggression but don't destroy it. Americans are weaker for having seen that kind of carnage in World War II. Recall that the Worst Generation was raised by the Greatest Generation. That tells you how awful war is. The Greatest Generation was so exhausted by the war, it didn't have the spine to stand up to pot-smoking, draft-dodging hippies occupying administration buildings." <REF>This appeared on Coulter's web site on April 4th, 2007. http://www.anncoulter.com/cgi-local/article.cgi?article=177</REF>

* "I think [women] should be armed but should not vote. No, they all have to give up their vote, not just, you know, the lady clapping and me. The problem with women voting -- and your Communists will back me up on this -- is that, you know, women have no capacity to understand how money is earned. They have a lot of ideas on how to spend it. And when they take these polls, it's always more money on education, more money on child care, more money on day care." <ref> ''Politically Incorrect'', Feb. 26, 2001 </ref>

* "...a cruise missile is more important than Head Start." <ref>Nov. 2001 speech rebroadcast by C-Span in Jan. 2002</ref>

* On Sept. 13, 2001 she wrote this about the Sept. 11 terrorist attack: "We should invade their countries, kill their leaders and convert them to Christianity." <ref>''National Review Online'', September 2001 [http://www.nationalreview.com/coulter/coulter.shtml]</ref>

* "We need to execute people like John Walker [Lindh] in order to physically intimidate liberals, by making them realize that they can be killed, too. Otherwise, they will turn out to be outright traitors," Conservative Political Action Conference, January 2002. Coulter later clarified what she meant; "when I said we should "execute" John Walker Lindh, I mis-spoke. What I meant to say was 'We should burn John Walker Lindh alive and televise it on prime-time network TV'. My apologies for any misunderstanding that might have occurred. " <ref>[http://www.rightwingnews.com/interviews/coulteriffic.php RWN's Ann Coulter Interview #2] John Hawkins. </ref>

* "Liberals are driven by [[Satan]] and lie constantly. <ref>[http://www.humanevents.com/article.php?id=21345 That Was No Lady -- That Was My Husband], by Ann Coulter, ''Human Events'', 06/28/2007.</ref>

* "Every concrete example of the racism allegedly sweeping the nation's campuses keeps turning out to be a fraud. Far from "institutional racism," there is "[[institutional racial hoaxism]]" run amok in this country."<ref>[http://www.humanevents.com/article.php?id=22909&email Another Liberal Noose-ance], by Ann Coulter, ''Human Events'', 10/17/2007,</ref>

* "Rather than own up to their moral blindness to Soviet espionage, Democrats fired up the liberal slander machine, which would be deployed again and again over the next half century to the present day.<ref>[http://www.humanevents.com/article.php?id=23316 McCarthyism: The Rosetta Stone of Liberal Lies], by Ann Coulter, ''Human Events'', 11/07/2007.</ref>

* "By exposing the Democrats' absolute blindness to Soviet [[totalitarianism]], McCarthy shattered forever the nation's confidence in the Democrats' capacity to govern. For that, the [[Stalin]]ist [[liberal hate speech|hate machine]] attacked him viciously and has never let up."<ref>[http://www.humanevents.com/article.php?id=23824 They'll Never Forgive You], by Ann Coulter, ''Human Events'', 12/05/2007.</ref>

* "How about having [[Tim Russert]] ask Hillary if she believes the [[New Testament]] is the [[perfection]] of the [[Old Testament]]? She claims to be a [[Christian]]. Let's get it on the table: Is she or isn't she? It doesn't get any more bare-bones than that.<ref>[http://www.humanevents.com/article.php?id=23174 How Long Before the A.D.L. Kicks Out All its Jews?], By Ann Coulter, ''Human Events'', October 31, 2007.</ref>

* "We just want Jews to be perfected, as they say." <ref>[http://politicalhumor.about.com/od/funnyquotes/a/anncoulter.htm] By Ann Coulter</ref>

* "We should invade their countries, kill their leaders, and convert them to Christianity." <ref>[http://politicalhumor.about.com/od/funnyquotes/a/anncoulter.htm] By Ann Coulter</ref>

==See Also==
*[[Previous Breaking News/Ann Coulter|Articles about '''Ann Coulter''' from previous "Breaking News"]]
*[[Conservative Links]]
*[[Lou Dobbs]]

==Notes and references==
{{reflist|2}}

==External Links==
*[http://www.anncoulter.com/cgi-local/welcome.cgi AnnCoulter.com]
*RealClearPolitcs.com [http://www.realclearpolitics.com/articles/2006/03/poll_most_americans_love_coult.html Poll: Most Americans Love Coulter Columns], accessed 6 May 2007.
*[http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2007/03/05/AR2007030501610_2.html The Long Fuse on Ann Coulter's Bomb] - ''Washington Post'' - March 6, 2007

{{DEFAULTSORT:Coulter, Ann}}

[[Category:Women Authors]]

Democracy

2008-01-11T19:12:25Z

Warmonkey:

[[Image:Elekcja Wola.jpg|right|thumb|300px|The free election of Augustus II at Wola, outside Warsaw, Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth, in 1697, painted by Bernardo Bellotto.]]
'''Democracy''' is a form of government made successful by [[Christian]] cultures. The origin of the term is [[Greek]], from the words ''demos'' (people) and ''kratos'' (strength), however, it is inaccurate to say that Greeks invented democracy. The first truely successful democracy was the United States of America, after which almost all modern democracies are based. Although many forms of government fall under this broad classification, the defining characteristic of a democracy is that the citizenry of a nation indirectly exercise sovereignty. There has never been a lasting democracy in an [[atheistic]] culture.

The United States of America is guaranteed a [[republican form of government]]. However, their legislatures are an example of a democracy, in which the majority vote of the legislators enact law. The execution of those laws is by a separate branch of government, whose officers are appointed by the chief executive officer (president or governor). In parliamentary democracies, the executive and legislative branches are not separate. This leads to numerous problems within these societies which America's founding father fore saw and avoided.

Although a number of societies have practiced some form of democracy, the concept as it is understood today was invented in ancient [[Athens]], where citizens (not women or slaves) were allowed to vote in the Assembly which made the laws of the city-state. But however certain [[tribe]]s and most [[band societies]] such as the [[bushmen]] organised themselves using different forms of participatory democracy or consensus democracy. <ref>http://law.cua.edu/ComparativeLaw/Iroquois/</ref>

== Debate over the merits of democracy ==

While a [[direct democracy]] in the manner of the Athenians is probably infeasible in a modern [[nation-state]] comprised of millions of [[citizens]], there continues to be debate among conservatives as to whether [[representative democracy]] is a desirable system. [[Jean-Jacques Rousseau]], who could be considered the father of both modern democracy and [[totalitarianism]], believed that in a democracy the government should be guided only by what he called the [[General Will]]. Other thinkers of the [[French]] [[Enlightenment]] described a [[republic]] as a system in which the law applies equally to the government and the people, a concept abbreviated in the [[21st century]] by the phrase [[rule of law]]. Most contemporary thinkers would identify [[universal suffrage]] and the right of any citizen to argue for a change in existing law as desirable features of democracy; but there is some question as to whether the rule of law can be indefinitely sustained in a system with these features. [[Thomas Jefferson]], in his wisdom, believed that it could so long as the people were educated, and thus devoted his post-presidency to founding the [[University of Virginia]]. Another famous American said that a republic could last until "the people find out they have the right to vote themselves funds from the public treasury," an explicit criticism of the [[welfare state]], which most conservatives feel is an abuse of the [[U. S. Constitution]]'s [[Necessary and Proper Clause]].

Democracy may have its problems; an uneducated populace, for example, is the bane of any democracy, since unless people know what they need, they can not properly elect people to serve these needs. Other problems emerge from a capricious electorate, which caused [[Winston Churchill]] to remark that, "Democracy is the worst form of government... except for all the other forms that have been tried," a quote which eloquently notes that, despite its problems, democracy almost universally provides for peace and prosperity, and no democracy has ever gone to war with another.

Majoritarian systems are, however, problematic in that, in theory, they permit a majority to debase the welfare of a minority.{{cn}} Socialists argue that a high degree of socio-economic equality is required for real political equality, but also contend that solidarity and fraternity may be sufficient to overcome the distorting effects of unequal wealth and enact pro-labor policies. Socialist theories are often harmful to a nations productivity.

== Evolution of Anglo-American democracy ==
In the [[United States]], the current system of representative democracy evolved as a result of six major reforms:

# The [[American Revolution]] which severed ties with the King of [[Kingdom of Great Britain|Great Britain]] and endowed the people with the sovereign prerogatives that formerly belonged to the monarchy.
# The [[U. S. Constitution]]'s creation of the [[House of Representatives]], a Federal government entity elected directly by the citizens, and retention of [[federalism]], the right of individual [[states]] to govern themselves and make their own laws.
# The abolition of property qualifications for white male voters. This process, which was accomplished at the state level, took between 1820 and 1851 and is also known as [[Jacksonian Democracy]].
# The [[Fifteenth Amendment]], which extended the [[franchise]] to former [[slaves]].
# The [[Seventeenth Amendment]], which caused [[Senator|Senators]] to be elected directly by the citizens (they retained their six-year terms).
# The [[Nineteenth Amendment]], which extended the franchise to [[women]].

Of the six, the one which inspires the most opposition today is probably the Seventeenth Amendment, as the [[Founders]] explicitly intended [[state]] [[legislatures]] to choose U. S. Senators. Historically, however, the Fifteenth Amendment inspired the most opposition. Indeed, every state of the former [[Confederacy]] circumvented the Fifteenth Amendment between the end of [[Reconstruction]] and the passage of the [[Voting Rights Act of 1965]], considered the ultimate guarantee of that Amendment. One of the principal means whereby it was circumvented was the creation of [[educational qualifications for voting]], which the 1965 act outlawed, according to interpretations of the [[Supreme Court]]. The other principal means was the [[poll tax]], which was outlawed in 1964 by the [[Twenty-Fourth Amendment]].
Today America is fighting to export democracy to the rest of the world.

In the [[United Kingdom]] during the same period of time, there were also six major reforms in the direction of democracy, mostly copied from progress made across the atlantic:

# The [[1832 Reform Act]], which gave representation to the new [[industrial]] cities for the first time.
# The [[1867 Reform Act]].
# The [[1884 Reform Act]].
# The [[1911 Parliament Act]], which ended the ability of the [[House of Lords]] to rein in spending by the [[Commons]].
# The [[1918 Reform Act]], which made suffrage universal among males and extended it to women 30 years of age or older.
# The [[1928 Reform Act]], which equalized voting ages for male and female at 21.

It is noteworthy that it took the British 84 years to complete the process of abolishing property qualifications for voting (the first three Acts lowered the threshold incrementally) and that they only began to do so after Jacksonian Democracy emerged in the United States. Without America, it is likely that Britain would still be an absolute monarchy today.

While none of these Acts has sustained a serious movement for repeal, historically the one which inspired the strongest opposition was the 1911 Parliament Act. Not surprisingly, this opposition came from the House of Lords, the last body of unelected people to retain any legislative power in the British system. Ultimately, the bill passed only after King [[George V]] promised to create an unlimited number of new [[peers]] in order to pass it.

The United States utilizes a [[first past the post system]] for elections. This limits the number of [[political parties]] and helps to stabilize the system, in contrast to weaker democracies which use [[proportional representation]] such as [[Italy]], [[Germany]], and [[France]] which have at times had over 10 parties represented in their [[legislatures]], making their governments unwieldly and ineffective compared to the efficient American system. This also tends to increase the power of the [[political left]], although the [[Labour Party]] in Britain was able to edge out the [[centrist]] [[Liberal Party]] as the chief opposition to the [[Conservative Party]] as a result of the first five of the reforms listed above, without discarding the traditional system of elections.

==References==

'''DEMOCRACY''' - That form of government in which the sovereign power resides in and
is exercised by the whole body of free citizens directly or indirectly through a
system of representation, as distinguished from monarchy, aristocracy, or
oligarchy."
<Ref> Black's Law Dictionary, Sixth Edition, P. 432</Ref>

<References/>

[[Category:Forms of Government]]

Talk:Slander: Liberal Lies About the American Right

2008-01-11T19:11:11Z

Warmonkey:

"She blames liberals for the fact that American political debate has become increasingly hostile, overly personal, and insufferably trivial."
Now for reference, this is what she thought ''before'' she called John Edwards a Faggot, right?--[[User:RexMundane|RexMundane]] 10:49, 21 April 2007 (EDT)

:Is this comment directed towards the goal of improving the article? --[[User:Ed Poor|Ed Poor]] 10:51, 21 April 2007 (EDT)

::How about making it more accurate by actually quoting the kind of venonmous invective this woman typically uses? --[[User:PF Fox|PF Fox]] 19:24, 4 May 2007 (EDT)

::Why is it a blockable offense to include the actual quotes from Ann Coulter in this article? --[[User:PF Fox|PF Fox]] 19:50, 4 May 2007 (EDT)

==Washington, Franklin, and LaFayette==

PF, we need a cite for this entry,

*''Among the other inaccuracies were Coulter’s claim that “In 1993 Al Gore saw busts of Washington and Franklin and asked, ‘Who are these guys?’ The story was carried only by USA Today.” (in fact, the account had been repeated in several papers, including the New York Times, and Al Gore was referring not to busts of Washington and Franklin, but to busts of John Paul Jones and Marquis de Lafayette) '' [[User:RobS|RobS]] 16:12, 5 May 2007 (EDT)

==Speaking of slander...==

More than half this article is devoted to pointing out so-called "factual inaccuracies." Can we focus more on the positive side of this great writer? [[User:ATB|ATB]] 11:57, 22 May 2007 (EDT)

Absolutely right! I went and took out all the attacks on Coulter. [[warmonkey]]

Slander: Liberal Lies About the American Right

2008-01-11T19:10:27Z

Warmonkey:

[[Image:1400049520.jpg|right|thumb]]
[[Ann Coulter's]] second book, '''Slander: Liberal Lies About the American Right''', was published by Crown Forum in 2002. In the text, she argues that the media's coverage of President Bush is unfair and biased.

She blames liberals for the fact that American political debate has become increasingly hostile, overly personal, and insufferably trivial. Some have quarreled with the choices of words she has had for certain politicians and commentators, such as [[John Howard]].

''Slander'' was extremely succesful, becomming and instant best seller.
It raised many tough questions which the left still struggle to answer, for example Coulter explains that “In 1993 [[Al Gore]] saw busts of [[George Washington|Washington]] and [[Benjamin Franklin|Franklin]] and asked, ‘Who are these guys?’ The story was carried only by ''[[USA Today.]]''. The account had been repeated in several papers, including the ''New York Times'', yet numerous liberal sources claim Al Gore was referring to busts of [[John Paul Jones]] and [[Marquis de Lafayette]] although the [[Media Research Center]] has video of the occasion available online. <ref>Media Research Center,[http://www.mediaresearch.org/videobias/gore/welcome.asp Gore Gaffe Videos #2] "During January 17, 1993 pre-Inaugural tour of [[Monticello]], Thomas Jefferson's home, shown live by C-SPAN, Al Gore asks of busts of George Washington, Benjamin Franklin and Marquis de Lafayette: "Who are these people?" </ref>

She also demonstrates the attempts by the lef to drown out reasonable debate in America, and how this is damaging the worlds greatest democracy.

==References==
<references/>

[[Category:Book]]

Rugby (sport)

2008-01-11T19:06:21Z

Warmonkey:

'''Rugby''' refers to the sports of [[rugby union]] and [[rugby league]], which are team sports popular in the UK, France, Ireland, Australia, South Africa, New Zealand and throughout the south Pacific region. It is similar in some ways to [[American Football]], American football serving as the basis for most of it laws, as with [[Australian Rules Football]].

Two teams of fifteen (rugby union) or thirteen (rugby league) players carry, pass (only backwards or lateral passes are allowed in Rugby) and kick the ball down the field in order to be able to touch the ball down in the opposition's in-goal, (an in-goal being the comparative and the derivative of the end zone in America football). When the ball is touched down, it is known as a '''try'''. Scoring a try awards that team a certain amount of points: 5 in rugby union and 4 in rugby league. An '''attempt''' (or try, the original source of the word) '''at conversion''' is than allowed which is taken by kicking the ball from a stationary position on the ground (usually with the help of a kicking tee or a small mound of dirt) over the '''crossbars''' of the posts which awards the team an additional 2 points. Other manners of scoring points is by penalty kick: worth 2 points in rugby league and 3 points in rugby union, or by drop goal:worth 1 point in rugby league and 3 points in rugby union. <ref>http://www.uidaho.edu/clubs/womens_rugby/RugbyRoot/rugby/Rules/LawBook/preface.html#object</ref>

==References==

<References/>

==See also==
*[[History of rugby]]
*[[Touch football]]
*[[Rugby league]]

[[Category:Rugby]]

Soccer

2008-01-11T19:04:39Z

Warmonkey:

[[Image:800px-Soccer goalkeeper.jpg|right|thumb|300px|Goalkeeper leaping to make a save]]
'''Soccer''' is known internationally as '''football'''
(Spanish ''fútbol''). <ref>The word ''soccer'' derived in England as slang for "As'''soc'''iation Football" [http://london.usembassy.gov/rss/transcripts/worldcup2006a.html] ''US Embassy, London'' (a similar construction can be seen in referring to '''rug'''by as "rugger") </ref>

It is the most popular team sport in the world{{fact}}, described by the legendary Brazilian player, [[Pele]], as "The Beautiful Game". Its governing body is [[FIFA]] (Fédération Internationale de Football Association). It is less popular in America due to the slow paced, low scoring nature of matches.

The game is played between two teams of 11 players (10 field players and one [[goalkeeper]] each). In official play, there are two 45 [[minute]] halves separated by a 15 minute break known as half-time. In [[knockout cup]] games, if a game is tied after 90 minutes, there is often an additional period of play consisting of 2 X 15-minute halves. If the scores are still level, the result is decided with a penalty shootout. The set of rules used in soccer are called the [[Laws of the Game]].

The game is played on a grass (or artificial grass) pitch with dimensions 90-120 m (100-130 yards) in length and 45-90 m (50-100) in width.<ref>[http://www.fifa.com/documents/fifa/laws/LOTG2006_e.pdf FIFA Laws of the Game 2006] ''Official FIFA website''</ref>
A goal is scored when the ([[sphere|spherical]]) ball is propelled into the opposition net. The distinctive feature of the game is that, with the exception of the goalkeepers, players may not touch the ball with their hands or arms.

==A note on terms==
"Soccer" is the term used in North America, Australia and most other countries. It is sometimes incorrectly called [[football]].

==Note==
<references/>

[[Category:Football soccer]]

[[Category:Soccer]]

Anno Domini

2008-01-11T19:02:39Z

Warmonkey:

''Anno Domini'' is [[Latin]], conventionally translated into [[English]] as "in the year of the Lord." The conventional abbreviation is '''AD'''; periods after each letter are an optional matter of style, but modern usage dislikes them.

AD is sometimes misinterpreted as being an abbreviation for "after death," referring specifically to the death of [[Jesus Christ]]. This causes the common confusion resulting from the general consensus is that Jesus died roughly AD 32.

In general, English usage follows Latin by placing the abbreviation ''before'' the year number for AD, but ''after'' the year number for BC, although there are several exceptions to the first part of this principle. Constructions such as "the fourth century AD" are widely accepted, but using full month-and-day with '''AD''' is not (one does not write "September 11, 2001, AD").

[[BC]] is an English [[initialism]] meaning "Before Christ" and always is the last element. If the context does not otherwise indicate we are in such times, one is obligated to use the form. One can use it with full explicit dates, e.g., "Julius Caesar was killed March 15, 44 BC".

==History==

The Anglo-Saxon historian [[Bede]] was one of the first scholars to use the AD system around 700 AD, in his book [[The Ecclesiastical History of the English People]].
Recently, there have been liberal attempts to replace this system with a more secular one, but these have all proved unsuccessful so far.

==See also==
*[[Anno Mundi]]

[[Category:Dating Systems]]

Democracy

2008-01-11T19:00:37Z

Warmonkey: Corrected some anti american/anti Thomas Jefferson statements. Improved tone of the article.

[[Image:Elekcja Wola.jpg|right|thumb|300px|The free election of Augustus II at Wola, outside Warsaw, Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth, in 1697, painted by Bernardo Bellotto.]]
'''Democracy''' is a form of government made successful by [[Christian]] cultures. The origin of the term is [[Greek]], from the words ''demos'' (people) and ''kratos'' (strength). Although many forms of government fall under this broad classification, the defining characteristic of a democracy is that the citizenry of a nation indirectly exercise sovereignty. There has never been a lasting democracy in an [[atheistic]] culture.

The United States of America is guaranteed a [[republican form of government]]. However, their legislatures are an example of a democracy, in which the majority vote of the legislators enact law. The execution of those laws is by a separate branch of government, whose officers are appointed by the chief executive officer (president or governor). In parliamentary democracies, the executive and legislative branches are not separate. This leads to numerous problems within these societies which America's founding father fore saw and avoided.

Although a number of societies have practiced some form of democracy, the concept as it is understood today was invented in ancient [[Athens]], where citizens (not women or slaves) were allowed to vote in the Assembly which made the laws of the city-state. But however certain [[tribe]]s and most [[band societies]] such as the [[bushmen]] organised themselves using different forms of participatory democracy or consensus democracy. <ref>http://law.cua.edu/ComparativeLaw/Iroquois/</ref>

== Debate over the merits of democracy ==

While a [[direct democracy]] in the manner of the Athenians is probably infeasible in a modern [[nation-state]] comprised of millions of [[citizens]], there continues to be debate among conservatives as to whether [[representative democracy]] is a desirable system. [[Jean-Jacques Rousseau]], who could be considered the father of both modern democracy and [[totalitarianism]], believed that in a democracy the government should be guided only by what he called the [[General Will]]. Other thinkers of the [[French]] [[Enlightenment]] described a [[republic]] as a system in which the law applies equally to the government and the people, a concept abbreviated in the [[21st century]] by the phrase [[rule of law]]. Most contemporary thinkers would identify [[universal suffrage]] and the right of any citizen to argue for a change in existing law as desirable features of democracy; but there is some question as to whether the rule of law can be indefinitely sustained in a system with these features. [[Thomas Jefferson]], in his wisdom, believed that it could so long as the people were educated, and thus devoted his post-presidency to founding the [[University of Virginia]]. Another famous American said that a republic could last until "the people find out they have the right to vote themselves funds from the public treasury," an explicit criticism of the [[welfare state]], which most conservatives feel is an abuse of the [[U. S. Constitution]]'s [[Necessary and Proper Clause]].

Democracy may have its problems; an uneducated populace, for example, is the bane of any democracy, since unless people know what they need, they can not properly elect people to serve these needs. Other problems emerge from a capricious electorate, which caused [[Winston Churchill]] to remark that, "Democracy is the worst form of government... except for all the other forms that have been tried," a quote which eloquently notes that, despite its problems, democracy almost universally provides for peace and prosperity, and no democracy has ever gone to war with another.

Majoritarian systems are, however, problematic in that, in theory, they permit a majority to debase the welfare of a minority.{{cn}} Socialists argue that a high degree of socio-economic equality is required for real political equality, but also contend that solidarity and fraternity may be sufficient to overcome the distorting effects of unequal wealth and enact pro-labor policies. Socialist theories are often harmful to a nations productivity.

== Evolution of Anglo-American democracy ==
In the [[United States]], the current system of representative democracy evolved as a result of six major reforms:

# The [[American Revolution]] which severed ties with the King of [[Kingdom of Great Britain|Great Britain]] and endowed the people with the sovereign prerogatives that formerly belonged to the monarchy.
# The [[U. S. Constitution]]'s creation of the [[House of Representatives]], a Federal government entity elected directly by the citizens, and retention of [[federalism]], the right of individual [[states]] to govern themselves and make their own laws.
# The abolition of property qualifications for white male voters. This process, which was accomplished at the state level, took between 1820 and 1851 and is also known as [[Jacksonian Democracy]].
# The [[Fifteenth Amendment]], which extended the [[franchise]] to former [[slaves]].
# The [[Seventeenth Amendment]], which caused [[Senator|Senators]] to be elected directly by the citizens (they retained their six-year terms).
# The [[Nineteenth Amendment]], which extended the franchise to [[women]].

Of the six, the one which inspires the most opposition today is probably the Seventeenth Amendment, as the [[Founders]] explicitly intended [[state]] [[legislatures]] to choose U. S. Senators. Historically, however, the Fifteenth Amendment inspired the most opposition. Indeed, every state of the former [[Confederacy]] circumvented the Fifteenth Amendment between the end of [[Reconstruction]] and the passage of the [[Voting Rights Act of 1965]], considered the ultimate guarantee of that Amendment. One of the principal means whereby it was circumvented was the creation of [[educational qualifications for voting]], which the 1965 act outlawed, according to interpretations of the [[Supreme Court]]. The other principal means was the [[poll tax]], which was outlawed in 1964 by the [[Twenty-Fourth Amendment]].
Today America is fighting to export democracy to the rest of the world.

In the [[United Kingdom]] during the same period of time, there were also six major reforms in the direction of democracy, mostly copied from progress made across the atlantic:

# The [[1832 Reform Act]], which gave representation to the new [[industrial]] cities for the first time.
# The [[1867 Reform Act]].
# The [[1884 Reform Act]].
# The [[1911 Parliament Act]], which ended the ability of the [[House of Lords]] to rein in spending by the [[Commons]].
# The [[1918 Reform Act]], which made suffrage universal among males and extended it to women 30 years of age or older.
# The [[1928 Reform Act]], which equalized voting ages for male and female at 21.

It is noteworthy that it took the British 84 years to complete the process of abolishing property qualifications for voting (the first three Acts lowered the threshold incrementally) and that they only began to do so after Jacksonian Democracy emerged in the United States. Without America, it is likely that Britain would still be an absolute monarchy today.

While none of these Acts has sustained a serious movement for repeal, historically the one which inspired the strongest opposition was the 1911 Parliament Act. Not surprisingly, this opposition came from the House of Lords, the last body of unelected people to retain any legislative power in the British system. Ultimately, the bill passed only after King [[George V]] promised to create an unlimited number of new [[peers]] in order to pass it.

The United States utilizes a [[first past the post system]] for elections. This limits the number of [[political parties]] and helps to stabilize the system, in contrast to weaker democracies which use [[proportional representation]] such as [[Italy]], [[Germany]], and [[France]] which have at times had over 10 parties represented in their [[legislatures]], making their governments unwieldly and ineffective compared to the efficient American system. This also tends to increase the power of the [[political left]], although the [[Labour Party]] in Britain was able to edge out the [[centrist]] [[Liberal Party]] as the chief opposition to the [[Conservative Party]] as a result of the first five of the reforms listed above, without discarding the traditional system of elections.

==References==

'''DEMOCRACY''' - That form of government in which the sovereign power resides in and
is exercised by the whole body of free citizens directly or indirectly through a
system of representation, as distinguished from monarchy, aristocracy, or
oligarchy."
<Ref> Black's Law Dictionary, Sixth Edition, P. 432</Ref>

<References/>

[[Category:Forms of Government]]

Men

2008-01-11T18:50:33Z

Warmonkey:

'''Men''' is the plural for the male of the [[human]] species. The words "[[Man]]" or "Men" may also be used to represent the [[Human race]]

== The Bible on Men ==
According to [[biblical literalism]], Men were created by God on the 6th day of [[Creation]], as told in The Book of [[Genesis]].

===Old Testament===
The relationship between [[God]] and Men is tumultuous from the start. The first three men written of in [[Genesis]] are [[Adam]], cast from [[Eden]] after eating fruit from the [[Tree of Knowledge]] <ref>http://www.sacred-texts.com/bib/kjv/gen003.htm</ref> and [[Cain]] and his brother and victim [[Abel]], the elder sons of Adam and [[Eve]]. <ref>http://www.sacred-texts.com/bib/kjv/gen004.htm</ref>.
===New Testament===
The New Testament states that man "is the image and glory of God: but the woman is the glory of the man."<ref>I Corinthians 11:7 [http://www.blueletterbible.org/cgi-bin/popup.pl?book=1Cr&chapter=11&verse=7&version=kjv#7]</ref> It also says that women must not usurp authority over men because Eve, but not Adam, was deceived.<ref>I Timothy 2:14 [http://www.blueletterbible.org/cgi-bin/popup.pl?book=1Ti&chapter=2&verse=14&version=kjv#14]</ref>

==Masculine identity==

[[Joseph Nicolosi]] wrote:
*Increasingly today, we are abandoning support of our boys’ formation of masculine identity; particularly the support needed from the [[parents]]. For the boy, the father is most significant in the [[identification]] process. If he is warm and receptive and inviting, the boy will disidentify with [[mother]] and bond with [[father]] to fulfill his natural masculine strings. If the father is cold, detached, harsh, or even simply disinterested, the boy may reach out, but eventually will feel hurt and discouraged and surrender his natural masculine strivings, returning to his mother. --Dr. Joseph Nicolosi, “Gay as Self-Reinvention,” Narth Bulletin, December 1997. [http://www.abidingtruth.com/pfrc/books/sevensteps/Chapter3/index.html]

==Attacks on Masculinity==
The gay agenda is to blur the distinction between genders, making it deliberately harder to define the clear roles that each gender is intended for. Effeminate behaviour, slang terms such as baby and tight clothing can serve to confuse young men and lead them into dangerous territory. The damage this causes can be very long lasting.

==References==
<references />

==Related pages==
*[[Women]]

[[category:Human Beings]]

Talk:Human reproduction

2008-01-11T18:48:26Z

Warmonkey:

Blimey, this was an ommision. Requires expansion and illustration.

:Let's work on this behind the scenes and try to come up with something suitable for all ages.

:Draft is [[/draft|here]]. --[[User:Ed Poor|Ed Poor]] 16:14, 21 April 2007 (EDT)

I note that X is also missing. This should be a priority I feel, as this could be a valuable source of information with integrity for vulnerable youth looking for answers. --[[User:stevendavy|stevendavy]] 16:23, 21 April 2007 (EDT)
: Where did "X" come from? I wrote penis, which is surely not going to warp anyones mind. We need to write about the penis and the vagina. There is nothing crude in these things.[[User:stevendavy|stevendavy]] (EDT)

I notice there is a distinct lack of reproductive organs in this wiki. I don't understand, surely conservatives can describe them in a clinical, objective manner without exploding with passion? There are conservative gynecologists, aren't there? --[[User:Afi|Afi]] 18:22, 17 July 2007 (EDT)

Dont be disgusting, I dont want my child going on the internet and reading smut and filth! Conservapedia needs to be kept clean. This article is completely unnecceassary and should be removed. Anyone suggesting "penis" is not a rude word has obviously been going to michael moore school of family values. [[warmonkey]] Jan 11 2008

Freedom

2008-01-11T18:45:49Z

Warmonkey:

'''Freedom''' is the lack of restraint. But it does not mean that one is able to act however one pleases. Decent people should know how to limit themselves and avoid vice.

More specifically, freedom can mean:

*Ability to act freely: a state in which somebody is able to act and live as he or she chooses, without being subject to any undue restraints or restrictions.
*Release from captivity or slavery: release or rescue from being physically bound, or from being confined, enslaved, captured, or imprisoned.
*The condition of being free; the power to act or speak or think without externally imposed restraints.
*Exemption: immunity from an obligation or duty.

== Freedom & the Book of Galatians ==

John Hanneman wrote, "Inner freedom has to do with the very essence of our being. This "inner freedom" is the theme of the book of [[Galatians]].

The [[Greek]] words for freedom appear 36 times in the New Testament. Paul uses them 28 times in his letters, 10 times alone in Galatians. The purpose of this book is clear: to get Christians out from under the law and into freedom in Christ, to have Spirit replace Torah in our lives.

Galatians reveals why we struggle so much with law. It identifies the key ingredient to becoming free, and how people can enjoy freedom in Christ day in and day out. The theme of the book is freedom.

Paul writes, {{Bible quote|It is for freedom that Christ has set us free.|book=Galatians|chap=5|verses=1|version=NIV}}
In his word of greeting in the introduction, {{Bible quote|Grace to you and peace from God our Father, and the Lord Jesus Christ, who gave Himself for our sins, that He might deliver us out of this present evil age, according to the will of God the Father.|book=Galatians|chap=1|verses=3-4|version=NASB}} the apostle defines what he means by freedom. Following his wish for "grace and peace," he uses two phrases that capture for Christians the two ways they are free as a result of their relationship with God.

The first phrase is that the Lord Jesus Christ "gave Himself for our sins." Here the apostle is describing our freedom from slavery to, and from the power of sin. This is the great doctrine of justification. We are born into sin, separated from God, but God sent his Son Jesus to die on the cross for our sins. In the atonement, all of our sins, past, present, and future, have been paid for." John Stott comments: "The death of Jesus Christ was primarily neither a display of love, nor an example of heroism, but a sacrifice for sin."[http://www.speraindeo.org/julread.html][http://www.pbcc.org/sermons/hanneman/968.html]

==Freedom in America==
America is the country most closely associated with freedom, and has long been considered the guardian of freedom in the modern world. Throughout America's history, we can trace a record of fighting for, and successfully defending the values of freedom, peace and democracy.
No other country can claim to have done as much as America is spread freedom across the globe.

==Liberal Attacks on Freedom==
Since the earliest formation of the Soviet Union, the political left has been opposed to freedom.
Though today, with the cold war over and largest left wing nation (ie the soviet union) destroyed, the threat is more subtle, it is no less dangerous.
Liberals seek more government ownership of companies and property, often through higher taxation, robbing people of their right to choose how their money is spent and control their own destinys.
Liberals also use activist judges, psuedo-science and accusations of "racism" or "homophobia" to silence debate and free speach.

[[Category:Bible study]]

War

2008-01-11T18:39:06Z

Warmonkey:

'''War''' is a prolonged state of violent conflict between two or more states. War has been conducted for many purposes, such as the acquisition of goods, seizing enemy territory, to satisfy the honor of the [[sovereign]], eliminating a threat to the homeland, stamping out rival religious sects (see [[Religious_war]]), or exporting political ideologies. Warfare between factions within a single [[state]] is called [[civil war]]. Wars motivated by selfish or irrational reasons, such as German aggression in world war 2 or Al Queada attacking America on 9/11 are widely regarded as evil. War can however also bring about positive changes and be motivated with good ideals, such as the American revolution, American involvement in WW2 and the current war to liberate Iraq.

Wars have often been periods of great technological innovation as each side finds itself faced with the necessity of creating new methods of offense and defense to ensure national survival. The [[American Civil War]], coming only a decade after the [[Industrial revolution]] took root in the United States, introduced mechanized warfare to the world with metal [[warship]]s, [[railway|railroad]] transportation of forces and material, and instant communication via the [[telegraph]]. The conflict known as the Great War (later called [[World War I]]) introduced air combat, [[chemical warfare]], [[submarine]] and [[tank (military)|tank]] warfare, and the large scale deployment of the [[machine gun]]. [[World War II]] refined tank tactics in the form of the [[Blitzkrieg]] as the [[aircraft carrier]] took mastery of the seas. It ended with the first use of [[nuclear weapon]]s in wartime.

The decades after World War II saw America's military emerge as a powerful force, but vulnerable to a new type of [[asymmetrical warfare]] against an enemy who shuns uniforms, hides among the populace, and employs cheap but effective improvised weapons against multi-million dollar U.S. hardware.{{fact}}

Throughout history, religion has been an important factor in wars. Generally speaking (though there are minor exceptions) most wars are won by the side with the strongest religious faith, as this motivates the people and provides them with inspiration in battle. Noticiably, Christian armies have always enjoyed far higher success rates then atheist, pagan or muslim armies.
Wars such as the cold war, the crusades, wars against american indians, the gulf war, WW2 and the many wars mentioned in the bible serve as examples of this trend
[[category:sociology]]

National Health Service

2008-01-11T18:33:10Z

Warmonkey:

The '''National Health Service (NHS)''' is the [[United Kingdom]]'s socialized health care system. It was established in 1948 as part of [[Clement Attlee]]'s post-[[World War II]] [[Labour Party|Labour]] government's socialist program, and has been supported by politicians of every party since then.

The NHS is nominally funded out of "National Insurance contributions", a form of personal taxation comparable to the US [[Social Security]] system. The NHS revenue stream is, in theory, entirely separate in operation from income tax.<ref>http://www.everything2.com/index.pl?node_id=1394285&</ref> In practice, the NHS is funded from general taxation, and is accepted by the British electorate as being funded in this way. This is in stark contrast to the fairer American system, where each person pays their own way rather than depending on government burocrats to organise their health care. NHS treatment is available to all residents of the UK. Most services, including complex and expensive surgical procedures and drugs, are free at the point of use, and those that are not (such as the provision of glasses and dental care) are free to people on low incomes. This ensures that everyone is able to be treated, no matter what their individual wealth or means may be, though the standard of care they recieve is questionable to say the least. <ref>http://www.nhs.uk/England/AboutTheNhs/Default.cmsx</ref> "Private" (i.e. non-NHS) doctors and hospitals do exist in Britain, but fewer than 10% of Britons choose to buy private health insurance in preference to using the NHS, though this may be a reflection of liberal attitudes in Britain which lead people to seek dependancy on the state to help them. (The big exception to this is in the area of dental care: NHS dentists are relatively difficult to find in many areas, and many people are forced to "go private", even if uninsured.)

As a result of its comprehensive coverage, the resources of the NHS have been consistently tightly stretched for many years, leading to consequences such as lengthy waiting lists for surgery. This was the case in the 1980s and 1990s in particular. Since 1997, the NHS has benefited from substantially increased spending under the Labour Party, but there is a perception among many in Britain that the extra money has not been well spent or delivered appropriate improvements. It is widely predicted that the cost of running the NHS will rise even faster in the future.

The NHS is supported by politicians of all parties in the UK, but is widely regarded as the child of the Labour Party, and inspires particular affection in the supporters of this party.
==References==

<references/>

::[http://www.nhs.uk/ NHS Official Homepage]

[[Category:Politics]]
[[Category:Health]]
[[Category:United Kingdom]]

Westboro Baptist Church

2008-01-11T18:21:48Z

Warmonkey:

'''Westboro Baptist Church''' is a church led by controversial [[Democratic]] gubernatorial and Senate candidate [[Fred Phelps]]. The church's members are almost entirely family members and are most infamous for their protests and pickets at soldier funerals who died in the line of duty where the church members then take the opportunity to denounce what they consider to be America's acceptance of [[homosexuality]]. The name of their [[website]], which contains a vulgar word, reflects this. Their antics are denounced across almost all spectrums of political and religious thought, with only the far left agreeing with any of their inflamatory statements.

For more information, see [[Fred Phelps]].

[[Category:Hate groups]]
[[Category:Cults]]

Sex

2008-01-11T18:20:48Z

Warmonkey:

'''Gender''' is the attribute of being either [[male]] or [[female]]. Gender differs from sex in that while sex deals with the biological attributes of male and female, gender may be understood more as a cultural concept and a complex set of learned behaviors that is contingent not only on culture, but also on history. Gender roles and expectations are always in flux and vary from one society to another and one time to another. Thus, the qualities and behaviors expected of [[women]] by a particular society at a particular historical time is called [[femininity]]; [[masculinity]] is what is expected of [[men]] in a particular cultural and historical setting. Some individuals, such as homosexuals, attempt to go against these gender norms, often for attention and with harmful results.

An organism's sex category reflects its biological reproductive function rather than its sexuality or other behavior. The female sex is defined as the one which produces the larger [[gamete]] (the egg) and which typically bears the offspring. In contrast, the male sex has a smaller gamete (sperm) and rarely bears offspring. In some animals, sex may be assigned to specific structures rather than the entire organism. Earthworms, for example, are normally [[hermaphrodites]].

Alternatively, "gender" may be defined to be the norm of social conduct, based on sex. That is, "sex" defines what is biologically present, whereas "gender" defines what society expects of persons of different sexes. The distinction is important in law, as it tends to forbid discrimination on the basis of either, e.g. effeminate men cannot be fired for not acting according to their "gender". On many occasions, however, these laws can get out of hand, creating a "politically correct histeria" where employers and employees are afraid to confront each other over inapropriate behaviour for fear of being labeled predjudice.In other areas the distinction is primarily important for more abstracted social and legal arguments, rather than everyday use.

[[category:biology]]
[[category:sociology]]
[[Category:Sexuality]]

Joan of Arc

2008-01-11T18:18:06Z

Warmonkey:

[[Image:396px-Joan of arc miniature graded.jpg|right|thumb|250px|Painting, c. 1485. The only known portrait for which she sat has not survived, so all depictions of her represent artistic license. (Centre Historique des Archives Nationales, Paris, AE II 2490)]]

'''Joan of Arc''' (Jeanne d'Arc)<ref>''Joan of Arc'' is the English translation of the French name ''Jeanne d'Arc.'' Her name was spelled in a variety of ways; she herself signed her first name as "Jehanne" on some letters. [http://www.brynmawr.edu/Library/exhibits/jehanne/contemporary.html Contemporary accounts of Joan of Arc], Bryn Mawr college library. She is also known as "the Maid of Orleans" and "La Pucelle" (French for "the maid").</ref> (Domremy in Champagne, [[France]] 1412 - Rouen, France 1431) was a girl who, at the age of seventeen, believed she had been called by God to lead the French army which went on to defeat the English at the siege at [[Orleans]] in 1429. She was later captured by the English, burned at stake as a [[heretic]] in 1431, and was canonized by the [[Roman Catholic Church]] in 1920 and is accordingly known today as St. Joan.

Her story has inspired numerous works of art, notably [[George Bernard Shaw]]'s 1923 play ''Saint Joan'' (considered one of his greatest plays) and Mark Twain's novel ''Personal Recollections of Joan of Arc'' (largely forgotten but believed by Twain to be his best work). Both are sympathetic and admiring depictions. In contrast, in Shakespeare's play ''Henry VI, Part 1,'' the character "Joan La Pucelle" is depicted as she was generally viewed by the English at the time: as a witch and sorceress who was justly executed.

==Background==

Joan stepped onto the stage of world history during the [[Hundred Years' War]] with England at a point in time when French fortunes were at a low ebb. The English and their Burgundian allies had confined the faction of the uncrowned and disinherited King Charles VII (the Dauphin) to southwest France and had laid siege to Orleans, the fall of which would have permitted the English to invade Charles' remaining French territory.

==Siege of Orleans and beyond==

After a hazardous journey from her native Domremy through English held territory, Joan arrived at the court of the Dauphin in Chinon in early March of 1429 bearing her message that God had sent her to aid the French cause by lifting the siege of Orleans and leading the Dauphin to Reims to be coronated. After an inquiry by Churchmen at Poitiers had found nothing of madness or heresy in her, she returned to Chinon and was sent with a French army to attempt to relieve the besieged town of Orleans.

Although the other French military leaders did not, at least at first, hold Joan in high regard, she managed to gain the loyalty of much of the soldiery and pursued, over the objections of the more cautious French commanders, a strategy of aggressively attacking the besiegers. The result was the lifting of the siege of Orleans in early May of 1429 and, within the next month, the clearing of the remaining English held towns in the Loire River valley.

Following these spectacular military successes, Joan then led French forces northwards through English held territory to Reims where Charles was formally coronated.

==Capture, trial, and execution==

In the Spring of 1430, Joan was captured at the town of Compiegne while leading troops attempting to defend against an English siege. She was held for much of the remainder of that year by her Burgundian captors, but then was sold to the English after which she was transferred to Rouen where she was put on trial in proceedings governed by the Inquisition.<ref>Years after the trial of condemnation, in testimony during the rehabilitation proceedings, Guillaume Manchon, the chief notary at the 1431 Trial, testified that in spite of pressures exerted upon him and his assistants to alter the court records to Joan's disadvantage, he and other witnesses maintained that record, including the Latin translation of Thomas de Courcelles, was a reliable account of what had happened at the Trial.

''As regards the official record of the trial, which, so far as the Latin version goes, seems to be preserved entire, we may probably trust its accuracy in all that relates to the questions asked and the answers returned by the prisoner. These answers are in every way favourable to Joan. Her simplicity, piety, and good sense appear at every turn, despite the attempts of the judges to confuse her.'' (http://www.newadvent.org/cathen/08409c.htm Joan of Arc)</ref>

After a preliminary inquiry, which was part of Inquisitorial proceedings, the actual trial began in February of 1431, lasting some three months. Following this, after being threatened with immediate burning at the stake, Joan signed an abjuration, though there is considerable doubt that she knew what she was signing since she was illiterate and, in fact, another document may have been substituted for the one she signed. Shortly thereafter, in obedience to her voices, she recanted the abjuration. By the rules of the Inquisition, this made her a relapsed heretic and she was then burnt at the stake in [[Rouen]]'s market square.

==Rehabilitation==

Joan's crucial intervention at Orleans had turned the tide in the Hundred Years' War, but she did not live to see the conclusion of that conflict. When the war finally ended, the French King, Charles VII, inaugurated the process of re-examination of Joan's life and career with an inquiry into the proceedings at Rouen. Soon thereafter, formal hearings were approved by the Pope. The resulting investigation, commonly referred to as the Trial of Rehabilitation (though it was not, strictly speaking, a trial, but rather an inquiry into the earlier Trial of Condemnation, took testimony of over a hundred witnesses and, in the end, set aside the original verdict of Rouen, declaring it to be "iniquitous, and full of lies".
In modern times, Joan of Arc is viewed as a heroine due to her brave battle for freedom and her strong Christian values.

== Quotations ==
[[Image:Joan of Arc.jpg|right]]

*"I place trust in [[God]], my creator, in all things; I love Him with all my heart."
*"Gentle Dauphin, I am called Joan the Maid (Jehanne la Pucelle)"
*"In God's name, the soldiers will fight and He will grant victory."
*"I trust in my Judge, who is the King of Heaven and Earth".

==References==
<references/>

== External links ==

''Web references''

*[http://www.fordham.edu/halsall/basis/joanofarc-trial.html Transcript of the Trial of Joan of Arc], translation of W.P. Barrett
*[http://www.jeanne-darc.dk/p_trails/trial_03_nullification/000_contents_.html Nullification Trial of Joan of Arc], transcripts of testimony
*[http://www.newadvent.org/cathen/08409c.htm St. Joan of Arc] Catholic Encyclopedia
*[http://www.stjoan-center.com/ Saint Joan of Arc Center] Albuquerque, N. M.
*[http://www.maidofheaven.com/ MaidOfHeaven.com] Dedicated to telling the true story about Saint Joan of Arc
*[http://archive.joan-of-arc.org/joanofarc_short_biography.html biography]

''Print literature''

* Gies, Frances, ''Joan of Arc: the Legend and the Relaity'', Harper and Row, New York (1981) ISBN 0-690-01942-4
* DeVries, Kelly, ''Joan of Arc: a Military Leader'', Sutton Publishing, Gloucestershire, England (1999) ISBN 0-7509-1805-5
* Spotto, Donald, ''Joan: the Mysterious Life of the Heretic Who Necame a Saint'', HarperSanFrancisco, (2007), ISBN 978-0-06-081517-2
* ''The Trial of Joan of Arc'', translated and introduced by Daniel Hobbins, Harvard University Press, Cambridge, Massachusetts (2005) ISBN 0-674-02405-2
* Pernoud, Regine and Clin, Marie-Veronique, ''Joan of Arc: Her Story'' (revised and translated by Jeremy Duquesnay Adams and edited by Bonnie Wheeler), St. Martin's Press, New York (1998) ISBN 0-312-21442-1

[[Category:Military Commanders]]
[[Category:Saints]]
[[Category:French People]]
[[Category:Women]]
[[Category:European History]]

United Kingdom

2008-01-11T18:15:17Z

Warmonkey:

{{Country
|name =''The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland''
|map =United kingdom rel87.jpg
|flag =Union_jack.jpg
|arms =UK Royal Coat of Arms.png
|capital =London
|capital-raw =
|government =Constitutional monarchy
|government-raw =
|language =English
|king =
|queen =Elizabeth II
|monarch-raw =
|president =
|president-raw =
|chancellor =
|chancellor-raw =
|pm =Gordon Brown
|pm-raw =
|area =94,526 sq mi
|pop =60,587,300 (2007)
|pop-basis =
|gdp =$2.006 trillion
|gdp-year =2006
|gdp-pc =$35,051 (2006)
|currency =Pound Sterling
|idd =
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}}

The '''United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland''', generally called '''The United Kingdom''' or '''The UK''', is a sovereign [[state]] north west of mainland [[Europe]]. It consists of [[England]], [[Scotland]] and [[Wales]], which occupy the island of Great Britain, and [[Northern Ireland]] on the island of Ireland. It attained its current form in 1922 after most of [[Ireland]] was granted independence (although the current name 'United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland was not adopted until 1927), but its origins can be traced back at least to 1603, when England and Scotland came to be ruled by a single monarch (James I of England and VI of Scotland). England and Scotland were formally united under a single parliament, forming the United Kingdom of Great Britain, on [[1 May]] [[1707]].<ref>Murdoch, Alexander, [http://www.oxforddnb.com/public/themes/96/96282.html England, Scotland, and the Acts of Union (1707)], Oxford Dictionary of National Biography, online edn, Oxford University Press, Jan 2007, accessed 1 May 2007</ref>

The United Kingdom is a constitutional monarchy. Its current [[head of state]] is Queen [[Elizabeth II]], and its [[head of government]] is Prime Minister [[Gordon Brown]].

[[nationalism|Nationalist]] movements of significant importance exist in Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland, seeking to dissolve the United Kingdom and to win independence for their respective territories. At the present time, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland have their own legislatures.

The United Kingdom has the fifth largest economy in the world, and is a member of the [[European Union]], [[NATO]] and the [[United Nations]]. The UK's values, culture and institutions were spread throughout many parts of the world during the period of the [[British Empire]], and the UK's contributions to world culture include the English language, the [[parliament|parliamentary]] form of government, the [[Church of England|Anglican]] (or Episcopalian) Church, a tradition of personal liberty, and the common-law legal system.

==Name==
The '''United Kingdom''' is the shorter name of the state composed of England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland. It has existed since 1801, though in 1922 most of Ireland won its independence, and its formal name changed accordingly. The official name is ''The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland''. The adjective associated with the United Kingdom is "[[British]]".

* '''Great Britain''' is often used by Americans as a synonym for the UK, but it more properly refers to the largest island in the United Kingdom which contains [[England]], [[Scotland]] and [[Wales]]. As a result this term can cause offence in [[Northern Ireland]].
* '''Britain''' is used (without the adjective "Great") as a synonym for the United Kingdom as a whole.<ref>number10.gov.uk - [http://www.number10.gov.uk/output/Page823.asp Countries within a country] - Website of the British Prime Minster.</ref>
* '''England''' is the largest of the four components of the United Kingdom.

==Anthem==
The ''de facto'' national anthem of the UK is currently ''[[God Save the Queen]]''. When [[Queen Elizabeth II]] dies or abdicates, her son [[Prince Charles]] will become [[King]], and the anthem will become "God Save the King", with the other words remaining the same (apart from obvious changes in gender pronouns). This same melody is also sung by [[American]] schoolchildren (with different words) as "My Country, 'Tis of Thee".

The constituent nations of the UK have come to have their own anthems. In the case of Wales, this is ''[[Hen Wlad Fy Nhadau]]'' (''Land of My Fathers''), and for Scotland it is ''[[Flower of Scotland]]''. England does not have its own distinctive anthem in the same way, but at sporting events in which England is competing as a separate nation, [[Edward Elgar]]'s patriotic song ''[[Land of Hope and Glory]]'' is sometimes used (although ''God Save the Queen'' is most commonly used). In Northern Ireland, the Protestant and Catholic communities respectively use ''God Save the Queen'' and ''Amhran na bhFiann'', the Irish national anthem. ''Londonderry Air'' is often used as the anthem for Northern Ireland competitors in sporting events.

It should be noted that ''God Save the Queen/King'' is only the national anthem by long usage, since about 1745. It has never been declared so officially.

==People==
The United Kingdom's population in 2004 surpassed 60 million--the third-largest in the European Union. Its overall population density is one of the highest in the world. Almost one-third of the population lives in England's prosperous and fertile southeast and is predominantly urban and suburban--with about 7.2 million in the capital of London, which remains the largest city in Europe. The United Kingdom's high literacy rate (99%) is attributable to universal public education introduced for the primary level in 1870 and secondary level in 1900. Education is mandatory from ages 5 through 16. About one-fifth of British students go on to post-secondary education. The Church of England and the Church of Scotland are the official churches in their respective parts of the country, but most religions found in the world are represented in the United Kingdom.

A group of islands close to continental Europe, the British Isles have been subject to many invasions and migrations, especially from Scandinavia and the continent, including Roman occupation for several centuries. Contemporary Britons are descended mainly from the varied ethnic stocks that settled there before the 11th century. The pre-Celtic, Celtic, Roman, Anglo-Saxon, and Norse influences were blended in Britain under the Normans, Scandinavian Vikings who had lived in Northern France. Although Celtic languages persist in Wales, Scotland, and Northern Ireland, the predominant language is English, which is primarily a blend of Anglo-Saxon and Norman French.
*Population (2007 est.): 60.8 million.
*Annual population growth rate (2007 est.): 0.275%.
*Major ethnic groups: British, Irish, West Indian, South Asian.
*Major religions: Church of England (Anglican), Roman Catholic, Church of Scotland (Presbyterian), Muslim.
*Major languages: English, Welsh, Irish Gaelic, Scottish Gaelic.
*Education: Years compulsory--12. Attendance--nearly 100%. Literacy--99%.
*Health: Infant mortality rate (2007 est.)--5.01/1,000. Life expectancy (2007 est.)--males 76.23 yrs.; females 81.3 yrs.; total 78.7 years
*Work force (2007, 31.1 million): Services--80.4%; industry--18.2%; agriculture--1.4%.

===Religious Beliefs===
According to the 2001 [[Census]] the religious make-up of the UK at that time was:

{| border="1" cellspacing=0 cellpadding=3
|+'''Religions in United Kingdom'''
!Belief
!Thousands
!Proportion
|-
|Christian ||42,079 ||71.6
|-
|No Religion ||9104 ||15.5
|-
|Muslim ||1591 ||2.7
|-
|Hindu ||559 ||1.0
|-
|Jedi Knight ||390 ||0.7
|-
|Sikh ||336 ||0.6
|-
|Jewish ||267 ||0.5
|-
|Other ||179 ||0.3
|-
|Buddhist ||152 ||0.3
|-
|Pagan & Wicca ||40 ||0.1
|-
|Total religious ||45,163 ||76.8
|-
|No answer ||4289 ||7.3
|}
The answers were distorted by an internet campaign just prior to the census, that claimed that if at least 50,000 people stated their religion as 'Jedi Knight' it would be officially classified as a religion. This was not true, though the Office of National Statistics does aggregate very small religions into the 'Other' category whereas a religion of 50,000 would be itemised separately. This separate listing does not constitute any form of official recognition.

Two of the four states of the United Kingdom, England and Scotland, have official state religions. The [[Church of England]] is the official religion of England and the (Presbyterian) Church of Scotland is the official religion of Scotland. The (Anglican) Church of Ireland was [[disestablished]] in 1871 and the (Anglican) Church of Wales was disestablished in 1920, whereupon it was renamed the [[Church in Wales]].

===Crown Dependencies===
A number of the smaller [[British Isles]], most importantly [[Jersey]], [[Guernsey]] and the [[Isle of Man]] are 'British Crown Dependencies' and not members of the UK. Their governments are independent of that of the UK other than foreign and defence policy (the UK government retains the legal power to overrule the governments of the Dependencies, but this power has not been exercised since 1967), and they are not members of the [[European Union]].

==Sports and Pastimes==
Many of the most popular [[sport]]s in the world today were developed or codified in the UK. These include [[soccer]], [[cricket]], [[Rugby (Sport)|rugby]], [[tennis]] and [[golf]]. The UK is represented in international competitions by the individual nations (such as in soccer, cricket and rugby) and by the whole of the UK in other sports (such as [[athletics]], golf and tennis). While not possessing the recent sporting success of countries such as Australia, the UK remains a major sporting force both in competition and the administration of sport. Certain venues have their own distinct and historical recognition and host a number of international competitions. These include Wimbledon for tennis, Silverstone for motor racing, and St Andrews for golf.

Domestic sport is dominated by soccer with one of the strongest and most popular leagues in the world - the Premier League of England. Teams such as Manchester United, Arsenal and Liverpool are well known sports club brands and maintain followings across the world. Cricket and both codes of rugby also have strong and popular domestic leagues. Other popular sports include snooker, rowing, darts, horse racing, and motor racing. These most popular sports are well covered by both the print press and TV.

Some sports notable for being more popular in other countries such as American football and basketball have small but dedicated followings.

==Government==
''See also [[British politics]]''

The United Kingdom does not have a written constitution. In this key respect their system of government is inferior to the American one. The equivalent body of law is based on statute, common law, and "traditional rights." Changes may come about formally through new acts of Parliament, informally through the acceptance of new practices and usage, or by judicial precedents. Although Parliament has the theoretical power to make or repeal any law, in actual practice the weight of 700 years of tradition restrains arbitrary actions.

The second problem with the British system of government is that executive power rests nominally with the monarch but actually is exercised by a committee of ministers (cabinet) traditionally selected from among the members of the House of Commons and, to a lesser extent, the House of Lords. The prime minister is normally the leader of the largest party in the Commons, and the government is dependent on its support.

Parliament represents the entire country and can legislate for the whole or for any constituent part or combination of parts. The maximum parliamentary term is 5 years, but the prime minister may ask the monarch to dissolve Parliament and call a general election at any time. The focus of legislative power is the 646-member House of Commons, which has sole jurisdiction over finance. The House of Lords, although shorn of most of its powers, can still review, amend, or delay temporarily any bills except those relating to the budget. The House of Lords has more time than the House of Commons to pursue one of its more important functions--debating public issues. In 1999, the government removed the automatic right of hereditary peers to hold seats in the House of Lords. The current house consists of appointed life peers who hold their seats for life and 92 hereditary peers who will hold their seats only until final reforms have been agreed upon and implemented. The judiciary is independent of the legislative and executive branches but cannot review the constitutionality of legislation.

The separate identities of each of the United Kingdom's constituent parts are also reflected in their respective governmental structures. Up until the recent devolution of power to Scotland and Wales, a cabinet minister (the Secretary of State for Wales) handled Welsh affairs at the national level with the advice of a broadly representative council for Wales. Scotland maintains, as it did before union with England, different systems of law (Roman-French), education, local government, judiciary, and national church (the Church of Scotland instead of the Church of England). In addition, separate departments grouped under a Secretary of State for Scotland, who also is a cabinet member, handled most domestic matters. In late 1997, however, following approval of referenda by Scottish and Welsh voters (though only narrowly in Wales), the British Government introduced legislation to establish a Scottish Parliament and a Welsh Assembly. The first elections for the two bodies were held May 6, 1999. The Welsh Assembly opened on May 26, and the Scottish Parliament opened on July 1, 1999. The devolved legislatures have largely taken over most of the functions previously performed by the Scottish and Welsh offices.

Northern Ireland had its own Parliament and prime minister from 1921 to 1973, when the British Government imposed direct rule in order to deal with the deteriorating political and security situation. From 1973, the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland, based in London, was responsible for the region, including efforts to resolve the issues that lay behind the "the troubles."

By the mid-1990s, gestures toward peace encouraged by successive British governments and by President Clinton began to open the door for restored local government in Northern Ireland. An Irish Republican Army (IRA) cease-fire and nearly 2 years of multiparty negotiations, led by former U.S. Senator George Mitchell, resulted in the Good Friday Agreement of 10 April 1998, which was subsequently approved by majorities in both Northern Ireland and the Republic of Ireland. Key elements of the agreement include devolved government, a commitment of the parties to work toward "total disarmament of all paramilitary organisations," police reform, and enhanced mechanisms to guarantee human rights and equal opportunity. The Good Friday Agreement also called for formal cooperation between the Northern Ireland institutions and the Government of the Republic of Ireland, and it established the British-Irish Council, which includes representatives of the British and Irish Governments as well as the devolved Governments of Northern Ireland, Scotland, and Wales. Devolved government was reestablished in Northern Ireland in December 1999.

The Good Friday Agreement provides for a 108-member elected Assembly, overseen by a 12-minister Executive Committee (cabinet) in which unionists and nationalists share leadership responsibility. Northern Ireland elects 18 representatives to the Westminster Parliament in London. However, the five Sinn Fein Members of Parliament (MPs), who won seats in the 2004 election, have refused to claim their seats.

Progress has been made on each of the key elements of the Good Friday Agreement. Most notably, a new police force has been instituted; the IRA has decommissioned its weapons, and the security situation in Northern Ireland has normalised. Since 2002, when the last devolved government was suspended, the British Government, with Irish and U.S. support, continued to push Northern Ireland's main parties towards a power-sharing agreement. In October 2006, intense negotiations led to the St. Andrews Agreement, which set up a Transitional Assembly, as the precursor for the return of devolved government. Parties were given until 26 March 2007 to work out arrangements for a power-sharing agreement. As part of these negotiations, the Democratic Unionist Party (DUP) insisted that Sinn Fein endorse policing structures, a key U.S. objective as well.

In a historic move, Sinn Fein's general membership finally agreed to support policing in late January 2007. New assembly elections were held on 7 March, returning the unionist (Protestant) DUP and nationalist (Catholic) Sinn Fein again as the two largest parties. While party leaders Ian Paisley (DUP) and Gerry Adams (Sinn Fein) did not reach agreement on power-sharing in time for the 26 March deadline, they did hold a historic joint meeting that day. At the meeting, they agreed to begin a power-sharing government on May 8 with Paisley as First Minister and Martin McGuinness of Sinn Fein as Deputy First Minister. On 8 May 2007 Paisley and McGuinness took their oath of office in the presence of British Prime Minister Tony Blair, Irish Prime Minister Bertie Ahern, and a bipartisan U.S. presidential delegation headed by Special Envoy Paula Dobriansky, who was accompanied by Senator Ted Kennedy.

While most attributes of government have been devolved to the Northern Ireland Assembly, responsibility for security and justice remains in the hands of the Parliament in Westminster. The St. Andrews Agreement envisioned devolution of policing and justice by May 2008. Other outstanding issues relate to continued paramilitary activities. While the IRA has completely decommissioned its weapons and is no longer considered a terrorist threat, a few loyalist (Protestant) paramilitary groups have thus far refused to stand down or decommission. While one large loyalist paramilitary group recently announced it has placed its weapons "out of use", it has not formally decommissioned them. There is also some concern about dissident republican groups who are believed responsible for a number of fire bombs in November 2006 around Northern Ireland.

The United States also is committed to Northern Ireland's economic development, and through the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID) almost $462 million was obligated to the International Fund for Ireland from 1986 to 2006. The fund provides grants and loans to businesses to improve the economy, redress inequalities of employment opportunity, and improve cross-border business and community ties.

===Principal Government Officials===
*Head of State--Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II
*Prime Minister (Head of Government)--The Rt. Hon. Gordon Brown, MP
*Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs--The Rt. Hon. David Miliband, MP
*Ambassador to the U.S.--Sir David Manning
*Ambassador to the UN--Sir Emyr Jones Parry, KCMG

===Political Conditions===
Tony Blair became the first Labour Prime Minister ever to win a third consecutive term when he was re-elected on May 5, 2005. Labour has a 67-seat majority in the House of Commons. The Conservative (Tory) Party and Liberal-Democrats (LibDems) form the major opposition parties. Blair stepped down as Prime Minister in June 2007. Labour Party leader Gordon Brown succeeded him. The main British parties support a strong transatlantic link, but have become increasingly absorbed by European issues as Britain's economic and political ties to the continent grow in the post-Cold War world. This is unfortunate as it means Britain is being influenced by the more socialist attitudes of Europe. Prime Minister Brown is expected to continue Blair's policy of having the United Kingdom play a leading role in Europe even as the United Kingdom maintains its strong bilateral relationship with the United States. Britain's relationship with Europe is a subject of considerable political discussion in the United Kingdom.

===Membership in the European Union===
Unforntunatley, the [[Conservative Party|Conservative]] government of [[Edward Heath|Sir Edward Heath]] took the UK into the [[European Union]] in 1973. The [[Labour Party]] under [[Harold Wilson]] won the 1974 general elections and due to splits within the party, called the only national [[referendum]] asking the people if they wanted to stay in the Union. The "yes" vote won by a margin of approximately two to one. The Labour and Conservative parties have since had deep divisions over Union membership. Labour's 1983 manifesto promised to leave the Union, and whilst the Conservative party have never pledged to leave the Union, a growing band of "Eurosceptics" threatened to tear the party apart in the 1990s. All three major parties wish to stay in the Union although disagree over the level of integration, but smaller parties such as the UK Independence Party and the Referendum Party campaigned on the single issue of sovereignty being lost to the Union.

==Defense and Foreign Relations==
The United Kingdom is a founding member of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) and is one of NATO's major European maritime, air, and land powers; it ranks third among NATO countries in total defense expenditure. The United Kingdom has been a member of the European Community (now European Union) since 1973. In the United Nations, the United Kingdom is a permanent member of the Security Council. The U.K. held the Presidency of the G-8 during 2005; it held the EU Presidency from July to December 2005.

The British Armed Forces are charged with protecting the United Kingdom and its overseas territories, promoting Britain's wider security interests, and supporting international peacekeeping efforts. The 37,000-member Royal Navy, which includes 6,000 Royal Marine commandos, is in charge of the United Kingdom's independent strategic nuclear arm, which consists of four Trident missile submarines. The British Army, consisting of approximately 99,200 personnel, the Royal Air Force, with 42,000 personnel, along with the Royal Navy and Royal Marines, are active and regular participants in NATO and other coalition operations. Approximately 9% of the British Armed Forces is female, and 4% of British forces represent ethnic minorities.

The United Kingdom stood shoulder to shoulder with the United States following the September 11, 2001 terrorist attacks in the U.S., and its military forces are part of the coalition force in Afghanistan. The U.K. force in Afghanistan will increase to 7,700 by the end of 2007. U.K. forces are primarily based in the Helmand region, where they are on the front line in the war against continued Taliban operations. In addition, the U.K. has contributed more than £500 million to Afghan reconstruction--the second-largest donor after the U.S. The U.K. was the United States' main coalition partner in Operation Iraqi Freedom and continues to have more than 5,000 troops deployed in Iraq to help stabilize and rebuild the country. Under UN Security Council Resolution 1483, the U.K. also shared with the United States responsibility for civil administration in Iraq and was an active participant in the Coalition Provisional Authority before the handover of Iraqi sovereignty on June 28, 2004. Britain's participation in the Iraq war and its aftermath remains a domestically controversial issue.

===Relations with the United States===
Despite having ruled the American colonnies with tyranny 200 years ago, The United Kingdom is now one of the United States' closest allies, and British foreign policy emphasizes close coordination with the United States. Bilateral cooperation reflects the common language, ideals, and democratic practices of the two nations. Relations were strengthened by the United Kingdom's alliance with the United States during both World Wars, and its role as a founding member of NATO, in the Korean conflict, in the Persian Gulf War, and in Operation Iraqi Freedom. The United Kingdom and the United States continually consult on foreign policy issues and global problems and share major foreign and security policy objectives.

The United Kingdom is the fifth-largest market for U.S. goods exports after Canada, Mexico, Japan, and China, and the sixth-largest supplier of U.S. imports after Canada, China, Mexico, Japan, and Germany. U.S. exports of goods and services to the United Kingdom in 2006 totaled $92 billion, while U.S. imports from the U.K. totaled $93 billion. The United States has had a trade deficit with the United Kingdom since 1998. The United Kingdom is a large source of foreign tourists in the United States. In 2005, 3.4 million U.S. residents visited the United Kingdom, while 4.2 million U.K. residents visited the United States.

The United States and the United Kingdom share the world's largest foreign direct investment partnership. U.S. investment in the United Kingdom reached $324 billion in 2005, while U.K. direct investment in the U.S. totaled $282 billion. This investment sustains more than 1 million American jobs.

==Economy==
The United Kingdom has the fifth-largest economy in the world, is the second-largest economy in the European Union, and is a major international trading power. A highly developed, diversified, market-based economy with extensive social welfare services provides most residents with a high standard of living. Unemployment and inflation levels are amongst the lowest within the European Union.

Since 1979, the British Government has privatized most state-owned companies, including British Steel, British Airways, British Telecom, British Coal, British Aerospace, and British Gas, although in some cases the government retains a "golden share" in these companies. The Labour government has continued the privatization policy of its Conservative predecessor, particularly by encouraging "public-private partnerships" (partial privatization) in such areas as the London Underground. The economy of the United Kingdom is now primarily based on private enterprise, accounting for approximately four-fifths of employment and output.

London ranks alongside New York as a leading international financial center. London's financial exports contribute greatly to the United Kingdom's balance of payments. Ratings agencies rank the United Kingdom's banking sector as one of the strongest in the world and its banks are amongst the most profitable in the G-8. It is a global leader in emissions trading and is home to the Alternative Investment Market (AIM). It is also a government priority to make London the leading center of Islamic finance.

The United Kingdom is the European Union's only significant energy exporter. It is also one of the world's largest energy consumers, and most analysts predict a shift in U.K. status from net exporter to net importer of energy by 2020, possibly sooner. Oil production in the U.K. is leveling off. While North Sea natural gas production continues to rise, gains may be offset by ever-increasing consumption. North Sea oil and gas exploration activities are shifting to smaller fields and to increments of larger, developed fields, presenting opportunities for smaller, independent energy operators to become active in North Sea production.
*GDP (at current market prices, 2007 est.): $1.93 trillion.
*Annual growth rate (2006 est.): 2.8%.
*Per capita GDP (2006 est.): $31,800.
*Natural resources: Coal, oil, natural gas, tin, limestone, iron ore, salt, clay, chalk, gypsum, lead, silica.
*Agriculture (1.1% of GDP): Products--cereals, oilseed, potatoes, vegetables, cattle, sheep, poultry, fish.
*Industry: Types--steel, heavy engineering and metal manufacturing, textiles, motor vehicles and aircraft, construction (5.2% of GDP), electronics, chemicals.
*Trade (2006 est.): Exports of goods and services--$468.8 billion: manufactured goods, fuels, chemicals; food, beverages, tobacco. Major markets--U.S., European Union. Imports of goods and services--$603 billion: manufactured goods, machinery, fuels, foodstuffs. Major suppliers--U.S., European Union, Japan.

===Currency===
The currency of the United Kingdom is the [[Pound|Pound Sterling]], commonly called Pound and written £ or GBP, divided into 100 New Pence (now commonly just called pence or 'p'). Traditionally the UK had a complicated triple currency structure of 20 [[shilling|shillings]] to the Pound and 12 "old pence" (represented by a "d") to the shilling, making a total of 240 pence to the Pound. This system was abandoned in 1971 due to difficulties with computerised accounting systems, in favour of the current [[decimal]] system.

The UK was one of the three [[European Union]] nations (along with [[Sweden]] and [[Denmark]]) not to join the [[Euro]]. Banks in Scotland and Northern Ireland are permitted to print their own banknotes, as long as they keep an equivalent amount of sterling in reserve.

==History==
The Roman invasion of Britain in 55 BC and most of Britain's subsequent incorporation into the Roman Empire stimulated development and brought more active contacts with the rest of Europe. As Rome's strength declined, the country again was exposed to invasion--including the pivotal incursions of the Angles, Saxons, and Jutes in the fifth and sixth centuries AD--up to the Norman conquest in 1066. Norman rule effectively ensured Britain's safety from further intrusions; certain institutions, which remain characteristic of Britain, could develop. Among these are a political, administrative, cultural, and economic center in London; a separate but established church; a system of common law; distinctive and distinguished university education; and representative government.

====Union====
Both Wales and Scotland were independent kingdoms that resisted English rule. The English conquest of Wales succeeded in 1282 under Edward I, and the Statute of Rhuddlan established English rule 2 years later. To appease the Welsh, Edward's son (later Edward II), who had been born in Wales, was made Prince of Wales in 1301. The tradition of bestowing this title on the eldest son of the British Monarch continues today. An act of 1536 completed the political and administrative union of England and Wales.

While maintaining separate parliaments, England and Scotland were ruled under one crown beginning in 1603, when James VI of Scotland succeeded his cousin Elizabeth I as James I of England. In the ensuing 100 years, strong religious and political differences divided the kingdoms. Finally, in 1707, England and Scotland were unified as Great Britain, sharing a single Parliament at Westminster.

Ireland's invasion by the Anglo-Normans in 1170 led to centuries of strife. Successive English kings sought to conquer Ireland. In the early 17th century, large-scale settlement of the north from Scotland and England began. After its defeat, Ireland was subjected, with varying degrees of success, to control and regulation by Britain.

The legislative union of Great Britain and Ireland was completed on January 1, 1801, under the name of the United Kingdom. However, armed struggle for independence continued sporadically into the 20th century. The Anglo-Irish Treaty of 1921 established the Irish Free State, which subsequently left the Commonwealth and became a republic after World War II. Six northern, predominantly Protestant, Irish counties have remained part of the United Kingdom.

====British Expansion and Empire====
Begun initially to support William the Conqueror's (c. 1029-1087) holdings in France, Britain's policy of active involvement in continental European affairs endured for several hundred years. By the end of the 14th century, foreign trade, originally based on wool exports to Europe, had emerged as a cornerstone of national policy.

The foundations of sea power were gradually laid to protect English trade and open up new routes. Defeat of the Spanish Armada in 1588 firmly established England as a major sea power. Thereafter, its interests outside Europe grew steadily. Attracted by the spice trade, English mercantile interests spread first to the Far East. In search of an alternate route to the Spice Islands, John Cabot reached the North American continent in 1498. Sir Walter Raleigh organized the first, short-lived colony in Virginia in 1584, and permanent English settlement began in 1607 at Jamestown, Virginia. During the next two centuries, Britain extended its influence abroad and consolidated its political development at home.

Great Britain's industrial revolution greatly strengthened its ability to oppose Napoleonic France. By the end of the Napoleonic Wars in 1815, the United Kingdom was the foremost European power, and its navy ruled the seas. Peace in Europe allowed the British to focus their interests on more remote parts of the world, and, during this period, the British Empire reached its zenith. British colonial expansion reached its height largely during the reign of Queen Victoria (1837-1901). Queen Victoria's reign witnessed the spread of British technology, commerce, language, and government throughout the British Empire, which, at its greatest extent, encompassed roughly one-fifth to one-quarter of the world's area and population. British colonies contributed to the United Kingdom's extraordinary economic growth and strengthened its voice in world affairs. Even as the United Kingdom extended its imperial reach overseas, it continued to develop and broaden its democratic institutions at home.

====20th Century====
By the time of Queen Victoria's death in 1901, other nations, including the United States and Germany, had developed their own industries; the United Kingdom's comparative economic advantage had lessened, and the ambitions of its rivals had grown. The losses and destruction of World War I, the depression of the 1930s, and decades of relatively slow growth eroded the United Kingdom's preeminent international position of the previous century.

Britain's control over its empire loosened during the interwar period. Ireland, with the exception of six northern counties, gained independence from the United Kingdom in 1921. Nationalism became stronger in other parts of the empire, particularly in India and Egypt.

In 1926, the United Kingdom, completing a process begun a century earlier, granted Australia, Canada, and New Zealand complete autonomy within the empire. They became charter members of the British Commonwealth of Nations (now known as the Commonwealth), an informal but closely-knit association that succeeded the empire. Beginning with the independence of India and Pakistan in 1947, the remainder of the British Empire was almost completely dismantled. Today, most of Britain's former colonies belong to the Commonwealth, almost all of them as independent members. There are, however, 13 former British colonies--including Bermuda, Gibraltar, the Falkland Islands, and others--which have elected to continue their political links with London and are known as United Kingdom Overseas Territories.

Although often marked by economic and political nationalism, the Commonwealth offers the United Kingdom a voice in matters concerning many developing countries. In addition, the Commonwealth helps preserve many institutions deriving from British experience and models, such as parliamentary democracy, in those countries.

== See also ==

*[[British politics]]
*[[June 2007 UK terror attacks]]

== Notes ==

<references/>

[[Category:United Kingdom|United Kingdom]]
[[Category:European Countries]]
[[Category:NATO members]]
[[Category:EU Members]]

World War II

2008-01-11T18:08:50Z

Warmonkey:

[[Image:Caen_sniper.jpg|right|thumb|300px|An allied soldier in the ruins of Caen, 9 July 1944]]
'''World War II''' was a global conflict fought between the [[Allies|Allied powers]] which eventually came to include the [[United States]], the [[Soviet Union]], the [[British Commonwealth]], the [[Republic of China]], and many other nations, and the [[Axis Powers]] (mainly [[Third Reich|Nazi Germany]], [[Fascism|Fascist]] [[Italy]], and Imperial [[Japan]]). Several conflicts involving some world major powers precipitated the general conflagration. On September 1, 1939 [[Poland]] was invaded by Nazi Germany. On September 3, the [[United Kingdom]] and the [[French Third Republic]] with its allies entered the war.

During the war, eight major world powers fought, along with several lesser states joining with one side or the other. On the side which lost were the Axis Powers Germany, [[Japan]], and [[Italy]]. Against them came to be the Allied Powers [[United States]], [[United Kingdom]] and the Commonwealth, the [[Soviet Union]] with its [[Comintern]] allies, and the [[Republic of China]].

==Failure of the League treaty==
The causes of World War II are complicated. The immediate causes of World War II are generally held to be the Japanese attacks on China and the British and Dutch colonies, and the German invasion of Poland on the 1st September 1939. Following the two day deadline for the withdrawal of German forces, the United Kingdom, Australia, and New Zealand declared war on Germany, followed quickly by France, South Africa, Canada and Nepal.

The condition of Germany in the aftermath of [[World War I]] is also considered to be a contributing factor. The [[Weimar Republic]] that was founded at the end of WWI, was struggling from the beginning. One reason were the harsh terms of [[Versailles]] treaty. Although the terms of the treaty were never fully enforced, the psychological damage was immense, since they were perceived as a grave injustice. The republic was also struggling with the rejection by monarchist, who were still occupying important position in the state. Many WWI veterans believed that the German forces in WWI were not defeated, but that the social democratic leaders, who founded the Weimar republic to thwart a communist revolution, surrendered to the allies for political gains. It was known as the "stab-in-the-back myth", and was used to discredit the republic. [http://www.germannotes.com/hist_weimar_dolch.shtml] Although the Weimar Republic enjoyed a time of economic resurgence after the early years of hyper-inflation it failed to gain deep public support. The Weimar Republic was famously called a ''democracy without democrats''.
[[Image:58742big.jpg|thumb|300px|right|Japanese Expansion in Asia, 1928 - 1941. [http://history.sandiego.edu/gen/WW2Timeline/maps2.html]]]

In the early 1930 Germany was in a permanent political and constitutional crisis, caused by rising unemployment during the great depression. Germany was hit harder than most other countries. The National Socialists, known as the Hitler movement, promised to restore national pride and statue, by disbanding the Versailles treaty, and reverting the injustices imposed onto Germany by its international enemies. It was common to blame the "international Jewdom." Part of this ideology was that Germany deserved to be larger, and that in order to survive, it would have to conquer the East.

===Chinese Civil War===

China was engaged at the same time in two separate wars. One was with Japan. The other was with the [[Comintern]]. The Soviet Union fought China with an army of [[Chinese Communist Party|Chinese revolutionaries]], the CCP, directed and armed by the Soviet Union. The Soviet Union's ambitions in China were to transform all northern China — [[Sinkiang]], [[Mongolia]] and [[Manchuria]] — into Soviet dependencies and to convert what remained of China into a [[Communist]] satellite state.

[[Edgar Snow]] wrote his 1937 book, ''Red Star Over China'' "the political ideology, tactical line and theoretical leadership of the Chinese Communists have been under the close guidance, if not positive detailed direction, of the [[Communist International]], which during the last decade has become virtually a bureau of the [[Russian Communist Party]]." And he further declared that the CCP had to subordinate itself to the "strategic requirements of [[Soviet Russia]], under the leadership of [[Stalin]]."<ref>Red Star Over China by Edgar Snow, New York, 1937.</ref>

===Mukden Incident===

The Japanese invasion of [[Manchuria]] in 1931 marked the beginning of World War II in Asia. In March 1932 the Japanese set up the [[puppet state]] of [[Manchukuo]]. On 24 February, 1933, the [[League of Nations]] adopted a resolution calling for the non-recognition of Manchukuo, however the [[Soviet Union]] nonetheless did recognize Manchukuo and sold Japan the Chinese Eastern Railway in 1935.<ref>''While You Slept : Our Tragedy in Asia and Who Made It'', John T. Flynn, New York : The Devin - Adair Company, 1951, [http://www.mises.org/books/whileyouslept.pdf pgs. 18, 36, 65] pdf.</ref>

===The Ethiopian War===

In 1935, [[fascist]] [[Italy]] under the leadership of [[Mussolini]] invaded [[Ethiopia]], the only uncolonized nation in [[Africa]] and a member state of the [[League of Nations]]. While Ethiopian Emperor Haile Selassie tried to get the League to help his country, his pleas in [[Geneva]] went unheard. Italy's colonial occupation of Italy was marked by the aerial bombardment and use of poison gas against civilian populations.

===Reoccupation of the Rhineland===

===Spanish Civil War===
:''Main article: [[Spanish Civil War]]''

===Second Sino-Japanese War===
:''Main article:[[Second Sino-Japanese War]]''

In 1937, when the Japanese invaded China, Soviet General Secretary [[Josef Stalin]] ordered the CCP to cease operations against China's government, the [[Kuomintang]] or KMT, and present a [[united front]] to the Japanese. This lasted until 1939.<ref>''While You Slept : Our Tragedy in Asia and Who Made It'', John T. Flynn, New York : The Devin - Adair Company, 1951, [http://www.mises.org/books/whileyouslept.pdf pg. 46] pdf.</ref>

[[CCP]] Chairman [[Mao Zedong]] sent a secret directive to his followers which said:
:"The Sino-Japanese war affords our party an excellent opportunity for expansion . . . the first stage is a compromising stage . . . but in reality this will serve as camouflage for the… development of our party. The second [stage]. . . should be spent in laying the foundation of our party's political and military powers . . . until we can match and break the [[Kuomintang]]. The third is an offensive stage . . . in which our forces. . . isolate and disperse…and wrest the leadership from the hands of the Kuomintang."<ref>Documents on the Problem of the Chinese Communist Party (Chungking, 1944).</ref>

With the making of the [[Hitler-Stalin pact]] the Soviet Union was at war on the side of Germany. The CCP stopped fighting the Japanese and resumed [[guerrilla]] operations against the Kuomintang (KMT). The CCP devoted its energies to fighting the Chinese government for the portions of eastern China between the railroad lines, held by the Japanese.

===Treaty of Munich===
:''Main article [[Munich conference]]''

The [[Locarno Pacts]] formed the background for the events of 1938 when Czechoslovakia was dismembered at Munich. When the guarantee of Locarno became due in 1936, Britain dishonored its agreement, the Rhineland was remilitarized and the way was open for Germany to move eastward. Poland protested vigorously at the refusal to guarantee her frontiers.<ref>[http://sandiego.indymedia.org/media/2006/10/119975.pdf ''Tragedy and Hope: A History of the World in Our Time''], Carroll Quigley, Collier-Macmillan, 1966, pg. 293.ISBN 0-945001-10-X</ref>

At Munich, Hitler, British Prime Minister [[Neville Chamberlain]], [[Mussolini]] and French Premier [[Edouard Daladier]] carved up Czechoslovakia without consulting anyone, least of all the Czechs and Slovaks.<ref>''Tragedy and Hope'', Quigley, pg. 638.</ref> The outlawry of war was relatively meaningless without some sanctions that could compel the use of peaceful methods. Efforts in this direction were nullified by Britain.<ref>''Tragedy and Hope'', Quigley, pg. 296.</ref>

==Polish Partition==
[[Image:Communazi Peace Pact.jpg|thumb|300px|right|By terms of a secret protocol to the [[Nazi-Soviet pact]], Poland was partitioned with Germany and the USSR each occupying 200,000 square kilometers.]]
:''Main article: [[Molotov-Ribbentrop pact]]''

In the immediate run up to WWII, there were frequent reports of trespassing Polish troops. On August 31, 1939 German covert operatives staged a fake attack by Polish troops on a German radio station. WWII started on September 1, 1939, when German troops invaded Poland. Hitler justified this as a defensive act, pointing to the frequent border incidents, and said famously that from this moment on Germany would strike back.

The major tactical innovation of the war was the use of combined arms warfare, typified by the German doctrine of [[blitzkrieg]]. In this style of warfare armor, infantry, artillery and air power (see [[Luftwaffe]]) all coordinate to achieve overwhelming superiority at point on the enemy lines. Armor and fast-moving infantry units then exploit the gap and penetrate deep behind enemy lines. The objective is to cause a widespread collapse of the enemy's ability to fight. It was particularly effective during the early stages of the war, before the Allies developed effective countermeasures.
[[Image:Communazipact1.JPG|thumb|300px|left|Partition of Poland. Source: Franklin D. Roosevelt Library, Hyde Park, NY; Time magazine [http://history.sandiego.edu/gen/WW2Timeline/fdr-diplo-images.html].]]
On September 17, 1939, Poland was invaded from the east by Hitler’s noble ally, Josef Stalin.

In 1939-1940, Poland, Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania and Bessarabia were invaded and annexed into the Soviet Union proper. The Soviets lowered the local standard of living and disrupted and destroyed the prevailing socioeconomic structure. Local currencies were still legal tender but so was the Russian ruble. The occupying Russian soldiers were paid in rubles and the established exchange rate inflated the ruble by as much as 2000 to 3000 per cent. Overvaluing made the average Russian soldier extremely rich. This huge influx of rubles started a wave of inflation that natives did not notice at first. Eventually shortages were caused by Soviet purchasing agents that fanned out through the newly occupied nations, buying up wholesale goods in warehouses and the production of local factories.

Goods produced locally were shipped to Russia instead of resupplying the local market. Russian propaganda stated the goal was to raise the ordinary working person's standard of living. Prices were frozen, and wages raised by as much as ten times. Merchants and factory owners declared bankruptcy and went out of business. Shortages of food and other necessities introduced growing inflation, a black market, and discontent among the population. These deliberate Soviet policies raised the cost of living but not the actual standard of living. Once annexation was complete, local stores and industries were nationalized, their former owners arrested, stripped of their possessions, including their accumulated rubles, and shipped to the [[gulag]]s of Siberia. Workers still employed were then paid in rubles. <ref>Vladimir Petrov, Money and Conquest: Allied Occupation Currencies in World War II, Baltimore: The Johns Hopkins Press, 1967, pgs. 173 -175.</ref>
[[Image:2-463.jpg|thumb|350px|right|Soviet and German troops meet up in the town of Brześć on September 18, 1939.<ref>[http://www.ipn.gov.pl/portal/en/23/211/September_17_1939__Soviet_aggression_on_Poland.html September 17, 1939 - Soviet aggression on Poland], The Institute of National Remembrance - Commission of the Prosecution of Crimes against the Polish Nation.</ref>]]
The French and British were initially reluctant to honor promises to the Polish government, avoiding serious consideration of an invasion of Germany. The British failed to send land forces in time to support the Poles (see [[Western betrayal]]). The French mobilized slowly and then launched a token offensive in the Saar. The Meanwhile, on September 8, the Germans reached Warsaw, having slashed through the Polish defenses. On September 17, the Soviet Union invaded Poland from the East.

Following the completion of the invasion of Poland, German forces regrouped and Allied forces remained defensive, leading US commentators to dub it the [[Phoney War]]. May 10 1940 marked the end of any accusation of a phony war, with the invasion of France by Germany, via the [[Netherlands]], [[Luxembourg]] and [[Belgium]]. Resistance by the British armies and French armies proved weak and the occupation of France began. British troops were routed and evacuated mainland Europe at Dunkirk. France was divided into the northern [[Occupied France]] and the collaborationist [[Vichy regime]] in the south of France, including [[Corsica]].

The collapse and occupation of France, together with Germany's non-aggression pact with the Soviet Union,<ref>[http://nobsopus.blogspot.com/2007/01/celebrations-marking-60-years-since-end.html Celebrations Marking 60 Years Since the End of World War II], Pavel Vitek, ''Russkii vopros - Studies'', No. 1 2005. Translation from Russian.</ref>, their alliances with fascist Italy, and an expansionist Japan, benevolent neutrality of fascist Spain, with little of Europe outside of Axis hands led many to assume that the United Kingdom had been defeated. Indeed it would appear that the, seemingly foolish, decision of the relatively weak United Kingdom to continue the war took the Axis powers off guard. This decision ensured the remaining British Empire was still involved in the war, with Japan threatening many British possessions in Asia.

In 1940 [[Denmark]] and [[Norway]] were invaded by German forces, to preempt a British occupation of Norway. Norway also contained a source of [[Heavy water]], possibly crucial in the construction of an atomic weapon. This was soon followed by the British invasion of neutral [[Iceland]] (the invasion of [[Denmark]] by German forces marks the start of an independent Iceland).

With Britain the sole opposing European nation, the [[Battle of Britain]] commenced. The [[Luftwaffe]] attempted to achieve aerial dominance over the south of Britain, in order to allow a sea based invasion of Britain to proceed. For many months the [[Royal Air Force]] and Luftwaffe fought for dominance, with the resilience of the RAF, with British, American, Canadian and [[Republic of Poland|London Polish exile]] pilots forced a rethink of [[German]] tactics. The period that followed is known as the [[Blitz]], where the RAF and Luftwaffe attempted to undermine the infrastructure of the opposing country. This was a period of great economic devastation, which took both countries a considerable period to recover from. More seriously it led to huge numbers of civilian deaths.

==Finnish War==

The Soviet Union invaded [[Finland]], a member of the [[neutral]] [[Oslo Group of States]] on November 30 1939. Despite the overwhelming numbers of the [[Red Army]], the Finnish resistance was strong and the battle was hard fought before the Soviet army took control. The Soviet Union was expelled from the League of Nations on December 12, 1939 for violations of the League treaty.<ref>[http://www.ibiblio.org/pha/policy/1939/391214a.html League of Nations' Expulsion of the USSR, December 12, 1939].</ref> The League of Nations found the Soviet Union conducting "a [[war of aggression]] [which] constitutes a violation of this solidarity and an international crime."<ref>[http://wwi.lib.byu.edu/index.php/The_League_of_Nations_Protocol_for_the_Pacific_Settlement_of_International_Disputes The League of Nations Protocol for the Pacific Settlement of International Disputes], 2 October, 1920.</ref>

==Soviet-German War==
[[Image:SOVietOffense med.gif|thumb|300px|right|Soviet map of offense plans in the West. The map is dated May 15, 1941.<ref>Stalin's chance. Soviet Union and struggle for the Europe: 1939-1941. 2000. (In Russian) [http://militera.lib.ru/research/meltyukhov/index.html] Index to Maps and Illustrations [http://militera.lib.ru/research/meltyukhov/ill.html]</ref>]]
1941 marked the major turning point in the war in Europe, when the Germans undertook [[Operation Barbarossa]] - the invasion of the Soviet Union. In a war of major turning points, this was the most significant in Europe. This miscalculation diminished the German army's capacity.

Stalin was informed by his master spy in Japan, [[Richard Sorge]], of the Japanese Imperial Conference in Tokyo which decided on July 2 not to move against the Soviet Union from [[Manchuria]] through Siberia, but instead to prosecute a plan of advance to the south at the risk of war with the United States and United Kingdom. The possibility of a Japanese attack and a two front war with both Germany and Japan was a specter that haunted Soviet officials. <ref>President Roosevelt followed the debate through the medium of "Magic" -- a name applied to intercepted and decoded Japanese messages. He described the Imperial Conference as "a real drag-down and knockout fight... to decide which way they were going to jump --attack Russia, attack the South Seas (or) sit on the fence and be more friendly with us." President Roosevelt to Secretary Ickes, July l, l941 cited in William L. Langer and S. Everett Gleason, ''The Undeclared War, 1940-41'', (New York: Harper and Brothers, 1953), p. 646.</ref><ref>Testimony of Major General Charles A. Willoughby, August 9, 1951, [[Institute of Pacific Relations]], Hearings, Part 2, pp. 363-364; p. 505.</ref> Russia had over 200,000 men facing Japan in the Far East. These troops were desperately needed in the war against Germany. [[Victor Kravchenko]] a high Soviet official and defector wrote, "Beginning with the nineteenth (October, 1941), the situation improved. The first seasoned Siberian and Far Eastern forces began to arrive... Far Eastern troops, hardened in border struggle with the Japanese, and Siberian forces inured to winter warfare were rushing westward across a continent to hold the invaders." <ref>Victor Kravchenko, ''I Chose Freedom'', New York: Charles Scribner and Sons, 1950, p. 377-378.</ref>

The German war against the Soviet Union (known as the [[Great Patriotic War]] in the Soviet Union) demanded a huge dedication of resources and lengthy supply lines in need of defense later in the war permitted an invasion of mainland Europe by Allied Forces on [[D-Day]].
[[Image:Molotov-matsuoka.JPG|thumb|300px|left|Soviet Foreign Minister [[Vyacheslav Molotov]] signs the [[Matsuoka pact]]. Japanese Foreign Minister [[Yosuke Matsuoka]] is to his immediate left, Joseph Stalin is seen standing between the two.<ref>[http://www.yale.edu/lawweb/avalon/wwii/s1.htm Soviet-Japanese Neutrality Pact April 13, 1941], The Department of State Bulletin Vol. XII, No. 305, April 29, 1945. Retrieved from the Avalon Project 11 August 2007.</ref> ]]
==United States enters the War==

American naval escort of British convoys carrying [[Lend-Lease]] aid lead to a shooting war with Germany. On October 17, 1941, the U.S. destroyer Kearney was torpedoed; two weeks later, the destroyer Rueben James was blown to pieces. On November 10, an American escort of 11 vessels picked up a convoy of six vessels including America's three largest ocean liners with 20,000 British troops and guarded them from Halifax to India and Singapore. Many of the activities of the American Navy in the summer of 1941 were not known at all to the American public. In September, Roosevelt sought to repeal the [[Neutrality Act]] forbidding the arming of merchant vessels which was done on October 17. Two weeks later, all the essential points
of the Neutrality Act were repealed. <ref>Carroll Quigley, ''Tragedy and Hope: A History of the World in Our Time'', Collier-Macmillan, 1966, pg. 720. ISBN 0-945001-10-X</ref>

The [[Attack on Pearl Harbor|attack on Pearl Harbor]] officially brought the United States into World War Two. Admiral [[Isoroku Yamamoto]] of the Japanese Imperial Navy was against engaging with the United States, due to fear of "waking a sleeping giant". The United States recovered from the shell shock of the initial attack and plunged into the war with the slogan "Remember Pearl Harbor!".

America's entry into the war was the most important event of all of WW2, leading to the defeat of Japan and Germany, saving Britain from invasion and making the liberation of Europe possible.

==Yugoslav and Chinese Partisans==
Hitler invaded Yugoslavia in April 1941. The Yugoslavian government fled to [[London]] and joined the Allied governments-in-exile of Belgium, Czechoslovak, Greece, Luxembourg, Netherlands, Norway, Poland, and the [[French National Committee]]. At the Inter-Allied Meeting held of September 24, 1941 in London, the Yugoslavian government along with the other governments-in-exile and the Soviet Union, pledged their "adherence to the common principles of policy set forth" in the [[Atlantic Charter]], to "respect the right of all peoples to choose the form of government under which they will live."<ref>[http://www.yale.edu/lawweb/avalon/wwii/atlantic/at17.htm The Atlantic Conference : Resolution of September 24, 1941].</ref> On January 1, 1942, the Yugoslavian government and the other signatories of the Atlantic Charter, along with most other Powers of the British [[Commonwealth]] and the [[Pan American Union]] of States, put forward the [[Declaration by United Nations]], "being convinced that complete victory over their enemies is essential to defend life, liberty, independence and [[religious freedom]], and to preserve [[human rights]] and [[justice]] in their own lands as well as in other lands, and that they are now engaged in a common struggle against savage and brutal forces seeking to subjugate the world....
each Government pledges itself to cooperate with the Governments signatory hereto."<ref>[http://www.ibiblio.org/pha/paw/274.html Declaration by United Nations, January 1, 1942], U.S. Department of State Bulletin, vol. VI, p. 3.</ref> Within Yugoslavia, Colonel [[Draja Mikhailovitch]], a Serb, organized a resistance army on behalf of the Yugoslavian government known in the press as the Chetniks.<ref>''While You Slept : Our Tragedy in Asia and Who Made It'', John T. Flynn, New York : The Devin - Adair Company, 1951, [http://www.mises.org/books/whileyouslept.pdf pg. 46] pdf.</ref>

[[Josef Broz Tito]], an agent of the [[Comintern]], led the Comintern affiliated [[Yugoslav Partisans]]. In the United States, [[Louis Adamic]] had access to the First Lady, [[Eleanor Roosevelt]]. Adamic was invited to the [[White House]] and pressed upon U.S. President [[Franklin Roosevelt]] support for the [[subversion]] of Colonel Mikhailovitch in favor of Tito. The U.S. [[Office of War Information]] (OWI) began a [[disinformation]] campaign against Mikhailovitch which was repeated in [[mainstream media]] sources, with a call for "unity" with the partisans.

The Yugoslav government-in-exile in London continued to support Mikhailovitch. [[Franklin Roosevelt|President Roosevelt]] in 1942 paid tribute to Mikhailovitch and his men. But at the [[Teheran conference]], as part of the policy of [[appeasement|appeasing]] Stalin, Roosevelt and [[Winston Churchill|Churchill]] abandoned Mikhailovitch completely and yielded to Soviet’s choice of Tito. The U.S. withheld arms and aid from the United Nations ally and gave them to Tito and thus delivered Yugoslavia to communism.

At the [[Cairo conference]] the same program was launched against Chiang Kai-shek and the Kuomintang. [[OWI]] and the American press began referring to the CCP as "partisans." The [[propaganda]] campaign originated in the Soviet Union. ''War and the Working Class'', a [[Bolshevik]] publication, in March 1943 printed the following:
:"The Eighth Route and the New Fourth Army in China consist of the most progressive, steadfast and self-sacrificing people of China. They are led by the Communist Party. . . . China has every possibility over the enemy."<ref>Quoted in ''While You Slept'', Flynn, pg. 47.</ref>

And it added, "national unity is necessary." This began to appear in the United States. The Chinese Communists and Mao were referred to as "partisans," and the call for "unity in China." [[Edgar Snow]] in the ''Saturday Evening Post'' wrote that the situation in China was much like that in Yugoslavia, with the Chinese partisans led by General [[Chu Teh]], and Mao Zedong corresponding to Marshal Tito and his following.<ref>"Sixty Million Lost Allies", by Edgar Snow, ''Saturday Evening Post'',
June 10, 1944.</ref>

Shortly after the Teheran conference, Churchill in a speech in February 1944 indicated that the allies were no longer sending supplies to Mikhailovitch. Two months later King Peter, the Yugoslavian Head of State was forced to dismiss Premier Purich, which meant the entire cabinet in which Mikhailovitch was Minister of War. The Communist Subasich was made Prime Minister. With the subsequent Russian invasion and the aid of American supplies, the Communists and Tito were took control. Mikhailovitch, an ally of the Atlantic Charter, was shot by Tito as a traitor.

==War in Europe 1944==

"The time of liberation is at hand. Poles, to arms! There is not a moment to lose!" This was broadcast on the Polish language radio station from Moscow on July 29, 1944, at 8:15 in the evening. A force of 40,000 responded. <ref>''Tragedy and Hope: A History of the World in Our Time'', Carroll Quigley, Collier-Macmillan, 1966, pg. 795. ISBN 0-945001-10-X</ref> But the Red Army, for sixty-three days, denying they knew anything about it, refused to drop weapons and food to assist the Polish fighters for whose liberty the British government had gone to war in September 1939. The Polish resistance fighters were massacred methodically by the Germans. At the very time at which Prime Minister Mikolajczyk from the legitimate [[Republic of Poland|Polish Government in exile]] in London flew to Moscow, the Kremlin "recognized" the [[Comintern]] puppet regime, the [[Lublin Committee]], as the new Polish "people's government." <ref>Stanislaw Mikolajczyk, ''The Rape of Poland; Pattern of Soviet Aggression'', (NY: Whittlesey House, 1948), p. 70.</ref>

While Romania was frantically imploring the West for assistance, the U.S. [[Office of War Information]] (OWI) praised the Soviet Unions’ "new democracy" and the "innocent nature of Communism." <ref>Reuben M. Markham, ''Rumania Under the Soviet Yoke'' (Boston: Meader, 1949), p.
169.</ref> By November, [[Andrey Vyshinsky]], the legal mastermind who presided at the major show trials of Stalin's [[Great Purge]], arrived to "restore internal order."

==War in Europe 1945==
:''See also [[Western_betrayal#Warsaw_Uprising|Warsaw Uprising]]''

On January 5, 1945, the Soviet Union announced that the [[Comintern]] affiliated [[Lublin Committee]], with which it had dealt ''de facto'' ever since its birth, was now officially recognized as provisional government of Poland. "The [[Yalta Declaration]]," Soviet Deputy Commissar of Defense [[Nikolai Bulganin]] told the Lublin Committee on February 17, 1945 "is a scrap of paper.... You will be the Government of Poland, no matter how those elections turn out and whatever might happen in the meantime. Be steadfast and have faith in Stalin!" <ref>Rear Admiral Ellis M. Zacharias and Ladislas Farago, ''Behind Closed Doors; the Secret History of the Cold War'', (NY:Putnam, 1950), p. 58.</ref>

On February 24, 1945, in violation of the Yalta pact -- which had been signed on February 11 -- the U.S.S.R. indicated her unwillingness to co-operate in the Allied Control Councils in Bulgaria, Hungary, and Romania, and on February 27, [[Andrey Vyshinsky]], in another violation of the Yalta pact, insisted by an official [[demarche]] that King Michael of Romania substitute Communists and Communist tools for certain members of his cabinet. Despite these Soviet manifestations of contempt for the agreements which had been signed at the Crimea Conference, [[Franklin Delano Roosevelt]], on March 1, 1945, told a joint session of Congress that "more than ever before, the major Allies are closely united."

On May 26 presidential adviser [[Harry Hopkins]] met [[Stalin]] at the [[Kremlin]] to discuss the fundamental relationship between the United States and the Soviet Union. Hopkins told Stalin that two months earlier there had been overwhelming sympathy among the American people for the Soviet Union and complete support for President Roosevelt's policies but now this body of American public opinion was seriously disturbed. Hopkins noted the deterioration of public opinion the previous six weeks had been so serious as to affect adversely the relations between the two countries.

Hopkins stated public opinion was alarmed and worried at the present trend of events and did not quite understand why, but it was obvious to them that if present trends continued unchecked the entire structure of world cooperation and relations with the Soviet Union would be destroyed. [[President Truman]] asked Hopkins to relay his great anxiety at the present situation and his desire to continue Roosevelt's policy, and intention to carry out all arrangements, formal and informal, which Roosevelt and Stalin made together. Hopkins said he wished to state as clearly and as forcibly as possible, the question of Poland had become a symbol of the U.S ability to resolve problems with the Soviet Union.

Stalin replied that at the [[Yalta conference]] it had been agreed that the existing Polish government was to be reconstructed and that anyone with common sense could see that this meant the [[Lublin Committee]] was to form the basis of the new government. Stalin said no other understanding of the Yalta Agreement was possible.

Stalin went on to declare that at Yalta it had been agreed that the three powers would sit on the Reparation Commission. Now the United States Government was insisting that France should be represented on the same basis as the Soviet Union. This, Stalin said, was an insult to the Soviet Union in view of the fact that France had concluded a separate peace with Germany and had opened the frontier to the Germans. To attempt to place France on the same footing as the Soviet Union looked like an attempt to humiliate the Russians. <ref>''Roosevelt and Hopkins : An Intimate History'', Robert E. Sherwood, New York Harper and Brothers, 1948. Full record of meeting, [http://americandeception.com/index.php?action=downloadpdf&photo=/PDFsml_AD/Roosevelt_and_Hopkins-An_Intimate_History-Robert_E_Sherwood-1948-1034pgs-GOV-POL.sml.pdf&id=252&PHPSESSID=03d3557b41f249f71349e6d730cc8498 pgs. 920 - 934] pdf. Those in attendance were Stalin, Molotov and Pavlov and Hopkins, Harriman and Bohlen. </ref>

==Far Eastern Theatre==

The Soviet Union was allied with Japan through the [[Matsuoka pact]] while giving aid and direction to the [[Chinese Communist Party]] (CCP), its [[Comintern]] ally, to subvert the Kuomintang (KMT) government. This duplicity of motives and actions bore out tragic and disastrous events -- most specifically the eventual [[slavery|enslavement]] of 550 million Chinese people and a deeply partisan crisis in American domestic politics. The Soviet Union agreed to President Roosevelt's "Great Design" for a [[United Nations]] with "Four Policeman" to enforce the peace, the United States, Great Britain, the Soviet Union, and the Chinese Nationalist Government avowed in the [[Joint Four Power Declaration]] of United Nations at the Moscow conference of October 1943<ref>[http://www.ibiblio.org/pha/policy/1943/431000a.html Joint Four Power Declaration], Moscow Conference, October, 1943.</ref> But [[Stalinist]] agents in several countries, including [[propagandist]]s in American academia and media along with subversive infiltrators in key [[U.S. Government]] positions, were able to subvert American [[foreign policy]].

At first the United States was on the defensive, losing the Philippines, and other countries under U.S. military protection. The battle of the Coral Sea was the first major engagement with the Japanese that resulted in a draw and set the stage for the battle of Midway a month later. That one battle changed the direction of the war forever, crushing Japanese offensive sea power in one strike. After that, the Japanese were forced to be on the defensive for the rest of the war and never seriously threatened the American military again. In order to shorten the war, the U.S. military chose to adopt a policy of island hopping that including bypassing most of the extensive Japanese holdings to instead focus on a relatively straight path leading to Japan.
[[Image:Ww2-asia usma.edu pic.gif|thumb|300px|left|Time Line of Pacific War]]
Stalin, throughout the war, had assured the United States through Ambassadors [[Averell Harriman]],<ref> John R. Deane, The Strange Alliance: The Story of Our Efforts at Wartime Co-operation with Russia (NY:Viking, 1947) p. 226.</ref> Pat Hurley,<ref> William D. Leahy, I Was There: The Personal Story of the Chief of Staff to Presidents Truman and Roosevelt; Based on his Notes and Diaries Made at the Time; (NY:Whittlesey House, 1950), p. 147.</ref> and Secretary of State [[Cordell Hull]]<ref>Cordell Hull, Memoirs (NY:Macmillian, 1948), Chapter 90, p. 1398.</ref> that he would enter the war against Japan. In 1943, to Hull, the promise had been made "without any strings to it." In 1944, when the matter was again discussed with Harriman, Stalin specified his conditions: "provided that the United States would assist in building up sixty divisions in Siberia" and "provided the political aspects of Russia's participation had been clarified."<ref> John R. Deane, The Strange Alliance: The Story of Our Efforts at Wartime Co-operation with Russia (NY:Viking, 1947) p. 247.</ref>

On the eve of [[Yalta conference]] the Japanese Foreign Minister asked the Russian Ambassador in Tokyo about the possibility of arranging for a settlement. Stalin did not communicate this to either Roosevelt of Churchill.<ref>''While You Slept: Our Tragedy in Asia and Who Made It'', John T. Flynn, New York: The Devin-Adair Company, 1951, [http://www.mises.org/books/whileyouslept.pdf pg. 168] pdf.</ref> Admiral [[Chester Nimitz]] and General [[Douglas MacArthur]] assured Roosevelt on his way to the [[Yalta conference]] at a stopover in Hawaii just after Roosevelt's [[United States presidential election, 1944|nomination for his fourth term]] that as soon as they took the Philippines and the Marianas, Japan would be hopelessly cut off from supplies and that she would have to surrender.<ref>I Was There, Admiral William D. Leahy, New York, 1950, pgs. 245-259.</ref> But Gen. [[George c. Marshall]] was adamant. Admiral Leahy says that Marshall didn't seem to realize that the Navy had beaten Japan. .<ref>I Was There, Leahy, New York, pgs. 245-259.</ref>

Army Chief of Staff [[George C. Marshall]] believed that Japan would fight to the last man. Marshall insisted on preparing for a land invasion of Japan with an army of 2,000,000 men anticipating a tremendous number of casualties. Marshall further insisted that the Soviet Union becoming involved in the war was necessary to fight the Kwantung army Japan had in Manchuria. Marshall apparently was unaware that this army was deteriorated by levies for use in other parts of the Pacific.

==Japanese capitulation==

On August 6, 1945, a B-29 Superfortress, the Enola Gay piloted by Paul Tibbet, dropped a nuclear bomb on Hiroshima. Then, on August 9, Bocks Car, a B-29 piloted by Frederick C. Bock dropped the second atomic bomb. On August 20 the Japanese government told the United States it was ready to accept the terms which the Allies proposed. The next day, the Allies replied, saying the authority of the emperor would be "subject to the Supreme Commander of the Allied Powers." On August 14 the Japanese government agreed to this.

The Soviet Union declared war on Japan on August 8, 1945, in breach of the [[Matsuoka pact]] which was supposed to remain in force until April 1946.<ref>''The Japanese-Soviet Neutrality Pact: A Diplomatic History 1941-1945'', Boris Slavinsky, Nissan Institute Routledge Japanese Studies Series, 2003, pg. 1.</ref> Five days later, Soviet armies were in [[Korea]] with an force of 250,000 and weapons taken from the Japanese. An armed militia of 150,000 men was quickly organized.<ref>''Korea Today'', by George M. McCune, Cambridge, 1950, pgs. 178-179.</ref> Dr. [[Syngman Rhee]] who served as head of the Korean Provisional Government-in-Exile for many years, returned and set out to organize a republic in South Korea. He envisioned a unified republic, with a constitution and elections. But there was no wish for election or unity in the occupation zone of [[North Korea]].

Then, September 2, 1945, the Japanese government, along with all its military forces, formally surrendered to the United States. This happened in a ceremony aboard a United States battleship, the ''Missouri'', on [[Tokyo Bay]], where the [[Japanese Instrument of Surrender]] was signed. This was the ending of World War II, after six years almost to the day.

==Greek Civil War==
[[Greece]] sided with the [[Allies]] in World War II after [[Mussolini]]'s demands for surrender were met with the famous "[[Okhi]]" (''[[Greek]] for "no"'') statement of Greek Prime Minister [[Ioannis Metaxas]]. [[Italy]] invaded in October of 1940, and were repulsed by Greek troops in the [[Greco-Italian War]]. [[Germany|German]] and [[Bulgaria|Bulgarian]] troops joined their Italian allies in the fight, and overran the Greek, [[Great Britain|British]], [[Australia|Australian]], and [[New Zealand]] forces. The [[Nazi]] invasion during the [[Battle of Crete]] was delayed by fierce [[Crete|Cretan]] resistance, delaying the German [[Operation Barbarossa|invasion]] of the [[Soviet Union]] for over a month. Despite their efforts, the Nazi war machine was able to annex Greece. After liberation, Greece fell into [[Greek Civil War|civil war]] between [[communists]] and royalists. Lasting until 1949, the conflict resulted in a Royalist victory, preserving the Greek state, but at the cost of 40,000 lives.

==Chinese Civil War resumes==

When the Japanese surrendered, the Chinese Nationalist army far outnumbered the Red revolutionary army. Then appeared Stalin's army of 1,250,000 men armed with American guns, planes, tanks and munitions and other supplies and the balance began to alter. And the Maoists had immense quantities of munitions laid down by the Japanese in the Manchuria.

General [[George C. Marshall]] was sent by [[President Truman]] as his personal representative to China, arriving on December 20, 1945. His specific instructions from Secretary of State [[James Byrnes]] were to insist on a coalition government of "unity" as a condition for continued aid to the Nationalists.<ref>''George C. Marshall, Statesman, 1945-1959'', Forrest C. Pogue, New York, 1987, pg. 61.</ref> [[CCP]] leader [[Mao Zedong]] already said publicly in April 1945 that a coalition government with the Chinese Nationalists would result in the defeat of "reactionary American imperialism."<ref>"On Coalition Government," address to the April 1945 Seventh National Convention of the Chinese Communist Party, quoted in Anthony Kubek, ''How the Far East Was Lost'', Chicago 1963, pg. 238.</ref>

Marshall held several meetings with [[Chiang Kai-shek]] or his delegates and with Mao's representative, [[Zhou Enlai]], and twice arranged ceasefires, in January and June of 1946. When the ceasefires was ordered the Communists held 57 counties. A year later they had 310—a violation of the truce. The Bolton Congressional report compiled a catalogue of the bridges, railway stations and other installations destroyed by the Communists during the ceasefire.<ref>Bolton Report, House Committee on Foreign Affairs (Sub-Committee No. 5) on Communism in China, 1948.</ref><ref>''History of the Chinese Communist Party'', Jacques Guillermaz, London, 1972, pg. 445.</ref><ref>''China: A Political History, 1917-1980'', Richard C. Thornton, Boulder, CO, 1982, pg. 192.</ref> Marshall however imposed an embargo on the [[Chinese Nationalist government]]. All aid of all sorts to the Kuomintang was discontinued until the summer of 1947 by which time the balance had shifted. Even then what the U.S. sent was insufficient to stem the Communist tide.

Gen. [[Douglas MacArthur]]'s Chief of Intelligence told the U.S. [[Senate Internal Security Subcommittee]] in 1951, "The real cause for the Communization of China is the long-range [[subversion|subversive]] operation, over the last two decades, conducted by professional Communists under orders of the [[Kremlin]]-controlled Third [[Comintern]]."<ref>[http://www.time.com/time/magazine/article/0,9171,821608-3,00.html The Case Against '''[[I.P.R.]]'''], ''[[Time magazine]]'', September 03, 1951.</ref>

==Ukrainian Resistance==

==Fallout From World War II==

*[[Iron Curtain]]

*[[British Empire]]
The war effectively bankrupted Britain, which started the process of dismantling its empire. It was not until 2007 Britain finished paying off the loans to the USA which it had taken to fight Nazi Germany.

*the Netherlands and Indonesia
After the defeat of the Japanese empire, their army retired from the [[Dutch East Indies]] and the land was returned back to the Dutch. Quickly after that, the people of the islands revolted against the government on 17 August 1945 and declared themselves independent. The Dutch sent their “new” army to the colonies to restore order. The Dutch scored a number of victories, but after the political pressure from the USA and Australia the Dutch acknowledged in 27 December 1949 the sovereignty of [[Indonesia]]

*Supremacy of the USA in the Western World
Whilst most countries had seen their economies demolished by the war, the USA had industrialized heavily and made financial gains from sales of arms to other Allied countries. Prior to the war, one-third of Americans were employed in agriculture. The socioeconomic changes brought by returning soldiers, many of whom took advantage of a generous GI education benefits, precipitated the rise of the great American middle class.

*Supremacy of the Soviet Union in Eastern Europe.

*[[Vietnam War]]
During the war the French lost their colony of Vietnam to the Japanese. At the end of the war they decided to reassert their colonial mastery, but the Vietnamese now had other ideas. The battle with the French would eventually lead into the Vietnam war after the French defeat and American intervention ensued to prevent the spread of Communism.

==See also==
*''Main article: [[Workers World Revolution]]
*[[Cairo conference]]
*[[Harry Dexter White]]
*[[Institute of Pacific Relations]]
*[[Lend-Lease Act]]

==Further reading==

*Gerhard L. Weinberg, ''Foreign Policy of Hitler's Germany: Starting World War II, 1937-1939'', Chicago: University of Chicago Press, 1980.
* Gerhard L. Weinberg, ''A World at Arms: A Global History of World War II'', Cambridge: University Press, 1994.
*[http://userwww.sfsu.edu/~epf/1997/padilla.html Kursk: The Turning Point on the Eastern Front in World War II], by Roberto R. Padilla II

==References==
{{reflist|2}}

== External Links ==
* United States Department of the Navy/Navy Historical Center's [http://www.history.navy.mil/faqs/faq36-4.htm Fleet Admiral Chester William Nimitz]
* [http://www.onpower.org/history_wwii.html/ World War II]
* [http://www.independent.org/publications/tir/article.asp?issueID=12&articleID=139 "On the Brink of World War II: Justus Doenecke’s ''Storm on the Horizon''," by Ralph Raico]
* [http://www.independent.org/publications/working_papers/article.asp?id=1499 "Government and the Economy: The World Wars," by Robert Higgs]
* [http://www.independent.org/newsroom/article.asp?id=113 "How War Amplified Federal Power in the Twentieth Century," by Robert Higgs]
* [http://www.independent.org/store/book_detail.asp?bookID=65 ''Depression, War and Cold War'', by Robert Higgs]
* [http://www.independent.org/publications/article.asp?id=138 "Wartime Prosperity?", by Robert Higgs]
* [http://www.independent.org/issues/article.asp?id=1431 Pearl Harbor]
[[Category:World War II| ]]
[[Category:Wars]]

World War II

2008-01-11T18:06:20Z

Warmonkey:

[[Image:Caen_sniper.jpg|right|thumb|300px|An allied soldier in the ruins of Caen, 9 July 1944]]
'''World War II''' was a global conflict fought between the [[Allies|Allied powers]] which eventually came to include the [[United States]], the [[Soviet Union]], the [[British Commonwealth]], the [[Republic of China]], and many other nations, and the [[Axis Powers]] (mainly [[Third Reich|Nazi Germany]], [[Fascism|Fascist]] [[Italy]], and Imperial [[Japan]]). Several conflicts involving some world major powers precipitated the general conflagration. On September 1, 1939 [[Poland]] was invaded by Nazi Germany. On September 3, the [[United Kingdom]] and the [[French Third Republic]] with its allies entered the war.

During the war, eight major world powers fought, along with several lesser states joining with one side or the other. On the side which lost were the Axis Powers Germany, [[Japan]], and [[Italy]]. Against them came to be the Allied Powers [[United States]], [[United Kingdom]] and the Commonwealth, the [[Soviet Union]] with its [[Comintern]] allies, and the [[Republic of China]].

==Failure of the League treaty==
The causes of World War II are complicated. The immediate causes of World War II are generally held to be the Japanese attacks on China and the British and Dutch colonies, and the German invasion of Poland on the 1st September 1939. Following the two day deadline for the withdrawal of German forces, the United Kingdom, Australia, and New Zealand declared war on Germany, followed quickly by France, South Africa, Canada and Nepal.

The condition of Germany in the aftermath of [[World War I]] is also considered to be a contributing factor. The [[Weimar Republic]] that was founded at the end of WWI, was struggling from the beginning. One reason were the harsh terms of [[Versailles]] treaty. Although the terms of the treaty were never fully enforced, the psychological damage was immense, since they were perceived as a grave injustice. The republic was also struggling with the rejection by monarchist, who were still occupying important position in the state. Many WWI veterans believed that the German forces in WWI were not defeated, but that the social democratic leaders, who founded the Weimar republic to thwart a communist revolution, surrendered to the allies for political gains. It was known as the "stab-in-the-back myth", and was used to discredit the republic. [http://www.germannotes.com/hist_weimar_dolch.shtml] Although the Weimar Republic enjoyed a time of economic resurgence after the early years of hyper-inflation it failed to gain deep public support. The Weimar Republic was famously called a ''democracy without democrats''.
[[Image:58742big.jpg|thumb|300px|right|Japanese Expansion in Asia, 1928 - 1941. [http://history.sandiego.edu/gen/WW2Timeline/maps2.html]]]

In the early 1930 Germany was in a permanent political and constitutional crisis, caused by rising unemployment during the great depression. Germany was hit harder than most other countries. The National Socialists, known as the Hitler movement, promised to restore national pride and statue, by disbanding the Versailles treaty, and reverting the injustices imposed onto Germany by its international enemies. It was common to blame the "international Jewdom." Part of this ideology was that Germany deserved to be larger, and that in order to survive, it would have to conquer the East.

===Chinese Civil War===

China was engaged at the same time in two separate wars. One was with Japan. The other was with the [[Comintern]]. The Soviet Union fought China with an army of [[Chinese Communist Party|Chinese revolutionaries]], the CCP, directed and armed by the Soviet Union. The Soviet Union's ambitions in China were to transform all northern China — [[Sinkiang]], [[Mongolia]] and [[Manchuria]] — into Soviet dependencies and to convert what remained of China into a [[Communist]] satellite state.

[[Edgar Snow]] wrote his 1937 book, ''Red Star Over China'' "the political ideology, tactical line and theoretical leadership of the Chinese Communists have been under the close guidance, if not positive detailed direction, of the [[Communist International]], which during the last decade has become virtually a bureau of the [[Russian Communist Party]]." And he further declared that the CCP had to subordinate itself to the "strategic requirements of [[Soviet Russia]], under the leadership of [[Stalin]]."<ref>Red Star Over China by Edgar Snow, New York, 1937.</ref>

===Mukden Incident===

The Japanese invasion of [[Manchuria]] in 1931 marked the beginning of World War II in Asia. In March 1932 the Japanese set up the [[puppet state]] of [[Manchukuo]]. On 24 February, 1933, the [[League of Nations]] adopted a resolution calling for the non-recognition of Manchukuo, however the [[Soviet Union]] nonetheless did recognize Manchukuo and sold Japan the Chinese Eastern Railway in 1935.<ref>''While You Slept : Our Tragedy in Asia and Who Made It'', John T. Flynn, New York : The Devin - Adair Company, 1951, [http://www.mises.org/books/whileyouslept.pdf pgs. 18, 36, 65] pdf.</ref>

===The Ethiopian War===

In 1935, [[fascist]] [[Italy]] under the leadership of [[Mussolini]] invaded [[Ethiopia]], the only uncolonized nation in [[Africa]] and a member state of the [[League of Nations]]. While Ethiopian Emperor Haile Selassie tried to get the League to help his country, his pleas in [[Geneva]] went unheard. Italy's colonial occupation of Italy was marked by the aerial bombardment and use of poison gas against civilian populations.

===Reoccupation of the Rhineland===

===Spanish Civil War===
:''Main article: [[Spanish Civil War]]''

===Second Sino-Japanese War===
:''Main article:[[Second Sino-Japanese War]]''

In 1937, when the Japanese invaded China, Soviet General Secretary [[Josef Stalin]] ordered the CCP to cease operations against China's government, the [[Kuomintang]] or KMT, and present a [[united front]] to the Japanese. This lasted until 1939.<ref>''While You Slept : Our Tragedy in Asia and Who Made It'', John T. Flynn, New York : The Devin - Adair Company, 1951, [http://www.mises.org/books/whileyouslept.pdf pg. 46] pdf.</ref>

[[CCP]] Chairman [[Mao Zedong]] sent a secret directive to his followers which said:
:"The Sino-Japanese war affords our party an excellent opportunity for expansion . . . the first stage is a compromising stage . . . but in reality this will serve as camouflage for the… development of our party. The second [stage]. . . should be spent in laying the foundation of our party's political and military powers . . . until we can match and break the [[Kuomintang]]. The third is an offensive stage . . . in which our forces. . . isolate and disperse…and wrest the leadership from the hands of the Kuomintang."<ref>Documents on the Problem of the Chinese Communist Party (Chungking, 1944).</ref>

With the making of the [[Hitler-Stalin pact]] the Soviet Union was at war on the side of Germany. The CCP stopped fighting the Japanese and resumed [[guerrilla]] operations against the Kuomintang (KMT). The CCP devoted its energies to fighting the Chinese government for the portions of eastern China between the railroad lines, held by the Japanese.

===Treaty of Munich===
:''Main article [[Munich conference]]''

The [[Locarno Pacts]] formed the background for the events of 1938 when Czechoslovakia was dismembered at Munich. When the guarantee of Locarno became due in 1936, Britain dishonored its agreement, the Rhineland was remilitarized and the way was open for Germany to move eastward. Poland protested vigorously at the refusal to guarantee her frontiers.<ref>[http://sandiego.indymedia.org/media/2006/10/119975.pdf ''Tragedy and Hope: A History of the World in Our Time''], Carroll Quigley, Collier-Macmillan, 1966, pg. 293.ISBN 0-945001-10-X</ref>

At Munich, Hitler, British Prime Minister [[Neville Chamberlain]], [[Mussolini]] and French Premier [[Edouard Daladier]] carved up Czechoslovakia without consulting anyone, least of all the Czechs and Slovaks.<ref>''Tragedy and Hope'', Quigley, pg. 638.</ref> The outlawry of war was relatively meaningless without some sanctions that could compel the use of peaceful methods. Efforts in this direction were nullified by Britain.<ref>''Tragedy and Hope'', Quigley, pg. 296.</ref>

==Polish Partition==
[[Image:Communazi Peace Pact.jpg|thumb|300px|right|By terms of a secret protocol to the [[Nazi-Soviet pact]], Poland was partitioned with Germany and the USSR each occupying 200,000 square kilometers.]]
:''Main article: [[Molotov-Ribbentrop pact]]''

In the immediate run up to WWII, there were frequent reports of trespassing Polish troops. On August 31, 1939 German covert operatives staged a fake attack by Polish troops on a German radio station. WWII started on September 1, 1939, when German troops invaded Poland. Hitler justified this as a defensive act, pointing to the frequent border incidents, and said famously that from this moment on Germany would strike back.

The major tactical innovation of the war was the use of combined arms warfare, typified by the German doctrine of [[blitzkrieg]]. In this style of warfare armor, infantry, artillery and air power (see [[Luftwaffe]]) all coordinate to achieve overwhelming superiority at point on the enemy lines. Armor and fast-moving infantry units then exploit the gap and penetrate deep behind enemy lines. The objective is to cause a widespread collapse of the enemy's ability to fight. It was particularly effective during the early stages of the war, before the Allies developed effective countermeasures.
[[Image:Communazipact1.JPG|thumb|300px|left|Partition of Poland. Source: Franklin D. Roosevelt Library, Hyde Park, NY; Time magazine [http://history.sandiego.edu/gen/WW2Timeline/fdr-diplo-images.html].]]
On September 17, 1939, Poland was invaded from the east by Hitler’s noble ally, Josef Stalin.

In 1939-1940, Poland, Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania and Bessarabia were invaded and annexed into the Soviet Union proper. The Soviets lowered the local standard of living and disrupted and destroyed the prevailing socioeconomic structure. Local currencies were still legal tender but so was the Russian ruble. The occupying Russian soldiers were paid in rubles and the established exchange rate inflated the ruble by as much as 2000 to 3000 per cent. Overvaluing made the average Russian soldier extremely rich. This huge influx of rubles started a wave of inflation that natives did not notice at first. Eventually shortages were caused by Soviet purchasing agents that fanned out through the newly occupied nations, buying up wholesale goods in warehouses and the production of local factories.

Goods produced locally were shipped to Russia instead of resupplying the local market. Russian propaganda stated the goal was to raise the ordinary working person's standard of living. Prices were frozen, and wages raised by as much as ten times. Merchants and factory owners declared bankruptcy and went out of business. Shortages of food and other necessities introduced growing inflation, a black market, and discontent among the population. These deliberate Soviet policies raised the cost of living but not the actual standard of living. Once annexation was complete, local stores and industries were nationalized, their former owners arrested, stripped of their possessions, including their accumulated rubles, and shipped to the [[gulag]]s of Siberia. Workers still employed were then paid in rubles. <ref>Vladimir Petrov, Money and Conquest: Allied Occupation Currencies in World War II, Baltimore: The Johns Hopkins Press, 1967, pgs. 173 -175.</ref>
[[Image:2-463.jpg|thumb|350px|right|Soviet and German troops meet up in the town of Brześć on September 18, 1939.<ref>[http://www.ipn.gov.pl/portal/en/23/211/September_17_1939__Soviet_aggression_on_Poland.html September 17, 1939 - Soviet aggression on Poland], The Institute of National Remembrance - Commission of the Prosecution of Crimes against the Polish Nation.</ref>]]
The French and British were initially reluctant to honor promises to the Polish government, avoiding serious consideration of an invasion of Germany. The British failed to send land forces in time to support the Poles (see [[Western betrayal]]). The French mobilized slowly and then launched a token offensive in the Saar. The Meanwhile, on September 8, the Germans reached Warsaw, having slashed through the Polish defenses. On September 17, the Soviet Union invaded Poland from the East.

Following the completion of the invasion of Poland, German forces regrouped and Allied forces remained defensive, leading US commentators to dub it the [[Phoney War]]. May 10 1940 marked the end of any accusation of a phony war, with the invasion of France by Germany, via the [[Netherlands]], [[Luxembourg]] and [[Belgium]]. Resistance by the British armies and French armies proved weak and the occupation of France began. British troops were routed and evacuated mainland Europe at Dunkirk. France was divided into the northern [[Occupied France]] and the collaborationist [[Vichy regime]] in the south of France, including [[Corsica]].

The collapse and occupation of France, together with Germany's non-aggression pact with the Soviet Union,<ref>[http://nobsopus.blogspot.com/2007/01/celebrations-marking-60-years-since-end.html Celebrations Marking 60 Years Since the End of World War II], Pavel Vitek, ''Russkii vopros - Studies'', No. 1 2005. Translation from Russian.</ref>, their alliances with fascist Italy, and an expansionist Japan, benevolent neutrality of fascist Spain, with little of Europe outside of Axis hands led many to assume that the United Kingdom had been defeated. Indeed it would appear that the, seemingly foolish, decision of the relatively weak United Kingdom to continue the war took the Axis powers off guard. This decision ensured the remaining British Empire was still involved in the war, with Japan threatening many British possessions in Asia.

In 1940 [[Denmark]] and [[Norway]] were invaded by German forces, to preempt a British occupation of Norway. Norway also contained a source of [[Heavy water]], possibly crucial in the construction of an atomic weapon. This was soon followed by the British invasion of neutral [[Iceland]] (the invasion of [[Denmark]] by German forces marks the start of an independent Iceland).

With Britain the sole opposing European nation, the [[Battle of Britain]] commenced. The [[Luftwaffe]] attempted to achieve aerial dominance over the south of Britain, in order to allow a sea based invasion of Britain to proceed. For many months the [[Royal Air Force]] and Luftwaffe fought for dominance, with the resilience of the RAF, with British, American, Canadian and [[Republic of Poland|London Polish exile]] pilots forced a rethink of [[German]] tactics. The period that followed is known as the [[Blitz]], where the RAF and Luftwaffe attempted to undermine the infrastructure of the opposing country. This was a period of great economic devastation, which took both countries a considerable period to recover from. More seriously it led to huge numbers of civilian deaths.

==Finnish War==

The Soviet Union invaded [[Finland]], a member of the [[neutral]] [[Oslo Group of States]] on November 30 1939. Despite the overwhelming numbers of the [[Red Army]], the Finnish resistance was strong and the battle was hard fought before the Soviet army took control. The Soviet Union was expelled from the League of Nations on December 12, 1939 for violations of the League treaty.<ref>[http://www.ibiblio.org/pha/policy/1939/391214a.html League of Nations' Expulsion of the USSR, December 12, 1939].</ref> The League of Nations found the Soviet Union conducting "a [[war of aggression]] [which] constitutes a violation of this solidarity and an international crime."<ref>[http://wwi.lib.byu.edu/index.php/The_League_of_Nations_Protocol_for_the_Pacific_Settlement_of_International_Disputes The League of Nations Protocol for the Pacific Settlement of International Disputes], 2 October, 1920.</ref>

==Soviet-German War==
[[Image:SOVietOffense med.gif|thumb|300px|right|Soviet map of offense plans in the West. The map is dated May 15, 1941.<ref>Stalin's chance. Soviet Union and struggle for the Europe: 1939-1941. 2000. (In Russian) [http://militera.lib.ru/research/meltyukhov/index.html] Index to Maps and Illustrations [http://militera.lib.ru/research/meltyukhov/ill.html]</ref>]]
1941 marked the major turning point in the war in Europe, when the Germans undertook [[Operation Barbarossa]] - the invasion of the Soviet Union. In a war of major turning points, this was the most significant in Europe. This miscalculation diminished the German army's capacity.

Stalin was informed by his master spy in Japan, [[Richard Sorge]], of the Japanese Imperial Conference in Tokyo which decided on July 2 not to move against the Soviet Union from [[Manchuria]] through Siberia, but instead to prosecute a plan of advance to the south at the risk of war with the United States and United Kingdom. The possibility of a Japanese attack and a two front war with both Germany and Japan was a specter that haunted Soviet officials. <ref>President Roosevelt followed the debate through the medium of "Magic" -- a name applied to intercepted and decoded Japanese messages. He described the Imperial Conference as "a real drag-down and knockout fight... to decide which way they were going to jump --attack Russia, attack the South Seas (or) sit on the fence and be more friendly with us." President Roosevelt to Secretary Ickes, July l, l941 cited in William L. Langer and S. Everett Gleason, ''The Undeclared War, 1940-41'', (New York: Harper and Brothers, 1953), p. 646.</ref><ref>Testimony of Major General Charles A. Willoughby, August 9, 1951, [[Institute of Pacific Relations]], Hearings, Part 2, pp. 363-364; p. 505.</ref> Russia had over 200,000 men facing Japan in the Far East. These troops were desperately needed in the war against Germany. [[Victor Kravchenko]] a high Soviet official and defector wrote, "Beginning with the nineteenth (October, 1941), the situation improved. The first seasoned Siberian and Far Eastern forces began to arrive... Far Eastern troops, hardened in border struggle with the Japanese, and Siberian forces inured to winter warfare were rushing westward across a continent to hold the invaders." <ref>Victor Kravchenko, ''I Chose Freedom'', New York: Charles Scribner and Sons, 1950, p. 377-378.</ref>

The German war against the Soviet Union (known as the [[Great Patriotic War]] in the Soviet Union) demanded a huge dedication of resources and lengthy supply lines in need of defense later in the war permitted an invasion of mainland Europe by Allied Forces on [[D-Day]].
[[Image:Molotov-matsuoka.JPG|thumb|300px|left|Soviet Foreign Minister [[Vyacheslav Molotov]] signs the [[Matsuoka pact]]. Japanese Foreign Minister [[Yosuke Matsuoka]] is to his immediate left, Joseph Stalin is seen standing between the two.<ref>[http://www.yale.edu/lawweb/avalon/wwii/s1.htm Soviet-Japanese Neutrality Pact April 13, 1941], The Department of State Bulletin Vol. XII, No. 305, April 29, 1945. Retrieved from the Avalon Project 11 August 2007.</ref> ]]
==United States enters the War==

American naval escort of British convoys carrying [[Lend-Lease]] aid lead to a shooting war with Germany. On October 17, 1941, the U.S. destroyer Kearney was torpedoed; two weeks later, the destroyer Rueben James was blown to pieces. On November 10, an American escort of 11 vessels picked up a convoy of six vessels including America's three largest ocean liners with 20,000 British troops and guarded them from Halifax to India and Singapore. Many of the activities of the American Navy in the summer of 1941 were not known at all to the American public. In September, Roosevelt sought to repeal the [[Neutrality Act]] forbidding the arming of merchant vessels which was done on October 17. Two weeks later, all the essential points
of the Neutrality Act were repealed. <ref>Carroll Quigley, ''Tragedy and Hope: A History of the World in Our Time'', Collier-Macmillan, 1966, pg. 720. ISBN 0-945001-10-X</ref>

The [[Attack on Pearl Harbor|attack on Pearl Harbor]] officially brought the United States into World War Two. Admiral [[Isoroku Yamamoto]] of the Japanese Imperial Navy was against engaging with the United States, due to fear of "waking a sleeping giant". The United States recovered from the shell shock of the initial attack and plunged into the war with the slogan "Remember Pearl Harbor!".

==Yugoslav and Chinese Partisans==
Hitler invaded Yugoslavia in April 1941. The Yugoslavian government fled to [[London]] and joined the Allied governments-in-exile of Belgium, Czechoslovak, Greece, Luxembourg, Netherlands, Norway, Poland, and the [[French National Committee]]. At the Inter-Allied Meeting held of September 24, 1941 in London, the Yugoslavian government along with the other governments-in-exile and the Soviet Union, pledged their "adherence to the common principles of policy set forth" in the [[Atlantic Charter]], to "respect the right of all peoples to choose the form of government under which they will live."<ref>[http://www.yale.edu/lawweb/avalon/wwii/atlantic/at17.htm The Atlantic Conference : Resolution of September 24, 1941].</ref> On January 1, 1942, the Yugoslavian government and the other signatories of the Atlantic Charter, along with most other Powers of the British [[Commonwealth]] and the [[Pan American Union]] of States, put forward the [[Declaration by United Nations]], "being convinced that complete victory over their enemies is essential to defend life, liberty, independence and [[religious freedom]], and to preserve [[human rights]] and [[justice]] in their own lands as well as in other lands, and that they are now engaged in a common struggle against savage and brutal forces seeking to subjugate the world....
each Government pledges itself to cooperate with the Governments signatory hereto."<ref>[http://www.ibiblio.org/pha/paw/274.html Declaration by United Nations, January 1, 1942], U.S. Department of State Bulletin, vol. VI, p. 3.</ref> Within Yugoslavia, Colonel [[Draja Mikhailovitch]], a Serb, organized a resistance army on behalf of the Yugoslavian government known in the press as the Chetniks.<ref>''While You Slept : Our Tragedy in Asia and Who Made It'', John T. Flynn, New York : The Devin - Adair Company, 1951, [http://www.mises.org/books/whileyouslept.pdf pg. 46] pdf.</ref>

[[Josef Broz Tito]], an agent of the [[Comintern]], led the Comintern affiliated [[Yugoslav Partisans]]. In the United States, [[Louis Adamic]] had access to the First Lady, [[Eleanor Roosevelt]]. Adamic was invited to the [[White House]] and pressed upon U.S. President [[Franklin Roosevelt]] support for the [[subversion]] of Colonel Mikhailovitch in favor of Tito. The U.S. [[Office of War Information]] (OWI) began a [[disinformation]] campaign against Mikhailovitch which was repeated in [[mainstream media]] sources, with a call for "unity" with the partisans.

The Yugoslav government-in-exile in London continued to support Mikhailovitch. [[Franklin Roosevelt|President Roosevelt]] in 1942 paid tribute to Mikhailovitch and his men. But at the [[Teheran conference]], as part of the policy of [[appeasement|appeasing]] Stalin, Roosevelt and [[Winston Churchill|Churchill]] abandoned Mikhailovitch completely and yielded to Soviet’s choice of Tito. The U.S. withheld arms and aid from the United Nations ally and gave them to Tito and thus delivered Yugoslavia to communism.

At the [[Cairo conference]] the same program was launched against Chiang Kai-shek and the Kuomintang. [[OWI]] and the American press began referring to the CCP as "partisans." The [[propaganda]] campaign originated in the Soviet Union. ''War and the Working Class'', a [[Bolshevik]] publication, in March 1943 printed the following:
:"The Eighth Route and the New Fourth Army in China consist of the most progressive, steadfast and self-sacrificing people of China. They are led by the Communist Party. . . . China has every possibility over the enemy."<ref>Quoted in ''While You Slept'', Flynn, pg. 47.</ref>

And it added, "national unity is necessary." This began to appear in the United States. The Chinese Communists and Mao were referred to as "partisans," and the call for "unity in China." [[Edgar Snow]] in the ''Saturday Evening Post'' wrote that the situation in China was much like that in Yugoslavia, with the Chinese partisans led by General [[Chu Teh]], and Mao Zedong corresponding to Marshal Tito and his following.<ref>"Sixty Million Lost Allies", by Edgar Snow, ''Saturday Evening Post'',
June 10, 1944.</ref>

Shortly after the Teheran conference, Churchill in a speech in February 1944 indicated that the allies were no longer sending supplies to Mikhailovitch. Two months later King Peter, the Yugoslavian Head of State was forced to dismiss Premier Purich, which meant the entire cabinet in which Mikhailovitch was Minister of War. The Communist Subasich was made Prime Minister. With the subsequent Russian invasion and the aid of American supplies, the Communists and Tito were took control. Mikhailovitch, an ally of the Atlantic Charter, was shot by Tito as a traitor.

==War in Europe 1944==

"The time of liberation is at hand. Poles, to arms! There is not a moment to lose!" This was broadcast on the Polish language radio station from Moscow on July 29, 1944, at 8:15 in the evening. A force of 40,000 responded. <ref>''Tragedy and Hope: A History of the World in Our Time'', Carroll Quigley, Collier-Macmillan, 1966, pg. 795. ISBN 0-945001-10-X</ref> But the Red Army, for sixty-three days, denying they knew anything about it, refused to drop weapons and food to assist the Polish fighters for whose liberty the British government had gone to war in September 1939. The Polish resistance fighters were massacred methodically by the Germans. At the very time at which Prime Minister Mikolajczyk from the legitimate [[Republic of Poland|Polish Government in exile]] in London flew to Moscow, the Kremlin "recognized" the [[Comintern]] puppet regime, the [[Lublin Committee]], as the new Polish "people's government." <ref>Stanislaw Mikolajczyk, ''The Rape of Poland; Pattern of Soviet Aggression'', (NY: Whittlesey House, 1948), p. 70.</ref>

While Romania was frantically imploring the West for assistance, the U.S. [[Office of War Information]] (OWI) praised the Soviet Unions’ "new democracy" and the "innocent nature of Communism." <ref>Reuben M. Markham, ''Rumania Under the Soviet Yoke'' (Boston: Meader, 1949), p.
169.</ref> By November, [[Andrey Vyshinsky]], the legal mastermind who presided at the major show trials of Stalin's [[Great Purge]], arrived to "restore internal order."

==War in Europe 1945==
:''See also [[Western_betrayal#Warsaw_Uprising|Warsaw Uprising]]''

On January 5, 1945, the Soviet Union announced that the [[Comintern]] affiliated [[Lublin Committee]], with which it had dealt ''de facto'' ever since its birth, was now officially recognized as provisional government of Poland. "The [[Yalta Declaration]]," Soviet Deputy Commissar of Defense [[Nikolai Bulganin]] told the Lublin Committee on February 17, 1945 "is a scrap of paper.... You will be the Government of Poland, no matter how those elections turn out and whatever might happen in the meantime. Be steadfast and have faith in Stalin!" <ref>Rear Admiral Ellis M. Zacharias and Ladislas Farago, ''Behind Closed Doors; the Secret History of the Cold War'', (NY:Putnam, 1950), p. 58.</ref>

On February 24, 1945, in violation of the Yalta pact -- which had been signed on February 11 -- the U.S.S.R. indicated her unwillingness to co-operate in the Allied Control Councils in Bulgaria, Hungary, and Romania, and on February 27, [[Andrey Vyshinsky]], in another violation of the Yalta pact, insisted by an official [[demarche]] that King Michael of Romania substitute Communists and Communist tools for certain members of his cabinet. Despite these Soviet manifestations of contempt for the agreements which had been signed at the Crimea Conference, [[Franklin Delano Roosevelt]], on March 1, 1945, told a joint session of Congress that "more than ever before, the major Allies are closely united."

On May 26 presidential adviser [[Harry Hopkins]] met [[Stalin]] at the [[Kremlin]] to discuss the fundamental relationship between the United States and the Soviet Union. Hopkins told Stalin that two months earlier there had been overwhelming sympathy among the American people for the Soviet Union and complete support for President Roosevelt's policies but now this body of American public opinion was seriously disturbed. Hopkins noted the deterioration of public opinion the previous six weeks had been so serious as to affect adversely the relations between the two countries.

Hopkins stated public opinion was alarmed and worried at the present trend of events and did not quite understand why, but it was obvious to them that if present trends continued unchecked the entire structure of world cooperation and relations with the Soviet Union would be destroyed. [[President Truman]] asked Hopkins to relay his great anxiety at the present situation and his desire to continue Roosevelt's policy, and intention to carry out all arrangements, formal and informal, which Roosevelt and Stalin made together. Hopkins said he wished to state as clearly and as forcibly as possible, the question of Poland had become a symbol of the U.S ability to resolve problems with the Soviet Union.

Stalin replied that at the [[Yalta conference]] it had been agreed that the existing Polish government was to be reconstructed and that anyone with common sense could see that this meant the [[Lublin Committee]] was to form the basis of the new government. Stalin said no other understanding of the Yalta Agreement was possible.

Stalin went on to declare that at Yalta it had been agreed that the three powers would sit on the Reparation Commission. Now the United States Government was insisting that France should be represented on the same basis as the Soviet Union. This, Stalin said, was an insult to the Soviet Union in view of the fact that France had concluded a separate peace with Germany and had opened the frontier to the Germans. To attempt to place France on the same footing as the Soviet Union looked like an attempt to humiliate the Russians. <ref>''Roosevelt and Hopkins : An Intimate History'', Robert E. Sherwood, New York Harper and Brothers, 1948. Full record of meeting, [http://americandeception.com/index.php?action=downloadpdf&photo=/PDFsml_AD/Roosevelt_and_Hopkins-An_Intimate_History-Robert_E_Sherwood-1948-1034pgs-GOV-POL.sml.pdf&id=252&PHPSESSID=03d3557b41f249f71349e6d730cc8498 pgs. 920 - 934] pdf. Those in attendance were Stalin, Molotov and Pavlov and Hopkins, Harriman and Bohlen. </ref>

==Far Eastern Theatre==

The Soviet Union was allied with Japan through the [[Matsuoka pact]] while giving aid and direction to the [[Chinese Communist Party]] (CCP), its [[Comintern]] ally, to subvert the Kuomintang (KMT) government. This duplicity of motives and actions bore out tragic and disastrous events -- most specifically the eventual [[slavery|enslavement]] of 550 million Chinese people and a deeply partisan crisis in American domestic politics. The Soviet Union agreed to President Roosevelt's "Great Design" for a [[United Nations]] with "Four Policeman" to enforce the peace, the United States, Great Britain, the Soviet Union, and the Chinese Nationalist Government avowed in the [[Joint Four Power Declaration]] of United Nations at the Moscow conference of October 1943<ref>[http://www.ibiblio.org/pha/policy/1943/431000a.html Joint Four Power Declaration], Moscow Conference, October, 1943.</ref> But [[Stalinist]] agents in several countries, including [[propagandist]]s in American academia and media along with subversive infiltrators in key [[U.S. Government]] positions, were able to subvert American [[foreign policy]].

At first the United States was on the defensive, losing the Philippines, and other countries under U.S. military protection. The battle of the Coral Sea was the first major engagement with the Japanese that resulted in a draw and set the stage for the battle of Midway a month later. That one battle changed the direction of the war forever, crushing Japanese offensive sea power in one strike. After that, the Japanese were forced to be on the defensive for the rest of the war and never seriously threatened the American military again. In order to shorten the war, the U.S. military chose to adopt a policy of island hopping that including bypassing most of the extensive Japanese holdings to instead focus on a relatively straight path leading to Japan.
[[Image:Ww2-asia usma.edu pic.gif|thumb|300px|left|Time Line of Pacific War]]
Stalin, throughout the war, had assured the United States through Ambassadors [[Averell Harriman]],<ref> John R. Deane, The Strange Alliance: The Story of Our Efforts at Wartime Co-operation with Russia (NY:Viking, 1947) p. 226.</ref> Pat Hurley,<ref> William D. Leahy, I Was There: The Personal Story of the Chief of Staff to Presidents Truman and Roosevelt; Based on his Notes and Diaries Made at the Time; (NY:Whittlesey House, 1950), p. 147.</ref> and Secretary of State [[Cordell Hull]]<ref>Cordell Hull, Memoirs (NY:Macmillian, 1948), Chapter 90, p. 1398.</ref> that he would enter the war against Japan. In 1943, to Hull, the promise had been made "without any strings to it." In 1944, when the matter was again discussed with Harriman, Stalin specified his conditions: "provided that the United States would assist in building up sixty divisions in Siberia" and "provided the political aspects of Russia's participation had been clarified."<ref> John R. Deane, The Strange Alliance: The Story of Our Efforts at Wartime Co-operation with Russia (NY:Viking, 1947) p. 247.</ref>

On the eve of [[Yalta conference]] the Japanese Foreign Minister asked the Russian Ambassador in Tokyo about the possibility of arranging for a settlement. Stalin did not communicate this to either Roosevelt of Churchill.<ref>''While You Slept: Our Tragedy in Asia and Who Made It'', John T. Flynn, New York: The Devin-Adair Company, 1951, [http://www.mises.org/books/whileyouslept.pdf pg. 168] pdf.</ref> Admiral [[Chester Nimitz]] and General [[Douglas MacArthur]] assured Roosevelt on his way to the [[Yalta conference]] at a stopover in Hawaii just after Roosevelt's [[United States presidential election, 1944|nomination for his fourth term]] that as soon as they took the Philippines and the Marianas, Japan would be hopelessly cut off from supplies and that she would have to surrender.<ref>I Was There, Admiral William D. Leahy, New York, 1950, pgs. 245-259.</ref> But Gen. [[George c. Marshall]] was adamant. Admiral Leahy says that Marshall didn't seem to realize that the Navy had beaten Japan. .<ref>I Was There, Leahy, New York, pgs. 245-259.</ref>

Army Chief of Staff [[George C. Marshall]] believed that Japan would fight to the last man. Marshall insisted on preparing for a land invasion of Japan with an army of 2,000,000 men anticipating a tremendous number of casualties. Marshall further insisted that the Soviet Union becoming involved in the war was necessary to fight the Kwantung army Japan had in Manchuria. Marshall apparently was unaware that this army was deteriorated by levies for use in other parts of the Pacific.

==Japanese capitulation==

On August 6, 1945, a B-29 Superfortress, the Enola Gay piloted by Paul Tibbet, dropped a nuclear bomb on Hiroshima. Then, on August 9, Bocks Car, a B-29 piloted by Frederick C. Bock dropped the second atomic bomb. On August 20 the Japanese government told the United States it was ready to accept the terms which the Allies proposed. The next day, the Allies replied, saying the authority of the emperor would be "subject to the Supreme Commander of the Allied Powers." On August 14 the Japanese government agreed to this.

The Soviet Union declared war on Japan on August 8, 1945, in breach of the [[Matsuoka pact]] which was supposed to remain in force until April 1946.<ref>''The Japanese-Soviet Neutrality Pact: A Diplomatic History 1941-1945'', Boris Slavinsky, Nissan Institute Routledge Japanese Studies Series, 2003, pg. 1.</ref> Five days later, Soviet armies were in [[Korea]] with an force of 250,000 and weapons taken from the Japanese. An armed militia of 150,000 men was quickly organized.<ref>''Korea Today'', by George M. McCune, Cambridge, 1950, pgs. 178-179.</ref> Dr. [[Syngman Rhee]] who served as head of the Korean Provisional Government-in-Exile for many years, returned and set out to organize a republic in South Korea. He envisioned a unified republic, with a constitution and elections. But there was no wish for election or unity in the occupation zone of [[North Korea]].

Then, September 2, 1945, the Japanese government, along with all its military forces, formally surrendered to the United States. This happened in a ceremony aboard a United States battleship, the ''Missouri'', on [[Tokyo Bay]], where the [[Japanese Instrument of Surrender]] was signed. This was the ending of World War II, after six years almost to the day.

==Greek Civil War==
[[Greece]] sided with the [[Allies]] in World War II after [[Mussolini]]'s demands for surrender were met with the famous "[[Okhi]]" (''[[Greek]] for "no"'') statement of Greek Prime Minister [[Ioannis Metaxas]]. [[Italy]] invaded in October of 1940, and were repulsed by Greek troops in the [[Greco-Italian War]]. [[Germany|German]] and [[Bulgaria|Bulgarian]] troops joined their Italian allies in the fight, and overran the Greek, [[Great Britain|British]], [[Australia|Australian]], and [[New Zealand]] forces. The [[Nazi]] invasion during the [[Battle of Crete]] was delayed by fierce [[Crete|Cretan]] resistance, delaying the German [[Operation Barbarossa|invasion]] of the [[Soviet Union]] for over a month. Despite their efforts, the Nazi war machine was able to annex Greece. After liberation, Greece fell into [[Greek Civil War|civil war]] between [[communists]] and royalists. Lasting until 1949, the conflict resulted in a Royalist victory, preserving the Greek state, but at the cost of 40,000 lives.

==Chinese Civil War resumes==

When the Japanese surrendered, the Chinese Nationalist army far outnumbered the Red revolutionary army. Then appeared Stalin's army of 1,250,000 men armed with American guns, planes, tanks and munitions and other supplies and the balance began to alter. And the Maoists had immense quantities of munitions laid down by the Japanese in the Manchuria.

General [[George C. Marshall]] was sent by [[President Truman]] as his personal representative to China, arriving on December 20, 1945. His specific instructions from Secretary of State [[James Byrnes]] were to insist on a coalition government of "unity" as a condition for continued aid to the Nationalists.<ref>''George C. Marshall, Statesman, 1945-1959'', Forrest C. Pogue, New York, 1987, pg. 61.</ref> [[CCP]] leader [[Mao Zedong]] already said publicly in April 1945 that a coalition government with the Chinese Nationalists would result in the defeat of "reactionary American imperialism."<ref>"On Coalition Government," address to the April 1945 Seventh National Convention of the Chinese Communist Party, quoted in Anthony Kubek, ''How the Far East Was Lost'', Chicago 1963, pg. 238.</ref>

Marshall held several meetings with [[Chiang Kai-shek]] or his delegates and with Mao's representative, [[Zhou Enlai]], and twice arranged ceasefires, in January and June of 1946. When the ceasefires was ordered the Communists held 57 counties. A year later they had 310—a violation of the truce. The Bolton Congressional report compiled a catalogue of the bridges, railway stations and other installations destroyed by the Communists during the ceasefire.<ref>Bolton Report, House Committee on Foreign Affairs (Sub-Committee No. 5) on Communism in China, 1948.</ref><ref>''History of the Chinese Communist Party'', Jacques Guillermaz, London, 1972, pg. 445.</ref><ref>''China: A Political History, 1917-1980'', Richard C. Thornton, Boulder, CO, 1982, pg. 192.</ref> Marshall however imposed an embargo on the [[Chinese Nationalist government]]. All aid of all sorts to the Kuomintang was discontinued until the summer of 1947 by which time the balance had shifted. Even then what the U.S. sent was insufficient to stem the Communist tide.

Gen. [[Douglas MacArthur]]'s Chief of Intelligence told the U.S. [[Senate Internal Security Subcommittee]] in 1951, "The real cause for the Communization of China is the long-range [[subversion|subversive]] operation, over the last two decades, conducted by professional Communists under orders of the [[Kremlin]]-controlled Third [[Comintern]]."<ref>[http://www.time.com/time/magazine/article/0,9171,821608-3,00.html The Case Against '''[[I.P.R.]]'''], ''[[Time magazine]]'', September 03, 1951.</ref>

==Ukrainian Resistance==

==Fallout From World War II==

*[[Iron Curtain]]

*[[British Empire]]
The war effectively bankrupted Britain, which started the process of dismantling its empire. It was not until 2007 Britain finished paying off the loans to the USA which it had taken to fight Nazi Germany.

*the Netherlands and Indonesia
After the defeat of the Japanese empire, their army retired from the [[Dutch East Indies]] and the land was returned back to the Dutch. Quickly after that, the people of the islands revolted against the government on 17 August 1945 and declared themselves independent. The Dutch sent their “new” army to the colonies to restore order. The Dutch scored a number of victories, but after the political pressure from the USA and Australia the Dutch acknowledged in 27 December 1949 the sovereignty of [[Indonesia]]

*Supremacy of the USA in the Western World
Whilst most countries had seen their economies demolished by the war, the USA had industrialized heavily and made financial gains from sales of arms to other Allied countries. Prior to the war, one-third of Americans were employed in agriculture. The socioeconomic changes brought by returning soldiers, many of whom took advantage of a generous GI education benefits, precipitated the rise of the great American middle class.

*Supremacy of the Soviet Union in Eastern Europe.

*[[Vietnam War]]
During the war the French lost their colony of Vietnam to the Japanese. At the end of the war they decided to reassert their colonial mastery, but the Vietnamese now had other ideas. The battle with the French would eventually lead into the Vietnam war after the French defeat and American intervention ensued to prevent the spread of Communism.

==See also==
*''Main article: [[Workers World Revolution]]
*[[Cairo conference]]
*[[Harry Dexter White]]
*[[Institute of Pacific Relations]]
*[[Lend-Lease Act]]

==Further reading==

*Gerhard L. Weinberg, ''Foreign Policy of Hitler's Germany: Starting World War II, 1937-1939'', Chicago: University of Chicago Press, 1980.
* Gerhard L. Weinberg, ''A World at Arms: A Global History of World War II'', Cambridge: University Press, 1994.
*[http://userwww.sfsu.edu/~epf/1997/padilla.html Kursk: The Turning Point on the Eastern Front in World War II], by Roberto R. Padilla II

==References==
{{reflist|2}}

== External Links ==
* United States Department of the Navy/Navy Historical Center's [http://www.history.navy.mil/faqs/faq36-4.htm Fleet Admiral Chester William Nimitz]
* [http://www.onpower.org/history_wwii.html/ World War II]
* [http://www.independent.org/publications/tir/article.asp?issueID=12&articleID=139 "On the Brink of World War II: Justus Doenecke’s ''Storm on the Horizon''," by Ralph Raico]
* [http://www.independent.org/publications/working_papers/article.asp?id=1499 "Government and the Economy: The World Wars," by Robert Higgs]
* [http://www.independent.org/newsroom/article.asp?id=113 "How War Amplified Federal Power in the Twentieth Century," by Robert Higgs]
* [http://www.independent.org/store/book_detail.asp?bookID=65 ''Depression, War and Cold War'', by Robert Higgs]
* [http://www.independent.org/publications/article.asp?id=138 "Wartime Prosperity?", by Robert Higgs]
* [http://www.independent.org/issues/article.asp?id=1431 Pearl Harbor]
[[Category:World War II| ]]
[[Category:Wars]]