Reply To: War in Ukraine

Have you noticed that the longer ago a war was, the more honest historians (& the media) are about it?

Take the Franco-Prussian war, for example. This is how Wikipedia describes the cause of it: “The conflict was caused primarily by France’s determination to reassert its dominant position in continental Europe, which appeared in question following the decisive Prussian victory over Austria in 1866. According to some historians, Prussian chancellor Otto von Bismarck deliberately provoked the French into declaring war on Prussia in order to induce four independent southern German states — Baden, Württemberg, Bavaria and Hesse-Darmstadt — to join the North German Confederation; other historians contend that Bismarck exploited the circumstances as they unfolded. All agree that Bismarck recognized the potential for new German alliances, given the situation as a whole.”

And the result: “Following an armistice with France, the Treaty of Frankfurt was signed on 10 May 1871, giving Germany billions of francs in war indemnity, as well as most of Alsace and parts of Lorraine [most of which spoke German dialects], which became the Imperial Territory of Alsace-Lorrain.

“The war had a lasting impact on Europe. By hastening German unification [with the exception of Austria], the war significantly altered the balance of power on the continent.”

Notice there’s nothing here about fighting for freedom & democracy. It states what the war was really about.