YZ:
Your point about the Russians and Chinese having a different view of who "saved" the world is well taken, IMHO.
The losses suffered by the Russians was staggering, by any standards, and their resistance to the German army allowed the Allies to gain strength while the Germans were weakened by the Russian winter. And the rape of Nanking was a terrible thing, one that we in the U.S. have never truly appreciated, IMHO. From what I can remember, the conflict in China during WWII was never given much coverage in our press, and for that matter, hasn't been treated with any depth since then, either. Why that is so, I don't know - during the war it could be attributed to a lack of reporters allowed access to the area, and I suppose something similar could be said for the era after, but I'm not sure that's really a valid argument. The U.S. people, perhaps because of our press - or perhaps because of our nature the press gives us what we want, kind of a chicken/egg thing - have something of a provincial attitude.
To say that we (the U.S.) "saved" the world, is a gross overstatement...but we did supply the men and material that tipped the balance in the Allies' favor. Prior to our entry it did appear the Axis would prevail...especially if Hitler had maintained the status of his non-aggression pact with Stalin. But without the Russian front, even with the American's entry, the outcome would have been in doubt...or at least prolonged. Unfortunately, I'm as ignorant as the next person in the U.S. (maybe more so) as far as knowing the contribution that China made in the war effort - other than imagining how many Japanese must have been required, and thus removed from the rest of the fighting, to occupy and administer such a vast country. It's too bad we haven't had a better flow of information - it might have led to a better understanding and better relations. Maybe that's the greatest promise of the Internet.
Best regards, Merritt |
