(September 7, 2015 at 7:23 pm)Minimalist Wrote: I recall George Carlin - on Real Time with Bill Maher many years ago - making the observation that "Germany lost WWII. Fascism won." I suppose I'd have to ask you for a few more specific examples. Every change has consequences. Some good. Some bad. Depending on your point-of-view.
Facism, especially in Germany, made the world realise how easy it is to indoctrinate a whole nation and make them do things they would normally never do. It also cleared the path for human rights and the equality for each race and etnity.
WWII brought a rush in technology which has never been seen before and continued after the war. (Radar, rockets, atom splitting, ...)
Germany's old machines and factories were mostly destroyed/dismantled so that after the war they could start with the newest which provided a rush for them, while the other nations still struggled with their old technologies which they had to get rid of.
Radical changes in philosophy and the general thinking of mankind, which also occured after WWI. (Albert Camus edited his absurdism from nihilism to having a goal in life to help make the world less absurd, even though nobody will ever succeed in that, but doing it is an act of revolt.)
Art too, but I'm not really someone who loves art so I don't know what specific.
The world is now much more alert and countered against any slight uprise of too much nationalism, especially national-socialism.
The world fell into a duel between the US and the USSR, which made some even wonder what was worse: nat-soc or communism (Churchill even said: "We slaughered the wrong pig".)
All the energy put into that fight might have otherwise meant a even greater rush in technology.
Japan turned 180° and became quickly one of the most advanced countries in the world.
The war weakened the European nations so that they had to let go of their colonies, which would otherwise now maybe still be colonies.
For my country in particular, Belgium: the repression of the French-speakers over the Flemish-speakers tempered and eventually dissapeared.
I hope this gives you an idea of what I meant.
These exemples are not looked up on the internet but come from my own knowledge, so I might be wrong somewhere.
whatever floats your goat
