Figure 1.--Most veterans of World War I hoped to spare their sons and grandsons the horrors of War. This boy would, however, fight in the most terrible war in human history. All because Hitler and a minority of Germans were intent on military triumph and restructuring all of Europe.

Many questions about the Germans and World War II are difficult to answer. One is not. There is no doubt that the vast majority of the German people did not want another War. Public opinion polls did not exist at the time in Germany. But the fact that Hitler never publically advocated war is a good indicator that war is not what the German people wanted. The same anti-War sentiment that swept the rest of Europe, America, and the Dominions also swept Germany. The great abti-War novel, All Quiet on the Wesern Front was of course a German book. It is difficult to know just how different segments of the population divided on the war issue, but a very large part of the population was clearly against another War. Surely this feeling must have been stringest among women. The attitude of men must have been somewhat more varied. Some veterans of World War I saw war as evil and wanted to save their sons and grandsons from the horror they experienced. There were some, however, that were convinced that Germany did not lose the War and was stabbed in the back by Socialists and Jews. It should not be thought that most Germans were satisfied with the Versailles Treaty. Almost ll Germans were not. Most Germans, however, just wanted to regain the loss territories abd to accomplish this peacefully. Some Germans did, however want to renew the War and fundaentally reshape Europe. That Hitler never openly said he wanted to use war to achieve this is an indicator that it was not what the great majority of the German people wanted.

Created: 3:51 AM 2/21/2009
Last updated: 3:51 AM 2/21/2009