Figure 1.--For nearly two millenia, Jews in both Europe and the Middle East were persecuted for their religion. Jew could evade the worst of the percecution simply by converting. This changed dramatically with the rise of Hitler and the NAZIs. The NAZIs were not disturbed so much with Judaism, many challenged Chritianity as well--essentially a desire to destroy Western civilization. The NAZIs turned to psuedo science and persecuted Jews on racial terms. This was not fully understood in America and Britain at the time of the War or the fact that Hitler had made the extermination of Jews a primary German war goal. One of the few places in the world that Jews were safe, although not exempt from descrimination, was America. Here New York City boys are sitting on their synagogue steps during 1942. At the sane time in Europe, the Germans had burned countless synagogue and were murdering Jewish men, women, and children in the millions. Photographer: Collins Marjory.

Racism was not limited to the Axis. America entered the War as a still largely racist country. These racist ideas, unlike Germany and Japan, did not significantly affect its foreign policy. The South was still strictly seggregatated with black Americans denied civil rights and prevented from voting. America fought the War with a segregated military. The anti-Japanese prejudice of the time was often intense and sharply reflected in American war propaganda that is today very disturbing. There are lots of blatantly racist images of slanted, weaked eyes Japanese with over-sized glasses. Of course this was exacerbated by Pearl Harbor. Anti-German propaganda was not racist, of course, because so many Americans looked like Germans. Anti-Japanese racism was reflected in the disgraceful internment of Pacific-coast Japanese-Americans simply on grounds of their ethnicity. The internees included American citizens and not only Japanese nationals resident in America. One interesting aspect is that with all this anti-Japanese feeling, is that racist attitudes toward Asian Americans declined sharply atter the War. Andcthis process continued even when the Korean War turned into a war with China. All kinds of restrictions on Asians as to citizenship, employment, university admission also disappeared. It is a phenomenon I do not fully understand, but have been meaning to address. Such overt descrimination did not exist in Britain, but Britain at the time did not have a substantial minority population. The situation in the colonies was different. We are less sure about France. The difference between the Axis and Allies was that while racist ideas were prelaent among both sides, it was the Axis which fought the War with significant racial goals.

America

America entered the War as a still largely racist country. These racist ideas, unlike Germany and Japan, did not significantly affect its foreign policy. In fact, America found itself fighting a war against racism, although this was not entirely evident to most Americans including political leaders until after the War. NAZI anti-Semitism was well known, but not what the NAZIs were planning for the Slavs in the East. The South was still strictly seggregataed with black Americans denied civil rights and prevented from voting. America fought the War with a segregated military. (Ironically there were Jews in the German military.) The anti-Japanese prejudice of the time was often intense and sharply reflected in American war propaganda that is today very disturbing. There are lots of blatantly racist images of slanted, weaked eyes Japanese with over-sized glasses. Of course this was exacerbated by Pearl Harbor. Anti-German propaganda was not racist, of course, because so many Americans looked like Germans. Anti-Japanese racism was reflected in the disgraceful internment of Pacific-coast Japanese-Americans simply on grounds of their ethnicity. The internees included American citizens and not only Japanese nationals resident in America, as was the case for Italians and Germans. One interesting aspect is that with all this anti-Japanese feeling, is that racist attitudes toward Asian Americans declined sharply atter the War. Andcthis process continued even when the Korean War turned into a war with China. All kinds of restrictions on Asians as to citizenship, employment, university admission also disappeared. It is a phenomenon I do not fully understand, but have been meaning to address. The War in many ways also set in motion the Civil Rights movement that ended racial seggregation in the South. The virulence of racism and the social consequences exposed during the War was surely a factor in the American decesion to attack domestic racisn after the War.

Britain

Before the War, Btitain made an effort to save Jews with the Kndertranspot Program. It was a miniml effort, but it was more than other countries did. Of course many more Jews had entered the Netherlands and Fabnce illgally and were not forced back. Britain did not have a border with Germany and thus more difficult to enter. As the War unfolded, once the Panzers wre stopped at the English Chnnel, Britain became one of the few plascs in Europe where Jews were safe. Tragically Britain had only a very small Jewish populatiom and after the fall of France (June 1940), it was virtually imposible for Jews to reach Btitain. Legal racial descrimination, as far as we know, did not exist in Britain itself. Some 3 million American servicemen were stationed nin britain or passed through Britain (1942-45). Some 8 percent were African-American. The American militry was segregated and the Americans brought their segregation polices with them to Britain. Black American soldiers noticed how the British people tended to have had different attitudes toward them than their fellow Americans. (The same thing had occurred in France during World War I.) A British contributor reports. "American Army commanders asked local communities to support the U.S. military rules and segregate facilities. The major concern were pubs and dancing venues. The towns around the many U.S. miltary bases as far as I know refused to comply." (This may have been done by some local commnders and we do not know how far up the chain of command this went. The Americans acted on their own. They designated towns near to American bases 'black' or 'white' and segregating pubs and dances along race lines. This included dances held for black GIs one evening and whites the next. [Bland] We know of no incidents between British civilians and Black American servicenen. There were incidents between Black and White American Servicemen. The best known incident occurred at Bamber Bridge near Prestion in Lancanshire. Our British contributir adds, "Three pubs at Bamber Bridge put put up signs saying 'Blacks' which meant the community was not segregated and blacks were welcomed." It is widely believed that the MPs that responded behaved in a racist manner. The whole affair was hushed up at the time in the name of potential adverse impact on the war effort. Britain was the world's greatest imperial power with a still vast empire. The situation in the colonies was different. Here institutionalized racism in Africa, and Asia was very much a part of colonial rule. This was no small matter. The Indian Army in particular was very important to the British war effort. There are issues with how colonial troops were treated. Another issue is the Bengal famine and chargesthat race was involved in he British response. Britain at the time, however, did not have a substantial minority population, despite their huge multi-ethnic Empire. After the War, immigration from the Empire did cause problems or probably more correctlly stated, the reaction of the British to this immigration caused problems. This included issues in the schools. This immigrtion primrily came from post-War India/Pakistan and the West Indies, but Government imposed segregation was never instiututed.

France

As in World War I, there were blacks in the French Army. There were separate units for blacks recruited in Africa. This had been asore point with the Germans after the War because the French used black troops in its occupation of the Rhineland, giving rise to the Rhineland bastards (mixed-race children that the NAZIs constantly harped on. After the Germans defeated France (1940), many of these black African troops were taken prisioner. There were instances that the Germans murdered groups of black POWS. We do not know how extensive this was. As far aswe know this was done by Heer commanders, not the SS. Once in POW cmps, however, asfaras e know, black POWS were generally treated correctly, but this is something on which we have found little information. France had the largest Jewish populstion in Western Europe, both French citizens and foreign Jews that had sought safety from the Germans in France. This proved to be a tragic trap when Vichy without prompting from the Germans began to perceute Jews, at first foreign Jews and then French Jews as well. Much of France's colonial empire was in Africa. Initilly, colonial officials declared loyalty to Vichy. Gradully they shifted over to the Free French. France did not, however, recruit many colonial troops, especially Sub-Saharan Africans. An exception was the Africans who foughht with the Vichy forces when Brtitain invaded Madagascar (1942). The British seem to have used more Sub-Saharan African troops than the French. The only significant particpation in the war, as far as ee know were the French Moroccan formastions in Italy and southrn France. This is, howver, someting we do not know much about yet.

Valid Criticisms

The woke critics of Western society like to point out the racism prevalkent in Western democrativ societies at the time of World War II. And as we point out there is much to criticize. But it is commonly done with only pointing one side of the to issue which is standard for the modern weoke voicvices and socialists. We do not hide the historical truth. Racism was rife in Western societies, even democratic socirties. But we attempt to tell the whole story including other pertiment facts. 1) Voices in the Western democracies were iuncreasingly neing rised aginst both racim and colonialism. One of the nost vibrbt oif these voices was Marim Anderson singing at the Lincoln Memorial (1939). 2) Racismn was not restricted to the West. There were many tribal conflicts in Africa incolving more powerful tribes butkizing or exploting less powerful tribes. Muslimsocirt in the Middlke East was still supporting slavery, mostly Arican slavery. One of the most racist country in the world was Indiq, lrgely becusse of Hindu religious doctrines. Japan was another highly racist soiciety. 3) Western racism wasexplotive, but not genocidal as was the case of socilist states, both the NAZIs and Soviets. The poplation of teritiories colonized by the Western Democracies actully increased in part from the development of modern infrastrsture, education, and public health systems. An excepotuion here was Belgium. It is also notable tyhat in some former colones, economic conditons actuall deckined after indepndence. 4) Given NAZI policies, the fate of countries all over the world would have been based on where they stood on the NAZI racial rankings. Much of the developed world would have faced a horendous future. 5) Racism was one of the factors that led Japan into China. Jaspan was killing Asians in great numbers. America was forced into World War II because it was demanding Japan end its brutal invasion of China and wihdraw. America did this even though it meant it would have to fight a two-front war placing it in great peril. Any criticism of Wesrern racism that does not inclide these matters in the discussion is patently dishonest.

Sources

Bland, Lucy. "Thousands of mixed-race British babies were born in World War II – and adoption by their black American fathers was blocked," theconversation.com (May 16, 2019).

Created: 8:15 PM 11/15/2006
Last updated: 2:51 PM 7/20/2022