2050 superpower

Chapter 29 Germany and Japan's Injuries (1)
§§§The first section of the war 70 years ago
Linking the three countries of Germany, Japan, and Italy always gives the world a painful association.This painful association comes from the war 70 years ago, the war that almost caused catastrophe for all countries in the world-the Second World War.

The outbreak of the Second World War had its roots buried in the First World War, so the Second World War is the sequel of the First World War.Germany was defeated in World War I, and its heart is not dead.Despite the supervision of many victorious countries, Germany has become militarily strong again.

Germany, which has become stronger again, began to plan a new war.

On September 1939, 9, Germany occupied Poland in the Blitzkrieg, and Britain and France declared war on Germany immediately.This war is different from the previous one.In "World War I", the flames of war were limited to Europe, but in "World War II", because of the joining of Japan, the Axis Powers headed by Germany, Italy, and Japan were formed, making the war go beyond Europe.In Asia, on July 1, 1937, Japan created the Marco Polo Bridge Incident, which triggered a major war in Asia; and after Germany occupied Poland, it suddenly attacked the Soviet Union in 7, triggering a major war in Europe.

The "World War II" launched by Germany, the avenger, is not just a simple repetition of "World War I", but a comeback even more frantically.From 1935 to 1939, Germany rose rapidly from defeat.After the rise of Germany, Hitler won the ruling power, launched the Nazi movement in the country, and established the Third Reich.In the frenzy of the Nazis, the Sudetenland region of Austria and Czechoslovakia was annexed to the Third Reich. Soon after, the rest of the Czech Republic was also occupied by Germany, and then the Klaipeda region of Lithuania was also annexed to Germany. Part of Slovakia was in Germany. Independence was declared with support and protection.In the chaotic situation in Europe, Italy fished in troubled waters and occupied Albania.

In Asia, Japan began its campaign to conquer China. On September 1931, 9, the Japanese Kwantung Army launched the Shenyang Incident in Northeast China. With its powerful military force, it quickly occupied the three eastern provinces of China and established the Puppet Manchukuo.Japan's war against China was the result of fascism gaining power in the Japanese government.Due to the Great Depression in Japan, Japan, which has always been established by militarism, has a lot of power. Under its control, the democratically elected government lost control, and the soldiers came from the background to the front and began to govern.In order to get rid of the economic predicament, fascism began to spread in the Japanese army, and the Military Headquarters, as the highest military organ in Japan, was given more power than before.In 18, the February 1936 Mutiny occurred in Japan. Fascists took control of the military headquarters and made the military department replace the Japanese cabinet as the highest authority in Japan. From then on, Japan entered the era of fascism.After the Japanese military seized power, it immediately began a large-scale aggression against China. Taking the Marco Polo Bridge incident as a breakthrough, a large number of troops marched into China.Japan's footsteps, like Germany, will not stop at China.After China launched the war, Japan launched wars of aggression against the Philippines, Malaysia, Singapore, Brunei, East Timor, Indonesia, Vietnam, Laos, Cambodia, Myanmar and other countries.In addition, Japan also extended its black hands to Hawaii, Guam, Saipan, Midway Island, Wake Island and northern Australia, with the tendency of snakes swallowing elephants.

In order to curb the expansion momentum of the Japanese army, the United States greatly reduced the supply of strategic materials such as oil and steel to Japan, which made the Japanese army trapped in the Chinese battlefield difficult. On October 1941, 10, after Hideki Tojo came to power, he formed the Tojo Cabinet and vigorously promoted the "Great East Asia Co-Prosperity Sphere" policy to plunder the resources of Southeast Asian countries. On December 18, 1941, the Japanese Combined Fleet attacked the US naval base Pearl Harbor and bombed the US Pacific Fleet.The next day, the United States, Britain, the Netherlands and other countries declared war on Japan, and the Pacific War broke out.

After the Pearl Harbor incident, the United States was dragged into World War II, China also declared war on Germany, Italy, and Japan, and some other countries in the world also declared war on the Axis countries. On December 1941, 12, the leaders of the United States and Britain proposed that all countries fighting against the Axis countries form an alliance, and then on January 22, 1942, 1 countries signed the "Declaration of the United Nations" in Washington.In the declaration, all countries expressed their support for the purposes and principles of the "Atlantic Charter". The signatories must guarantee to use all their military and economic resources to fight against the German, Italian, and Japanese fascist countries, and not to conclude armistice agreements or peace treaties with the enemy alone.The signing and publication of this declaration marked the formal establishment of the International Anti-Fascist Alliance. By the end of World War II, the number of allied countries had reached 1 countries.

The establishment of the Anti-Fascist Alliance put the Axis countries at a disadvantage.In Europe, Germany did not survive the Stalingrad winter and suffered its first defeat in the Soviet Union. Beginning in 1943, the Soviet army gradually turned to counter-offensive on the battlefield.At the same time, the Allies opened up a second front, which made Germany's already overwhelmed situation even worse.In Asia, on November 1943, 11, China, Britain and the United States held the Cairo Conference and signed the Cairo Declaration.In the declaration, China, the United States, and the United Kingdom swore: to persist in fighting against Japan until Japan surrenders unconditionally; Japan returns all the islands it has occupied in the Pacific region since World War I; Taiwan, Penghu, and Northeast China, which were forcibly occupied by the Qing Dynasty, were returned to China.

After the anti-fascist countries all over the world united, a war with the largest number of participating countries, the most extensive area, and the largest number of participants in human history was launched. "Getting what is right gives more help, but not doing what is right gives little help." Soon the Axis countries began to turn from the fierce offensive in the past to the exhausted defensive, and finally burned the flames of war to their own countries. On April 1945, 4, the Soviet Red Army captured Berlin, Germany, ending the last Allied battle in Europe. In August, the United States dropped an atomic bomb on Hiroshima and Nagasaki, Japan, turning Hiroshima and Nagasaki into ruins. On September 30, aboard the US battleship Missouri, Japan signed an unconditional surrender.World War II is over.

It is shocking to take stock of the catastrophe caused by "World War II" to the world.In World War II, a total of more than 60 countries and regions participated in the war, and the affected population reached 20 billion, accounting for 80% of the world's population at that time.Europe and Asia were the main battlefields of World War II, and other regions, such as Africa, America, Oceania, and the Pacific Ocean, Indian Ocean, Atlantic Ocean, and Arctic Ocean were also affected by gunpowder.The two warring parties mobilized 1 million troops, the direct war losses amounted to 3 trillion U.S. dollars, and the total material losses amounted to 4 trillion U.S. dollars.

China is the main battlefield in Asia. According to incomplete statistics, the number of casualties reached 3500 million, while the number of war deaths cannot be counted. It is estimated that there were 1200 million to 1800 million people. The direct economic losses caused by Japan to China reached 5 billion U.S. dollars. The indirect economic loss reached [-] billion US dollars.

The Soviet Union is the main battlefield in Europe. According to the materials released by Russia, the Soviet Union suffered 1941 million casualties in the Great Patriotic War from 1945 to 6000, of which 2700 million died. The Soviet Red Army sacrificed 866.84 million people, and the material loss reached 6790 billion rubles. .

As the core members of the World Anti-Fascist Alliance, the United States and the United Kingdom also paid a huge price for the victory of the Anti-Fascist War.According to historical records, a total of 42 soldiers died in the "World War II" in the United States, 27 soldiers in the United Kingdom died in the war, and France was the least, with about 20 deaths.

Although the Second World War ended 70 years ago, the deep scars are hard to heal.

To this day, the chemical weapons left by Japan in China have not been completely cleaned up, and the compensation for the victims has not been adjusted.Faced with the crimes it committed in the past, Germany has sincerely repented.After the end of the Cold War, Germany, which has risen again, no longer pursues a military power, but concentrates on economic construction.At the same time, this country that once invaded other countries is committed to the integration of Europe, and as a regional power, it seeks the unity and prosperity of Europe and becomes the core force to promote the development of Europe.

Looking back at Japan, it really makes us feel sad.Japan does not recognize its actions in World War II as aggression, nor does it consider the soldiers who died in World War II to be criminals.In the Yasukuni Shrine in Japan, because 14 Class-A war criminals during World War II are enshrined, East Asian countries regard the Yasukuni Shrine as a symbol of Japanese militarism.The Japanese government does not take into account the feelings of East Asian countries, and its leaders regularly pay homage to the Yasukuni Shrine, which arouses condemnation and protests from the people of East Asian countries.

The Yasukuni Shrine is a shrine located in Kuduanzaka, Chiyoda District, Tokyo, Japan. The shrine is dedicated to the soldiers and military families who died for the Japanese Empire since the Meiji Restoration. Most of them are Japanese soldiers and soldiers who died in the Sino-Japanese War and the Pacific War. Recruiting soldiers in the colonies is similar in nature to the martyrs' shrines in ancient China.The Yasukuni Shrine was managed exclusively by the Japanese military until the end of the "World War II", and it was a symbol of national Shinto; after the end of the "World War II", the United Nations Occupation Forces Headquarters planned to abolish the Yasukuni Shrine, and Japan held a "temporary spiritual sacrifice" for this purpose. ", based on the principle of separation of church and state, it was preserved after being converted into a religious legal person.According to Japanese traditional culture, festivals are held at the Yasukuni Shrine on April 4-21 and October 23-10 every year.During the period from the end of World War II to 17, Japan did not enshrine the war criminals of World War II in the shrine. In October 20, taking advantage of the autumn festival, Japan secretly placed the memorial tablets of more than 1978 "World War II" war criminals, including 1978 Class A war criminals including Hideki Tojo, in the Yasukuni Shrine.Regarding this act of Japan, the people of East Asian countries believe that moving the tablets of more than 10 war criminals into the shrine shows that the Japanese government has not sincerely reflected on the past history.

Japan did not reflect on its past history like Germany did, maybe out of national pride, maybe out of stubborn support, whatever the reason, it brought uneasiness to the people of Asia.In recent years, Japan's self-defense forces have gone abroad and conducted joint military exercises with the United States, which has deeply disturbed the people of Asia.People worry that under the manipulation of the United States, the United States and Japan will repeat the scene 70 years ago.

§§§Session [-] The Rise of Germany Day Again
Some people say that Germany's re-emergence is a miracle, but it is not. After the end of the "World War I" in November 1918, Germany, as a defeated country, was controlled by many victorious countries. In this case, Germany was hidden from the eyes of Britain, France and other countries. Get up and start "World War II".If the rise of Germany is a miracle now, then the rise of Germany after World War I is even more a miracle.The rise of Germany is not a miracle, but an inevitability. Unless Germany is torn apart and subjugated, Germany will rise no matter how many times it sinks.

What is the most precious thing in this day and age? ——Talent; what does a modern country rely on to be strong? --National Quality.Deng Xiaoping said that "development is the last word", this "development" includes the development of national quality, so later he said "the biggest mistake is the mistake of education". Poor education, no matter how hard it is, the children cannot suffer."On the surface, the competition between great powers seems to be a competition of economic strength and military strength, but fundamentally, it is a competition of national quality.

In German education, quality education ranks first.By cultivating children's sense of social responsibility and obligation, Germany molds them into a firm, rational and trustworthy person.Quality education in Germany is not only an inevitable requirement in the moral field, but also a key factor for success in life.The success of German education is due to the government's investment in education and policy support, and the impact of the social environment on children.Germany's quality education for children is carried out in many environments: the father's dedication and professionalism, and the mother's meticulous work attitude, so that the children receive family education; Education; in society, workers of various occupations have a high sense of professional ethics, so that children receive social education.All these educations make the children's sense of responsibility continuously strengthened, and they regard abiding by the creed and doing their best as a basic requirement for being a human being.Germans are well-known in the world for their seriousness. Some people say that German society is a notebook society. They pre-record life schedules such as appointments, plans, business and private affairs, etc., which shows that they treat life serious attitude and sense of responsibility.You can think about it, with citizens of such quality, it is difficult for a country not to be strong and prosperous.

In the early days after the end of "World War I", Germany was divided and controlled by the victorious countries, and had to bear huge war indemnities. In this difficult situation, the German king still did not forget education. He funded the establishment of Humboldt University, which later cultivated There are dozens of Nobel Prize winners in the world who graduated from this school. After the end of World War II, Germany faced the same predicament as in World War I, even worse.In the case of complete bankruptcy of the country's economy, the government is still doing its best to support education, and once the country's economy recovers, it will immediately implement free education for all.

"World War II" not only hurt the world, but also Germany.Both world wars ended in defeat for Germany.For such an ending, rational Germans began to reflect on themselves and deeply regret the harm they caused to the world during World War II.When the people of the world saw German Chancellor Brandt kneeling in front of the Jewish cemetery in Warsaw, Poland, they had to forgive Germany's past from the bottom of their hearts and rejoice to see Germany's present.

Leo Tolstoy said: "Happy families are all alike, and every unhappy family is unhappy in its own way." We can rephrase this saying: strong nations are all alike, and weak nations are all alike. Each has its own misfortunes.Japan, like Germany, has a tradition of emphasizing education.In the Edo period of Japan in the 18th century, education in Japan was directly managed by the shogunate. At that time, the education system was divided into three levels: schools, vassal schools, and "popular" education institutes.Among them, various types of schools have been set up under the "popular" educational institutions, such as rural schools, private schools, temple houses, and workshops for mind studies and practical studies.The students recruited by Temple House come from all walks of life, most of whom are civilians, and it is a kind of civilian-oriented educational institution.During the Meiji Restoration period, Japan carried out major reforms to the education system. In 1871, the Meiji government "abolished the feudal domain and established the prefecture", and established the Ministry of Education and Culture in the official system of the central government, which is responsible for the management of cultural and educational undertakings across the country.The Ministry of Education divides Japan into 8 university districts, each with 1 university and 132 middle school districts, each middle school district is divided into 210 elementary school districts, and 53760 elementary schools have been established. By 1878, the enrollment rate of school-age children reached 41. .2%.In the Japanese "Education Order" at that time, it was stipulated that 3 years of elementary school, 3 years of middle school, and 2 years of advanced school, a total of three stages, with elementary school as the minimum requirement for national education. In 1900, Japan promulgated the "Primary School Amendment Order", establishing a four-year compulsory education system; in early 1902, the primary school enrollment rate reached 90%, basically universalizing primary school education; in 1907, the compulsory education period was extended to 6 years; in 1920, the enrollment rate up to 99%.Since then, Japan's education has been closely following the world's advanced level.

(End of this chapter)