Snappy Answers to History Questions II

 (From Quora)

Did Japan make a mistake by entering World War Two?

For the Japanese WWII began in 1937 with the onset of the Second Sino-Japanese If the Japanese had limited their efforts to China they may have enjoyed some long term success. Their biggest mistake was allying themselves with Nazi Germany and then provoking the US into a Pacific War that they ultimately could not win. It didn’t help either that the Imperial Army and Navy were often at each other’s throats. The internal rivalry was that fierce.

Yes, with hindsight the War was a mistake for Japan. The Chinese recovered all lost territory that the Japanese had gained since the Treaty of Shimonoseki (1895). Japan was left in ruins following a great deal of bombing (not to mention being on the receiving end of two Atomic bombs) with the old order coming to an inglorious end. The leadership had little option but to surrender, with total military and civilian war deaths ranging somewhere between 2.6–3.1 million. 

Why didn't Korea go through an Industrial Revolution like Europe and Japan?

From 1910–1945 Korea was directly ruled by Japan which kept the peninsula on a short leash. Prior to that the Koreans had to fight off domination by the Chinese Qing dynasty. It was only after WWII and the subsequent Korean War (1950–1953) that the South could develop into the economic and industrial powerhouse that they are today (it is one of the Four Tigers).The embrace of Free Enterprise was critical.

Ironically the North, which prior to WWII was actually more industrialized than its southern counterpart, took a turn in the opposite direction. Its authoritarian regime structure and highly managed centralized economy has ensured that the North Korean nation state remains mired in poverty and devoid of the critical elements of human freedom.

Why was the French Revolution a slide into a bloodthirsty madness?

Without constraints on what it wants to achieve revolutions often have a tendency of eating themselves alive. No doctrine becomes pure enough and eventually those who seek to negate eventually negate themselves. This happened with the French Revolution. It needed the ‘other’ to demonstrate forward movement when that option became limited all that was left was bloodshed to keep the Hegelian march off the cliff of sanity going.

In the News I

Starting a new series on global events

Classified Documents found at Biden's Home

Apparently there are many going back to his term in the Senate. Senators don't have the power to declassify and neither did VPs until well into Obama POTUS tenure. tHis still begs several questions: Why did it take so long for this story to break? Why has it broken just after the midterms? Did Biden declassify any of these documents? Why does he appear to be unware of them?  Is there a deeper story behind all of this? Are the Dems trying to throw Biden under the bus prior to 2024? Will Biden receive the same treatment that Truimp has had to deal with following the Mar-a-Lago resort raid? Don't bet on seeing a trustworthy answer to any of these questions for some time.

Another failure of Zero Covid

It has failed wherever it has been tried. Now the CCP is learning this the hard way. It is a pity though that so many will suffer because of elite arrogance. Xi Jinping, if  had any dignity he would step down. That won't happen of course. The blood legacy of the CCP continues.

Tanks for the Ukraine

It is clear that  biggest winnein the Ukranian War has been the Military Industrial Complex. Largest losers are civilians caught in the action followed by taxpayers everywhere.

One more Interest rate hike

From Canada....but this could be true elsewhere. The global elites mishandled the economy during Covid and now we (the people) are paying the price. The shutdowns and supply line issues threw off the supply and demand curve leading to inflation. The Oil and Ukraine crisis added fuel to the fire and now it seems that we are heading into a recession. 70s Stagflation is back.

Electric Crisis in South Africa.

This is what happens in a regulated system where brain drain combines with corruption and incompetence. Rolling blackouts have been the story in South Africa for some time. Recently it has worsened considerably. Will this impact the ruling ANC? Not likely where it counts. They can still rely on Identity Politics to win elections.The grift shall continue.

Snappy Answers to History Questions I

 From Quora (my answers)

What was the cause of  Anti-German sentiment in France? Was it WWI or WWII?

These events certainly worsened the situation but the sentiment likely goes back even further to the Franco-Prussian War (1870–1871) when France was well defeated by its Prussian rival. One could even make the case that both sides had sown the seeds of a great deal of mistrust during the events of the Napoleonic Era and the Concert of Europe that existed afterward.

What was the difference between Marat and Robespierre? Why were each considered radical?

Both were radical authoritarians who believed that they spoke for the will of the people. Where have we seen that before? Robespierre was more of a sophisticated lawyer who in his early days could indeed be confused for an authentic liberal (this didn’t last long). Marat was a hard hitting journalist with a particular nasty streak to him. Both had no qualms about using violence to defeat their enemies and bend the will of the nation to their vision. Terror was a means to an end. Robespierre’s demise was that he alienated his own party base. Marat underestimated his opponents and picked and invited the wrong person into his room when taking a bath.

Have France and Britain always despised Germany?

No. Both France and Britain formed alliances with various German kingdoms and states as they saw fit for much of modern European history. This all changed in 1871 when a recently unified Germany crashed the global hegemony party that for sometime looked to be the sole preserve of both France and Britain. Three was way too much of a crowd.

Did the German Empire ever form an alliance with Russia?

Yes. The Dreikaiserbund (Union of the Three Emperors) signed between Germany, Russia and Austro-Hungary between 1873 to 1887. Bismarck actually renewed Germany’s ties with Russia with the Reinsurance Treaty but after he was dismissed from office by the Kaiser the alliance collapsed.France would the move closer to Russia. This would have huge implications in the march to WWI. Worth noting is that Dreikaiserbund had some precedent in the Holy Alliance signed by Russia, Austria-Hungary and Prussia in 1815 (following the Napoleonic Wars)

What was Otto von Bismarck's policies towards France and  Austro-Hungary?

He needed both sufficiently weakened by both war and diplomacy so that neither could stand in the way of eventual German Unification under the auspices of Prussia. The Austro-Prussian War (1866) dealt with Vienna and the Franco-Prussian War (1870–1871) put to bed - temporarily at least - the threat from the West.

List of Broken institutions

The following is a partial list of institutions that are definitely in decline. They have grown to be hideously corrupt. Events over the last ten to fifteen years provide evidence for this.

World - UN, WHO, FIFA, IOC, Nobel Peace Prize Committee, European Union

US - FBI, NSA, CIA, DOJ, US Armed Services, Federal Reserve, CDC

The Book is almost fully edited.

I am hoping that my book Navigating the Chaos will be ready for completion for publication by March. I have several iterations of editing and so far it looks promsing. This is definitely the most tedious and least enjoyable part of the entire writing process.

How does the UN deal with dictatorships?

 My answer on Quora.

It largely ignores them unless there is global pressure to do something about them. Even then I wouldn’t hold my breath. Many of these dictatorships skirt around scrutiny of their human rights abuses by making use of the “Like-Minded Group” protection mechanism. Included under this heading are Algeria, Bangladesh, Belarus, Bhutan, China, Cuba, Egypt, India, Indonesia, Iran, Malaysia, Myanmar, Nepal, Pakistan, the Philippines, Russia, Sri Lanka, Sudan, Syria, Venezuela, Vietnam, and Zimbabwe (at least under Mugabe).

For more check out:;“Like-Minded” Dictatorships and the United Nations | Council on Foreign Relations (cfr.org)

Are all Totalitarian governments the same or do they differ from one another?

My answer on Quiora.

They differ with respect to latitude of control, national, geographic and ethnic character, economic policies and societal/political ideologies. What they do have in common though is rule by a selected elite, forced shutdown of opposition, governance by decree, significant manipulation of the press narrative by a the holders of power and a lack of toleration for individual and group dissent. There is also an obvious fusion of the executive, legislative and judiciary into a centralized authority. If you see any of these factors creeping into the policies of a supposed democratic nation be very concerned about the trajectory.

The United States is still the key military spender in the West by far

 Top 10 NATO Countries with the Highest Defense Expenditures (by total US$)

1. United States — 811,140
2. United Kingdom — 72,765
3. Germany — 64,785
4. France — 58,729
5. Italy — 29,763
6. Canada — 26,523
7. Spain — 14,875
8. Netherlands — 14,378
9. Poland — 13,369
10. Turkey — 13,057

Without US spending NATO would be a severely depleted military force. Source:ttps://worldpopulationreview.com/country-rankings/nato-spending-by-country