https://vimeo.com/128373915
Very interesting to look at the data behind the propaganda
Animated short documentary about war and peace. The Fallen of World War II (2015)
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Cool video, i've often had this arguement with my mum. Shes always talking about how horrible everything is 'these days', how there is so much war and darkness in the world - I've repeatedly tried to explain to her that the truth is the opposite, now we are just exposed/enlightened to ALL of the darkness in the world on a daily basis where in the past everyone was blissfully unaware of the vast majority of issues, intentionally misinformed about them, or just didnt care to look. Also, there are a lot more of us now, the world is closing in on us, which makes things seem a lot more tense.
Bad things always happened, people just got away with it, or you didnt hear about it. Media saturation has both good and bad effects on society - constant bad news makes it hard to see the whole relatively peaceful picture, yet the same information is making most people more moral and worldy, slowly but surely - one proof of this, as shown in that video you linked, is the total lack of colonial type warfare. It doesnt happen anymore because the vast majority of people would no longer accept it, countries now just find clandestine ways of doing the same thing however (like Iraq).
It's hard to see the light at the end of the tunnel when every murder, shooting, bomb and conflict is injected into your eyeballs everyday of the week - makes that truth very hard to see.
Bad things always happened, people just got away with it, or you didnt hear about it. Media saturation has both good and bad effects on society - constant bad news makes it hard to see the whole relatively peaceful picture, yet the same information is making most people more moral and worldy, slowly but surely - one proof of this, as shown in that video you linked, is the total lack of colonial type warfare. It doesnt happen anymore because the vast majority of people would no longer accept it, countries now just find clandestine ways of doing the same thing however (like Iraq).
It's hard to see the light at the end of the tunnel when every murder, shooting, bomb and conflict is injected into your eyeballs everyday of the week - makes that truth very hard to see.
Great info-graphic vid! Thanks!
The subject of "The Long Peace" is, as the video suggests, not a new one. The contrast between the comparably "Petty Wars" among the sovereigns of many European nations before WWI and the two world wars afterwards is also a fairly hot topic. (Not really explored in the vid, but significant for a holistic view.)
Just some commentary - Soviet losses, both military and civilian, are likely higher than the estimates in the vid. But, it's just not possible to really confirm. IIRC, ten to twelve million is generally acceptable estimate. Also, the loss of life, civilian and P.O.W., within the USSR directly due to the oppression of the desperate government is likely much higher than reported.
The Soviet's impact on WWII can never be underestimated. Though we, in the West, see a great many popular movies lauding the triumphs of our militaries, the fact is that the war would have gone much differently if Barbarosa had never taken place. Though, it's also very likely that the USSR would have eventually entered the war, anyway, but it may have been much later. Given the likelihood of German successes in Europe and elsewhere without the drain on resources presented by the Eastern Front, one could argue that the only time the Soviets could have reasonably entered the war would have been at the time that they did. Stalin, presented with a "Fortress Europa" may have chosen to wait even longer. There's no doubt that the two "Biggest Boys on the Block" would have eventually come to blows, though.
On this general subject, but going much further, I think that a good book recommendation would be Kissinger's "World Order." No matter one's opinion of the man, largely influenced by the generations faced with Korea, Vietnam, and the "Cold War," it's a very illuminating look at the political mechanisms of conflict, diplomacy, and order in the relatively "new world" that descended from the Treaty of Westphalia, which brought an end to the petty squabbles that plagued Europe before WWI. (And, which in a large way, signaled the doom of the Monarchical governments of Europe.)
We have a problem visualizing "large numbers." Info-graphics like this one can really help people to grasp the actual impacts of significant events that effect hundreds of millions, or billions, of people.
The subject of "The Long Peace" is, as the video suggests, not a new one. The contrast between the comparably "Petty Wars" among the sovereigns of many European nations before WWI and the two world wars afterwards is also a fairly hot topic. (Not really explored in the vid, but significant for a holistic view.)
Just some commentary - Soviet losses, both military and civilian, are likely higher than the estimates in the vid. But, it's just not possible to really confirm. IIRC, ten to twelve million is generally acceptable estimate. Also, the loss of life, civilian and P.O.W., within the USSR directly due to the oppression of the desperate government is likely much higher than reported.
The Soviet's impact on WWII can never be underestimated. Though we, in the West, see a great many popular movies lauding the triumphs of our militaries, the fact is that the war would have gone much differently if Barbarosa had never taken place. Though, it's also very likely that the USSR would have eventually entered the war, anyway, but it may have been much later. Given the likelihood of German successes in Europe and elsewhere without the drain on resources presented by the Eastern Front, one could argue that the only time the Soviets could have reasonably entered the war would have been at the time that they did. Stalin, presented with a "Fortress Europa" may have chosen to wait even longer. There's no doubt that the two "Biggest Boys on the Block" would have eventually come to blows, though.
On this general subject, but going much further, I think that a good book recommendation would be Kissinger's "World Order." No matter one's opinion of the man, largely influenced by the generations faced with Korea, Vietnam, and the "Cold War," it's a very illuminating look at the political mechanisms of conflict, diplomacy, and order in the relatively "new world" that descended from the Treaty of Westphalia, which brought an end to the petty squabbles that plagued Europe before WWI. (And, which in a large way, signaled the doom of the Monarchical governments of Europe.)
We have a problem visualizing "large numbers." Info-graphics like this one can really help people to grasp the actual impacts of significant events that effect hundreds of millions, or billions, of people.