O/T National Service

[Abraham]

Originally Posted by Skybird

Maybe Germans just have learned their lessons - and for that reason question the shallow motives of questionable honours and theatralic speeches and hidden soceities within societies that hide solid economical motives in other nations that have fallen victim to see military action as a solution to almost everything.

Aha! The Germans learned their own lesson and now they think they should lecture "other nations that have fallen victim" about "questionable honours and theatrical speeches" and so on?
I see things slightly different. The Germans made a big mistake in the Hitler-era (to put it mildly). They were taught a stiff lesson by the Allies and eventually learned from it. Now they should behave (most do), be grateful for having gotten a new chance (most are) and display extreme modesty in criticising their former teachers (most do).

Originally Posted by Skybird

And about the time between Versailles treaty and 1939 a lot can be said that goes slightly beyond just some inner characteristic of German society. It's the same society without whose rich cultural treasury of writing, philosophy, music and arts the world today and Western civilization would not be what it is. German history did not start with Hitler.

You're right on this.
You probably just couldn't resist justifying Anti Americanism in your posting. At least I bet you were not aiming at North Korea, Cuba or Burma...