The 'good war' was the fight against fascism that imperial Great Britain failed to fight in Germany in 1933 and in Spain in 1936. The British Empire left the anarchists, socialists and communists to fight those fights, bringing the catastophe of the 1939-1945 war on themselves and everyone else.

That is not to demean the sacrifices made against fascism by individuals in that period, but the governments deserve no credit and a lot of blame.

Where and when are these meetings taking place?

That's not quite true. Since the collapse of the Soviet Union evidence has emerged that casts the period in a new light and shows that Stalin deliberately triggered the war because he believed it would benefit the USSR and communism.

In 1939 Stalin faced the choice of either allying the USSR with Britain and France against Germany, which in his opinion would avoid the immediate threat of war, or allying with Germany, which he correctly predicted would almost immediately trigger war between Germany and Britain and France.

He chose the latter because he believed that the war would be long and ruinous for both sides, Germany, Britain and France and that it would hasten the downfall of capitalism and herald the triumph of Soviet-style communism.

Hence when the war started the USSR and communist parties proclaimed that the war was an inter-imperialist war that workers shouldn't support either side (much to the confusion of many who had been following the previous 'anti-fascist' line). The Soviet press smugly printed stories showing how while the Soviet Union had secured peace for itself, Britain was facing war.

Stalin seemed concerned that the Allies might defeat Nazi Germany too rapidly and so to help avoid this planned to supply Germany with raw materials.

Of course rather than a drawn-out war like the First World War that Stalin had hoped for, Germany very rapidly overran Belgium, the Netherlands and France and then turned on the USSR. Then the communist parties dropped the 'inter-imperialist war' line and went back to the 'anti-fascist' line.

"The 'good war' was the fight against fascism that imperial Great Britain failed to fight in Germany in 1933 and in Spain in 1936. The British Empire left the anarchists, socialists and communists to fight those fights, bringing the catastophe of the 1939-1945 war on themselves and everyone else"

Germany in '33 was under the heel of the runious and punitive reperations set by the allies after ww1, these led to the over production of high grade German steel and coal and to the utter failier of the UK industries at that time (why buy expensive rubbish?) and the standing government was scaleing back the UKs military (at that time the largest part of the Uk military was the Indian forces under the pay and direction of the Indian Civil service not the Uk war office). Germany was delibertly keeping her growing strength hiden and only when the Spanish civil war was "assisted" by the Condor Legion did the UK at last start to see the prospect of a serious threat from Germany but instead of upgrading the Uks home defence they allowed the politicians to try negociating with the then chancellor Hitler.

That went well.

Spanish left wing forces failed to win much ground as they were untrained, ill disiplined and, according to writters and participants, spent more time discussing Marx and communism than tactics and training, the results were a forgon conclusion.

As histories go, it is a fantastic argument in favour of a well trained and equiped military rather that the opposite.

As for the morals of a war, is there ever a "good war", no soldier will say there is as it's them who have to be first to go. In the 20/20 hindsite so favoured of today, I thing a visit to Aushvitz or the warsaw ghetto area is a fairly good reason.


I wonder if any one will get to read this, will get to this bit.
I have not linked to things and quotes because if your interested then you can do it yourself.