Hitler offered the German people what they wanted: retribution for the wrongs they perceived were being done to them. Had Germany been offered a measure of forgiveness at the end of WWI, democracy would have survived and Hitler would have been deprived of the conditions needed for him to become FÃ �hrer of the Third Reich.
Under a democracy inGermany, six million Jews and untold numbers of gypsies, homosexuals and the mentally impaired would not have been exterminated. Thousands of soldiers would not have died in the next war. How do we know? The evidence lies in what happened at the end of World War II.
Aid offered after World War II to all the war-torn nations of Europe, including the enemy, Germany, demonstrates how different the outcome can be when vengeance is relinquished in favor of restoration and reconciliation.
The United Nations Relief and Rehabilitation Administration helped millions of World War II refugees, and was instrumental in achieving European postwar recovery. Through the Marshall Plan, the United States spent billions of dollars on economic and technical assistance to help the recovery of the European countries that shared our system of representative democracy and free market economy, which included postwar West Germany. It helped establish an environment that promoted European integration by reducing tariff trade barriers and setting up continental-wide institutions to coordinate the economy.
In a relatively short time, the economy of Western Europehad grown beyond prewar levels. Only West Germany lagged behind, but eventually it, too, caught up and excelled.
The United States instituted a program similar to the Marshall Plan inJapan, the other major World War II enemy. By joining the Allies in stopping the bloodshed, then commencing programs of restoration, without seeking retribution, the United States helped its former foes recover.
Out of remorse in Germany and Japan arose a commitment to be good neighbors. Democracy flourished in both countries, and they became strong U.S. allies. Germany became a leader in the European Union, and the small nation of Japan became one of the world's strongest economies.
In the face of such compelling evidence, how can we deny that unitive justice works and seeking retribution and revenge does not? Nine years after 9-11, have our attacks and threats of attack achieved peace?
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