Epilogue
WAR is a cancer of the human race that has been used to settle disputes between nations since the beginning of history. As time progresses, man’s ability to destroy his enemies becomes more and more sophisticated, and has now reached the point where he is capable of destroying himself and much of the life on earth. The danger is such that a world conflict on the scale of the last two great wars must never be allowed to happen again.
For those of us who lived through the last conflict and escaped unscathed, there were many anxious times, and moments of sheer terror, but the experience illustrates how communities made up of individuals with many different backgrounds and stations in life can work together when there is a common cause. A determination to win ensured that old enmities and bickering were forgotten, and we all helped one another. This brought about a spirit of co-operation, good neighbourliness and tolerance that made the years between 1939 and 1946 some of the happiest of my life.
Few people thought the war would last very long, and although tradesmen’s predictions of four to six months were always seen as overly optimistic, nobody would have predicted nearly six years of war. They would also never have imagined that man would descend to such levels of bestiality, or that the carnage would be so great.
Ruthless, misguided, and manipulative politicians and dictators create wars. The seeds of this second great conflict were sown in the first. The treaty signed at Versailles left the German people suffering humiliation and deprivation that made it possible for the Nazi party to emerge. They restored some of the nation’s lost pride, and generated prosperity. This ensured a wave of popularity and support that enabled them to wage war. Mercifully, the treatment of the Germans after the Second World War was more enlightened, but we still see the mistakes of the past being repeated.
The state of Israel, a product of political idealism, sits like a detonator in the midst of an explosive mixture of Arab nationalism and religious fundamentalism. The people of Iraq, following two Gulf Wars, face enormous problems despite the removal of Saddam Hussein. Indeed, the region in general seems to have descended into turmoil. The long-term stability of the Middle East states that control most of the World’s oil is highly questionable, yet huge quantities of arms and advanced military technology continue to find their way into these countries.
Russia received little financial support from the West in making the difficult transition from communism to a market economy. Nevertheless, despite facing hardship and political unrest, Russia seems to have regained much of its former strength as a military and economic power, as well as its influence on the world stage. Whether its fledgling democracy will survive is another matter. China looks set to become the world’s foremost economic power, but is also tentatively flexing its military muscles, especially in the South China Sea.
God forbid that there should be another world war. If there is, the carnage is likely to be measured in billions rather than millions of lives. It is even possible that the human race could become extinct. Instead, it is to be hoped that we will be able to recapture the sense of common purpose experienced during the war, and concentrate on scientific and economic endeavours destined to improve the lot of man and banish poverty from the face of the Earth. Only the passage of time will tell us whether or not the achievement of such an ideal is possible.
