My Book Recommendations

Here are a few books that I would like to recommend.

1. The Rise and Fall of the Third Reich, By William L. Shirer. This book is my all time favourite. Even though it is a whopping 1147 pages, not including the index and bibliography, and is full of lengthy footnotes, it was highly readable and a thoroughly enjoyable read. Shirer devotes over half of his book to chronicling the rise of Adolf Hitler,and he lays it out in superb detail. Although his deposition of the Second world War seems a little rushed, the German point of view it is written in makes it worthwhile (how many times do you read about WWII in the German point of view?). I highly recommend this book to anyone who is interested in history, or anyone who wants a clear description of the darkest period in modern history.

2. Gandhi & Churchill: The Epic Rivalry that Destroyed an Empire and Forged Our Age, by Arthur Herman. This is a dual biography of Gandhi and Winston Churchill, and also a brief history of the British Empire in India. Herman does an excellent job of chronicling the fife of Gandhi, but with Churchill he only highlights his views on the Empire. In this book Herman portrays Gandhi as the wrecker of the British Empire and Churchill. You might think that the comparison between the two is a little odd, because those two titans of history were always at odds with one another, but Herman does quite a good job. I recommend this book because it provides a brief overview of the lives of Gandhi and and Churchill, and also presents the British Empire in India as an epic struggle between old imperialists and Indian nationalists. This book is a must read for everyone wanting a brief overview of Gandhi, Churchill, and the British Empire.

3. The Rise and Fall of the British Empire, by Lawrence James. This is an older book, but it is probably the best volume on the British Empire to date. This book chronicles the entire history of the British Empire from the Renaissance to the handover of Hong Kong in 1997. James outlines the British Empire's legacy, global capitalism and trade, democracy, industrialization, slavery, then anti-slavery, colonization, prejudice, the maxim-gun, the steam- engine, and so on and so forth. James Cook, Nelson, Cecil Rhodes, Queen Victoria, King George III, and Winston Churchill are just some of the historical figures displayed in this book. Also, The Rise and Fall of the British Empire analyses imperialism, nationalism, and globalization. A recommended read for anyone who wants to solidify their knowledge of the British empire and its impact on world history. However, if you just want an introduction to the history of the British Empire, I recommend the book Empire: The Rise and Demise of the British World Order, by Niall Ferguson.

Also, check out the book A History of the English Speaking Peoples Since 1900, by Andrew Roberts. A good history of Britain and America, but its neoconservative prospective might turn some people off.

Conservatives Release New TV Ads

The ad shown on CTV is really positive and features people saying why they support Stephen Harper. Let the campaign begin!

Three Likely Outcomes of a Fall Election

With a fall election all but certain, its been hard not to ponder the possible outcomes.
I believe there are 3 possible outcomes, they are:

1. The Conservatives win a minority government. It will probably be an increased minority with the Conservatives taking some seats from the Liberals in suburban Ontario and in the Maritimes. Also, the conservatives will take some seats from the Bloc in rural Quebec, and the NDP will knock out some Liberal seats in the urban centres. Stephane Dion will resign on election night and a leadership election will be called (or Dion will pull a John Tory, but be forced out at a leadership review). The Conservatives will be able to govern as if they had a majority.

2. Canada will become Harperland. If the Conservatives run another excellent campaign like in 2006, Dion fumbles everything and the Lib attack ads backfire, Harper will be able to appeal to the solid majority, which will allow the Conservatives to hold on to their western seats ( and probably get more in BC) and get a total of 60 seats in Ontario, 30 in Quebec, and 20 in the Maritimes. this will result in a solid majority government. The Bloc and the Liberals will be decimated. If Layton plays it right, the NDP might be within striking distance of the Liberals in the seat count (the NDP can only do this if they become a populist working class protest movement like they were in the 1980s). As a result, the Conservatives might become the natural governing party, and Layton will realize his dream of almost replacing the Liberals. Oh, and the Bloc will be sliced in half.

3. Now the more unlikely, but still possible if Harper pulls a Paul Martin. The Liberals squeak out a small minority, something like 120 seats to the Conservatives 110, and the government doesn't last long, something like Joe Clark's. Harper does a massive reorganization and is able to pull off being reelected. Or, if Dion allows it, Layton joins in a coalition with the Liberals, and Canada has its first NDP government!

Part 3: The Third Reich's Legacy

This is the final post in The Rise and Fall of the Third Reich Series.

The Third Reich had undoubtedly shattered Europe. Millions of people either died in the conflict or were brutally murdered by the Nazi regime. The French, Italian, and Japanese Empires had crumbled, and the once mighty British Empire was bankrupted. An ancient race was nearly wiped out, and then saw its return to the promised land. Communism had advanced to near supremacy, and an isolated republic was transformed into a superpower. This is the legacy of the Third Reich.

The Rebirth of Empires

After the First World War many proclaimed that the Age of Imperialism was over. However, in a few short years, one Empire was reborn but quickly fell, and another had risen out of the ashes. As Imperialism nearly crumbled into ruin in the 1920s, the once mighty German Empire, or "Second Reich" passed into history. In a few short years, that Empire was reborn into the Third Reich. Under the ruthless leadership of Adolf Hitler, that new Empire spread from North Africa to the outskirts of Moscow. But it collapsed as fast as it was born, nearly pulling Europe down with it.

Just as the Third Reich had quickly risen and fallen, another old Empire was reborn. The Russian Empire was just a shell of its former self at the outbreak of the Second World War. Its near destruction by the Third Reich had directly engineered its rebirth, consuming all of Eastern Europe, and casting a dark shadow over the shattered western Europe. Out of the ashes of a briefly mighty Third Reich, the Mighty Soviet Union had emerged, and an Iron Curtain descended onto Europe.

Israel

The Holocaust is probably the darkest moment in human history, millions of people, mostly Jews, were led to their death in nightmarish Nazi death camps. Hitler and his thugs' perverted dream of eliminating the Jewish race was one of history's most evil acts. When you look closer, it is hard not to notice the irony in Hitler's evil plan. The Nazis' attempt to wipe out the Jewish peoples, in the end, had led directly to the reestablishment of a Jewish state. Israel is probably the greatest product of the Third Reich. After the horrors of the Holocaust, the world could no longer morally deny the Jewish people a homeland, and in 1948, Israel was born.

The Passing of the Baton

The rise and fall of the Third Reich also led to the collapse of a great empire. Within a few years after the Second World War, the British Empire had faded into history. In its place another great English-speaking democracy rose to dominance, the American Republic. The world quickly shed its web of great powers and became a world dominated by the Soviet Union in the East, and the United States of America in the West. The Third Reich had caused the old order of European imperialism to collapse, and a new age of superpower politics to emerge. The Cold War had begun...

...Now as Russia reasserts herself on the world stage, China and India rise to new heights, and Europe becomes more united, it is hard not to wonder if the world if returning to the pre-Second World War order with Russia, the United States, China, India, and the European Union as the world's great powers.

The Canadian Cynic Really Hates Me!

It seems like The Canadian Cynic really hates me! First, a Canadian Cynic blogger incorrectly wrote that I have compared Stephen Harper's Prime Ministerial career with that of Richard Nixon. What I was trying to get at was that Nixon (and the Republicans) where able to appeal to the silent majority (something Harper's trying to do). I was not saying that Harper is corrupt like Nixon. Then when I tried to defend myself on that blog, I was continuously mocked by all of Canadian Cynic's cronies (something that did not surpries me).

Recently, Canadian Cynic had attacked Fox News and Bill O' Reilly's 'bias'. Just like The Canadian Cynic blog had torn up one of my posts, I had attempted to do do the same by saying that Fox News is not nearly as biased as MSNBC or CBC, and I pointed out that O' Reilly always says that he's an Independent. So, maybe I was asking for it, but Canadian Cynic wrote a new post entitled When Blogging Tories Comment Badly, and he points to an article from 2005 saying that O' Reilly is a registered Republican, he doesn't mention that O' Reilly said it was a mistake, and IS now a registered 'Independent'!

What I'm trying to get at is should I be concerned about Candian Cynic contributers continuously trying to rip me apart, or should I just regard them as a cynical lefties who are super pissed off that what they call 'NeoCons' are running their beloved country?

An Election Won't Be Stopped Now...

...unless the Governor General refuses to dissolve parliament - which will (almost certainly) never happen.

Dion has refused to return PM Harper's calls, apparently that means that since you don't want to talk to the Prime Minister on the phone, then don't bother planning for a new legislative session. It is increasingly evident that Harper wants an election -and he's gonna get it. At first the Liberals did not believe him, but now they know that he's serious. Unlike Dion, when Harper wants an election -he wants an election (remember the spring of 2005?).

There are two possible outcomes to all this election talk. Either Dion will meet with PM Harper - and Harper says he's unreasonable and calls an election -or- PM Stephen Harper will tell the GG that because the Leader of the Opposition doesn't want to discuss with him about how to bring the minority parliament forward, parliament has become dysfunctional and an election must be called.

So there we have it, we finally have an election that was technically supposed to happen last fall - if you play the minority government odds. Now its time to ponder what the outcome of the election will be...

The Republicans are More Divided than the Democrats

As the Democratic Party Convention begins, there has been a lot of talk of the great division between Obama and Clinton supporters. Republicans are obviously exploiting this as much as they can. However, the Democrats aren't the only party that is divided this convention season. It is common knowledge that John McCain never enjoyed considerable support from Evangelicals and staunch conservatives - the base of the Republican Party. Even though there is plenty of evidence that they have begun to warm to McCain, the base is still not energized by his candidacy. With the Democrats, the base is behind Barack Obama, its just some of the staunch Hilary Clinton supporters who are not warming to him.

My advice to McCain - put Mitt Romney on the ticket, the Conservatives love him and he has an impressive political record. Do not pick Joe Liberman - he's not a Republican, and he was Gore's running mate. The images of Liberman hugging Al Gore at the 2000 convention will make many Republicans shriek in horror at the thought of him being McCain's VP pick. Choosing Liberman will be political suicide, choosing Mitt Romney will help energize the Republican base.

Obama Biden 2008

Mr Change has picked Mr. 30 year Senator, it will be interesting to see how that plays out. However Biden does bring a lot of foreign policy experience which I guess is a good thing. Also Biden's son is preparing for a tour of duty in Iraq, so maybe we'll see more flip-flops from Obama. Will Joe Biden make Obama President? Its still too hard to tell, but many news agencies are reporting that choosing Biden will give Obama a bounce in the polls, but we'll see.

An Election! An Election!

According to CTV, senior Tories say an election might be called after Labour Day! I hope Dion is ready! Link: Election call possible after Labour Day.

Part 2: The Nazi-Soviet Pact

This is the second in a series of posts on William Shirer's book, The Rise and Fall of the Third Reich.

By the early summer of 1939, it had became apparent that Hitler was planning the destruction of Poland. The only thing that was stopping hm was the nightmare of a two-front war. If Poland was invaded, the Polish Army would have been easily defeated, but it was obvious to Hitler that the Soviet Union would not stand by and let Germany take Poland. With the Germans tied up battling the Soviet Union, the Western Front would have been left defenceless. It was apparent to everyone that a two front war would have meant disaster for Nazi Germany.

The Basis for The Nazi-Soviet Pact

Hitler repeatedly told the French and British that he did not want to go to war with them. But the the British no longer had the desire to appease Hitler like at Munich. According to Shirer, Hitler and his Generals believed that if it was guaranteed that The Soviet Union would not go to war against Germany, it would discourage the French and British to go to war over Poland. The Germans, French, and British had all realized that with a neutral Soviet Union, Poland was doomed.

The Nazis and the British immediately opened up communications with the Soviets. The Nazi goal was to have the Soviets agree to a non-aggression pact, and the British were hoping for a French-British-Soviet military alliance - similar to the one that proved so destructive to the German war effort in the First World War. However, the British did not know (but the Nazis did) that The Soviet Union desired a chunk of Poland, and wanted greater influence in the Balkans, and the Baltic Sea. The Nazis were prepared to give them what they wanted in order to secure a non-aggression pact, but the British were not prepared to go that far. Shirer writes that the British feared a more powerful Soviet Union, and that the Nazis were also fearful of giving them more power, but Hitler said he would remedy that problem by destroying The Soviet Union in a future war!

A Last Minute Hope for Peace

On August 28, 1939 it was announced that Nazi Germany and the Soviet Union had signed a non-aggression pact, the nightmare of a possible two-front war was over. Many people, including Shirer himself, thought that a world war would be avoided. According to Shirer, many, including Roosevelt, Mussolini, Stalin, and Hitler himself, had assumed that the French and British would not bother to fight for Poland now that the Soviet Union was out of the picture. It turned out that they were proven wrong.

The Italians, after signing the Rome-Berlin Axis, were terrified of the prospect of a war with France and Britain. The Italian Army would have likley met disater agaunst the French in the Alps, and Shirer wrote that the Italian Navy would be destroyed in a fortnight. When it became apparent that The British and French will go to war with Germany if Poland was attacked, The Duce (Mussolini) was able to wiggle out of his country's military alliance with Germany (according to Shirer, he did this by demanding from the Germans an impossible amount of rubber, coal, oil and gas). After a last ditch attempt by Hitler to prevent France and Britain from going to war (he offered to guarantee the French frontier and the British Empire), the orders were given for the German Army to attack Poland.

Why The Soviet Union Signed a Non-Aggression Pact With Germany

When reading Shirer's depiction of the prelude to The Second World War, it is easy to realize why the Soviet Union -no big fan of Nazi Germany, had agreed to sign the Non-Aggression Pact. Shirer makes it clear in his depiction of the events, that the British were not determined enough in their negotiations to get the Soviet Union to sign an alliance with them. Shirer writes that the British did nothing to address Stalin's fear of having to bear the full brunt of a German attack.

According to Shirer, the Soviets pointed out that France's 100 divisions would only take up defensive positions behind the Maginot Line and not attack Germany, and that the British Expeditionary Force would only be 4-5 divisions strong. Whereas the Soviets would have to mobilize almost 200 divisions to defend Poland - a territory with no natural defences. It was also pointed out that Hitler would direct most of his forces in the direction of Poland, and likely wouldn't stop until he got to Moscow.

It is hard not to blame the Soviets for not wanting to go to war against Germany. Shirer makes it obvious that they would have had to do most of the fighting, and besides, Poland did not like The Soviet Union that much. Unlike with the Munich Agreement, there was no real alternative to preventing the outbreak of war.

However, the Franco-British military strategy is another matter.