Quote:
Originally Posted by jambutty
Can I offer a slight correction to your post blazey?
WWII was not started because of economic competition between countries, what you refer to as states.
It was started because Hitler had Napoleonic aspirations of conquering Europe and his first conquest after Austria was Poland. We had a treaty with Poland that should the country be attacked we would go to Poland’s aid.
When Hitler ignored our demand to withdraw from Poland we declared war on Germany.
If it hadn’t been for that treaty with Poland there would have been a good chance of us not getting involved in yet another European squabble. Hitler had no plans for invading Great Britain and would have left us alone.
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OK well I will accept your view, but according to my EU law text book it was pushed forward because of the reasons I stated, though of course the idea to unify Europe was toyed with long before WWII by people such as William Penn in the 17th Century.
Whether you agree with that view or not, it is still a suggested reason by academics and a very valid one in my opinion. WE didn't go to war because of those reasons, but generally it is accepted that there was economic strains between the countries which led to Hitler's ideology and governance in the first place. Had there been no economic problems, perhaps things may have been different.
I do not question the chauvinism, as that is also another element which is mentioned in academia, but it wasn't the element that I personally see as the reason for staying within the EU now in this present day.