GIVEN THE (LOW) LEVEL OF BOOKS, REVIEWS AND COMMENTS I AM PROBABLY WASTING MY TIME. THERE IS NO DEFINITION, MENTION, IN ANY OF ABOVE AS TO WHAT "FASCISM" (HITLER'S, MUSSO'S, FRANCO'S, ETC.) WIS (WAS, IS):
THE POLITICAL SUPERSTRUCTURE ABOVE A CAPITALIST ECONOMY.
YES, VIRGINIA, THERE IS SUCH A THING (CAPITALIST ECONOMY). IT CAME, INITIALLY, WITH GROWING DEMOCRACY, UNTIL SOME CAPITALISTS TOOK FRIGHT AFTER 1917 (SOME, IN RUSSIA, ELSEWHERE, LOST THEIR CAPITAL) AND DECIDED A GOOD DICTATORSHIP (THERE HAD BEEN DICTATORIAL SUPERSTRUCTURES BEFORE, WITH OTHER, EARLIER, ECONOMIC BASES)WOULD STOP THE DANGER TO CAPITAL.
THE REST (GENOCIDE, IMPERIALIST EXPANSION,CONCENTRATION CAMPS (WITH OR WITHOUT GAS CHAMBERS) WAS PART OF THE DEAL.
MANY CAPITALISTS (AND THEIR SUPPORTERS) IN OTHER (DEMOCRATIC) CAPITALIST COUNTRIES (EG. ROBERT MENZIES, IN OZ, CHAMBERLAIN/CLIVEDEN SET IN GB, MR VAN INGEN (PERSONAL CONNECTION, OK JOSEPH KENNEDY) ETC) CONSIDERED HITLER (AND MUSSO, JAPANESE) FASCISM AS PERHAPS UNPLEASANT, BUT LESSER EVIL/APPEASABLE - UNTIL IT BECAME CLEAR GERMAN, ITALIAN, JAPANESE FASCISM WERE TIED INTO RIVAL IMPERIALIST SYSTEMS, WHICH WANTED "TOO MUCH", AND NOT ONLY "IN THE EAST" (DRANG NACH OSTEN).

ADOLF AND CO WERE DOING PRETTY WELL UNTIL THEY MADE 3 FATAL MISTAKES:
1/ FAILURE TO INVADE BRITAIN IN 1940, -41
2/ QUITE UNNECESSARILY ATTACKING THE SOVIET UNION (WITH 300 DIVISIONS, FURNISHED IN PART BY OTHER (FASCIST) ALLIES: FINNLAND, HUNGARY, ROMANIA, CROATIA, AND (MANY !) ITALIANS.. THE SOVIETS WERE IN NO POSITION TO ATTACK GERMANY..
3/ ALLY JAPAN ATTACKING THE USA (AT PEARL HARBOR,ETC.PHILIPPINES...) INSTEAD OF THE SOVIET UNION, AND GERMANY, ITALY THEN DECLARING WAR ON THE USA. ROOSEVELT AND WINSTON GET DOWN ON THEIR (WELL, FDR?) BENDED KNEES TO THANK HIRO, ADOLF, AND MUSSO..
(NB: ON SAME DAY HITLER'S WEHRMACHT FOR THE FIRST TIME IS DEFEATED BEFORE MOSCOW, BUT JUST...)AH WELL, MOX NIX, INC MAX WATTS

It's good that Online still attracts articles such as that of Jonathon Ariel.

When one reads some of the responses one can be forgiven for wondering whether readers of the article know any history of WW2.

Was the Western world really expected to turn the other cheek while Hitler marched into the Rhine,re-militarised the Ruhr, ignored the terms of the Versailles agreement to not re-arm and not least felt that the world had to be rid of Jews as spelt out in Mein Kampf?

The thing that amazes me most is that these bizarre untruths get into print at all. I thought editors were supposed to be specialists in their subject areas.

My great concern is that gullible, untaught people will believe the crap these writers are peddling.

I wish that history was again a valued subject in the school curriculum. The knowledge is wonderful to have, but there is also, I think, some therapeutic value in having a sense of belonging and certainty about one's past and heritage.

Good article.