Reflection week 4

This weekend, I watched a French film about World War II. The film centered on Algerian troops fighting for France throughout the war. After watching the movie, I started thinking about how WWII could relate to our world politics class. The different nations involved in the war represent different political ideologies we’ve been learning about in class this week.

Germany personified the idea of realism, as their desire was purely for power and security as opposed to their ethical interests. Germany sought territory and used their acquired land and power to capture more land and subsequently gain even more power. Germany’s treatment of Jews and the holocaust relates directly to the realist perspective. The Nazis believed that Jews, gays, and others presented a threat to their national security, and as such, must be eliminated. Human rights and morality could not be allowed to seep into the Nazis viewpoints, as it would interfere with the necessary rational thinking that needed to occur in order to preserve the stability and security of Germany. Hitler epitomized Machiavelli’s realist point of view, as he emphasizes the need for rational thought and defense of the state at all costs, doing whatever necessary to expand his domain and keep his power intact.

The allies represented the liberal point of view. They held high values such as human rights, elections, capitalism, and free trade. The allies operated on the principle that the things that Nazis were participating in were inherently wrong and immoral. This is in keeping with the liberal point of view. Liberalist thinkers operated on the principle that political rights were inherent in all humans, and participation in the government is a standard and necessary procedure.

Liberalism and realism in WWII were polar opposites of each other, and the conflicting ideologies provided fuel to the fire of dissent already brewing in Europe. The fact that the opposing sides in battle also possessed separate political viewpoints resulted in increased nationalism and fervor to be victorious against the side with an ideology difficult to understand and apparently incorrect according to their opponent.