At Casablanca in January 1943, FDR announced that America's objective in WW2 was the "unconditional surrender" of the Axis Powers. This was seized upon by propagandists in Germany and Japan to bolster public support for the concept of a "total war" for survival that must be fought to the bitter end. In addition, it provided a pretext for the Soviet Union to completely destroy any democratic institutions in Eastern Europe and replace them with Communist dictatorships.
Was FDR foolishly naive enough to believe that people in Germany and Japan were somehow less resilient and patriotic than their counterparts in the USA, GB and USSR? Or was this simply the delusion of a dying old man?
Was FDR foolishly naive enough to believe that people in Germany and Japan were somehow less resilient and patriotic than their counterparts in the USA, GB and USSR? Or was this simply the delusion of a dying old man?