Highlights and Famous Quotes from World War II

12/31/202412/31/2024 Safa Gür 0 Comments

Highlights and Famous Quotes from World War II

I have always had an interest in history. Even as a young boy, I had the opportunity to hear a variety of opinions on historical events, thanks to the individuals around me. I was not the most hard-working student in elementary and middle school, but I never missed history lectures. Over time, I developed my own perspective. However, my first history teacher’s influence was significant for me. He might be the one who helped me realize why certain people accomplished amazing things in their lives.

This journey of mine continued in high school with another excellent teacher. At first glance, I assumed he was unable to teach me anything since we did not have much in common regarding certain events or individuals from the world stage. I later realized it was a chance to test if my beliefs was solid and if I could explain them to those who disagree.

I have always believed that people with different mindsets are like flowers, they are unique with their scent or colours. Some of them might smell bad but have a great colour, so always aim for the good side and see what you can take from there.

My desire to contribute this text to the journal stems from a commitment to making historical discussions accessible and engaging to diverse audiences. Through translation, such significant moments remain relevant and accessible to cultures. So, I tried to translate some famous quotes from different special figures in history. I hope you will enjoy the rest of the text as I did, focusing on the positive aspects and exploring what lies ahead. I take pleasure in creating content about history, and what makes it unique is that I’m doing it in English.

Quote: “It is humiliating to remain with our hands folded while others write history. It matters little who wins. To make a people great it is necessary to send them to battle even if you have to kick them in the pants. That is what I shall do.”

Benito Mussolini

Translation: “Diğerleri tarih yazarken ellerimiz bağlı kalmak küçük düşürücüdür. Kimin kazandığı çok mühim değil. Bir ulusu yüceltmek için onları savaşa göndermek gerekir, hatta onları tekmelemek gerekse bile. İşte ben bunu yapacağım.”

Quote: “Who says I am not under the special protection of God?” Adolf Hitler

Translation: “Tanrının özel koruması altında olmadığımı kim söylüyor?”

Quote: “The war has developed not necessarily to Japan’s advantage.” Hirohito

Translation: “Savaş, Japonya’nın lehine gelişmedi.”

Quote: “You can always count on Americans to do the right thing – after they have tried everything else.” Winston Churchill

Translation: “Amerikalıların doğru şeyi yapacaklarına her zaman güvenebilirsin. Tabii diğer her şeyi denediklerinden sonra.”

Quote: “Now this is not the end. It is not even the beginning of the end. But it is, perhaps, the end of the beginning.” Winston Churchill

Translation: “Şimdi bu son değil. Hatta sonun başlangıcı bile değil. Ancak belki de başlangıcın sonudur.”

Quote: “Treaties are like roses and young girls. They last while they last.” Charles de Gaulle

Translation: “Antlaşmalar, güller ve genç kızlar gibidir. Sürdükleri kadar sürerler.”

Quote: “In politics, nothing happens by accident. If it happens, you can bet it was planned that way.” Franklin D. Roosevelt

Translation: “Siyasette, hiçbir şey tesadüfen olmaz. Eğer bir şey oluyorsa, öyle planlandığına bahse girebilirsiniz.”

Quote: “War is not only a matter of equipment, artillery, group troops or air force; it is largely a matter of spirit, or morale.” Chiang Kai-shek

Translation: “Savaş sadece teçhizat, topçu birlikleri veya hava kuvvetleri değil; büyük ölçüde ruhun veya moralin meselesidir.”

Quote: “It goes without saying that when survival is threatened, struggles erupt between peoples, and unfortunate wars between nations result.” Hideki Tojo

Translation: “Söylemeye gerek yok, hayatta kalma tehdidi altındayken halklar arasında mücadeleler ortaya çıkar ve uluslararası talihsiz savaşlarla sonuçlanır.”

These words tell a lot to those who want to understand them even today. However, nowadays, instead of searching for information, unfortunately, we accept what is offered to us without questioning it because we lack searching for others’ perspectives. If a passerby handed us money, surely we would all question that, but for some reason, we cannot fully show the same sensitivity in a world where knowledge is seen as power.

Through their leaders, people were made to believe that the war they fought served a much greater purpose. Great wars were fought, resulting in both major defeats and great victories. Some thought they were right in some of their cases. Some were the attackers, and some were the defenders. So, was the attacker always wrong? I leave the answer to you.

Throughout history, masses have fallen into misery and even died for the ambitions of the ruler. However, these people did not acquire these ambitions in one night. For some, there is at least a plot and some psychological reasons, at least one of which I want to talk about in this article.

For example, World War II brought many great leaders to the world stage. Instead of discussing which one is good or bad, let’s talk a little about Hitler, whom I enjoyed reading about in my high school years. Hitler is viewed as evil for obvious reasons, which I believe is no longer the case today. This can be attributed to society adding humour to every field. I think almost all of us know that Hitler was a young man who wanted to be a painter. His family was in favour of him becoming a civil servant, but these wishes ended with the death of his father. Later, he became ill, and his school life became more turbulent. When he regained his composure, he tried his luck by going to Vienna and applying to schools, but he was unsuccessful. After a while, he lost his mother and earned his living by selling paintings in Vienna for some time. The four years he stayed in Vienna also gave him the opportunity to get to know his surroundings. While the country was in misery, it did not take long for him to observe that the most beautiful places and the best jobs were taken by the Jews. More or less, we all know the rest. For Hitler, the plot comes from his misfortunes in his youth and his becoming a foreigner in his own country. Of course, I’m not trying to justify him with what I said since the traces he left on the world are obvious. The important thing is if we can empathize with this man, often called the devil, we’ve achieved something still lacking in the world.

History serves many purposes and repetition cannot always be considered as good. With so many sources and so many examples from recent history, we should at least have our own truths and thoughts that serve a good purpose as individuals. I have, as an individual and as a reader, always been open to information that I can filter in my mind, regardless of whether it is good or bad. Just as black contains hints of white, pure white isn’t entirely devoid of shades.

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