cism. The Allies represented the forces of civilisation fighting Nazi barbarism.
This is the core message of every broadcast and tabloid reprint. The whole of the British establishment has thrown its weight behind drumming it home.
But behind the slogans lie a reality that is completely ignored in the VE celestatons.
Imperialist powers do not go to war for such things as "democracy" and the rights of small nations. These are justifying ideologies to cover their real war aims. Wars can only be understood as a continuation of politics.
The economic crash between 1929 and 1932 convinced Japan and the USA that growth could no longer be centred on 'the home market. But to move the focus of their economies required more than a simply economic reorganisation.
The advent of giant corporations and multinational business in a vast capitalist market so heightened competition between powers as to require an accompanying new political and social re-arrangement to consolidate the economic project.
This contest took place on a world scale. To achieve world leadership needed both economic superiority and a military strength to enforce it.
The ideologues of Washington called this endeavour "making the world safe for democracy". Japanese imperialism for its part, realised dependency on the USA for raw materials was a potentially disastrous weakness.
From 1942 onwards the USA fought for dominance in the Alliance. It made Britain submit because of its need for aid. What Churchill called "parting. with political authority and control" set the scene for the whole post war settlement - a "special relationship" which was founded on US hegemony.
Britain knew well that German dominated Europe would be the death knell for the British Empire -as soon as Hitler had consolidated his position in on the continent his war machine would come after British acquisitions abroad.
This is the real motivation behind British involvement in the war.
All the western powers embarked upon war to ensure their own imperial interests. Wars are about adapting political arrangements to new financial-industrial conditions.
It is important to appreciate this.
SOCIALIST OUTLOOK No. 83, May 13 1995, Page 10