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'We will never capitulate, never.... We might be destroyed, perhaps; but we will drag a world with usa world in flames.'
-Adolf Hitler
National leaders have two options for terminating any war. The first option is to defeat the enemy completely, destroying his military, overthrowing his government, and conquering his people. In this option the victor imposes the terms of the settlement upon the vanquished. The second option is to entice the enemy's government to come to the negotiating table and reach an agreement that stops the conflict. While there may be a clear winner and loser, this option requires both parties to agree. The character of World War II was a function of history, ideology, geography, and the distribution of relative power. The combination of these factors shaped the Allied decision to fight a total war aimed at the complete defeat of the enemy and reject the option of a negotiated peace. Based on the character of World War II, the Allied decision of unconditional surrender offered acceptable risk and far greater reward for the long term than did the option of a negotiated peace.
Historical Background
The history of World War I had an enormous influence on the British and American political and military leaders during World War II. For the British, the loss of an entire generation consisting of almost I million killed and over 2 million wounded in the mud and the blood of the trenches created an intense desire to avoid frontal assaults and direct attacks. Historically, Britain favored:
. .what Liddell Hart called `the indirect approach'-to make use of its economic resources and its navy, and to shore up Continental allies against any major power threatening the balance in Europe.1
Based on their traditional preference for the indirect approach and understandable aversion for the enormous casualties incurred during the trench warfare of World War I, during World War II Britain advocated attacking through the "soft underbelly of Europe." Therefore, it is not surprising that Britain agreed to a cross channel invasion only after U.S. insistence and the buildup of significant combat power in order to ensure a reasonable chance of success.
The Americans on the other hand were determined to prevent a repeat of the Versailles Treaty that...