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World War One Myths: Germany and the ‘Stab in the Back’
The Lie That Led to World War II
There has been much talk since the 2020 US Presidential election about the persistent narrative that the election was somehow stolen; media outlets refer to this narrative as “the Big Lie.” The majority of people do not adhere to this false notion, but a significant number do. Those who don’t believe it see those who do as deluded sore losers and tend to just go on with life. After all, what real damage can a myth of this type really do?
The answer is, simply put, an incalculable amount of damage, which is why distortions, myths, and outright lies of this type should never be ignored, no matter how fatigued we become battling them. We need only look to events just over a century ago for proof. Following the Treaty of Versailles after World War I in 1919, a Big Lie rose up in Germany that set the stage for Hitler’s rise to power and led to a Second World War more devastating than the first, a lie that said the German Army was not defeated on the battlefield, but rather betrayed at home.
Before looking at the myth, let’s examine the facts. By the summer of 1918, as the grinding trench warfare in Europe completed its fourth year, the German Army was essentially done as a fighting force. Their spring offensive, the Ludendorff Offensive, began on…
