By Alex Gratzek
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In 1870, the Franco-Prussian War began. This would be the first of three wars between the two nations which would tear Europe apart. Prussia won and unified the various German states to become Germany as we know it. In the aftermath of its victory, Prussia made France give it the lands of Alsace and Lorraine and pay a large war indemnity.
These seizure of lands proved to be a sticking point for future relations as France was determined to regain its lost lands and Germany was convinced that France was a mortal enemy.
France, bitter at defeat and the loss of lands, bided its time for revenge. It spent the next 44 years preparing for war. It expanded and modernized its army, gathered allies and spent inordinate amounts of money preparing for the next conflict. Germany did the same.
In 1914, the French chance for revenge came with the advent of World War I. The war raged on for four years resulting in around 20 million dead, countless numbers of wounded soldiers and the equivalent of trillions of won spent to finance the war.
In the aftermath, a peace was imposed on Germany. The lands it had seized from France in 1870 were returned to France, and it was now forced to pay war reparations as the entirety of blame for the war was placed squarely on Germany's shoulders.
The peace wasn't lenient enough to ensure good relations nor harsh enough to keep Germany forever weakened. One French general commented that this was no peace, but only a truce for 20 years.
Sure enough, 20 years later World War II began. This war was even more destructive than the first. A staggering 70-85 million soldiers and civilians died. After this war, both Germany and France were exhausted. Three wars in less than 70 years will do that to a country. Only then, did the two stop imposing draconian peace treaties and war indemnities on each other and instead put aside their differences to work together.
They worked together to create the European Coal and Steel Community to promote trade and economic cooperation. This eventually evolved into the European Union. Today, the continent of Europe is finally at peace after over a thousand years of war.
As an American, it is interesting to see how much Japan and Korea seem to hate each other. Both nations are heavily industrialized trading democracies in the same region who face some shared threats. Instead of having a dialogue to address these threats and work for a better future, it seems relations are never able to progress because of conflicts from the past.
Japan did horrible things to Korea, as well as to America and many other countries. My grandfather's brother was shot down and killed by the Japanese at the Battle of Midway in 1942.But what's important to remember is that the ones who did these terrible things are all dead.
Now I ask you, should the bad deeds of people born over 100 years ago, who are long dead, continue to poison relations between Japan and Korea now? Must the children of sinners be held responsible for the deeds of their forefathers?
It is important to remember the past but not be beholden to it. There are too many issues facing the world today which require cooperation to solve; global warming, nuclear proliferation, threats emanating from North Korea and cyber terrorism to name but a few.
Korea should never forget the past and it doesn't even need to like Japan, but as neighboring nations it is important that they work together to build a better future. If they can't cooperate and get along, then maybe Europe's destructive past will be Asia's future. I sincerely hope this isn't the case and that Korea and Japan can learn from the tragic history of Europe.
Alex Gratzek is an American who has lived, studied and worked in South Korea. Contact him at ajgratzek@gmail.com.
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