As Europe prepares to mark the 80th anniversary of VE Day, the YouGov polling also showed large majorities felt that events during and before the second world war were relevant today and must continue to be taught to younger generations.

Between 41% and 55% of respondents in the five European countries polled: Britain, France, Germany, Italy and Spain, said they thought another world war was very or fairly likely within the next five to 10 years, a view shared by 45% of Americans.

Majorities of 68% to 76% said they expected any new conflict would involve nuclear weapons, and between 57% and 73% also said a third world war would lead to greater loss of life than in 1939-1945. Many (25% to 44%) believed it would kill most people in the world.

  • DicJacobus@lemmy.world
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    2 months ago

    World War III started in 2022. Some argue it started as early as 2014 or 2008.

    but there can be no question that it started in 2022 at the latest. Society has basically married the term WW3 to the idea of a nuclear holocaust, and because there arent nuclear weapons being used yet, many will deny its happening.

    yet massive armies are on the move, the sides were drawn, and some of the armies have already started fighting. There’s over a million dead in Russia and Ukraine, thats officially a major conflict, and it shows no signs of stopping. If we could compare this to WW2, We’re no longer in the Spanish Civil War or Italian Africa phase, we’re in the Sino-Japanese phase. (China and Japan were at war in 1936. and that conflict was merged into what became known as WW2)

  • Hikuro-93@lemmy.world
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    2 months ago

    If things keep going on the current path, eventually it’s likely to happen, even if I really don’t like that idea and want to be wrong. The best hope at the moment is in the US dealing with its situation internally and regaining at least some sense of normalcy before it gets to a point of true non-return and external retaliaton. With some indirect push by other nations like tariff retaliation and cutting strategic benefits to the US, just enough for the people to wake up and fight the oligarchs, but not so much shock that it triggers an actual war.

    And I’m not joking. Trump literally said he rules America, as well as the world. He has stated that he won’t stand for Canada and Europe partnering up to compensate for the lack of the US partnership, and he’s won’t let go of his wet dreams of annexation for several territories. He wants to be remembered as a “great man” in the history books, and not just another footnote billionaire. That kind of ambition is dangerous. Hitler-level dangerous.

    For someone like him any excuse is valid. And just like he didn’t take his 2020 election loss lying down, calling it rigged and urging an insurrection, he sure as hell won’t leave the White House without sweat and blood being spilled, now that he’s got his hooves on it again. We are dealing with savages who think themselves superior, and won’t stop willingly.

    • ijedi1234@sh.itjust.works
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      2 months ago

      I am certain that Trump admires Hitler for being THE human name synonymous with evil.

      Compare him to, say, Reinhard Heydrich. He is a man that all of us should know, though I imagine that some may need to look him up. No one needs to look up Hitler. And Trump wants to be sure that no one needs to look him up for the next thousand years.

  • YappyMonotheist@lemmy.world
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    2 months ago

    I don’t see much war happening between Asian neighbours nor Latin American ones, but I can easily see America violently balkanizing (always a matter of time but Trump is the great accelerationist, lol) and Eastern Europe being a hot zone too.

    • HellsBelle@sh.itjust.worksOP
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      2 months ago

      Oligarchs will have already stripped the coffers bare by then. Proof of that is just how much of the world’s wealth has been concentrated in the top 0.1%.

      • ijedi1234@sh.itjust.works
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        2 months ago

        They still need peasants to stomp. A scenario where they and a security team are the only humans left alive is a fail state for them - all the stompable people will be dead.

        • HellsBelle@sh.itjust.worksOP
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          2 months ago

          And they will be on their own private islands with all the wealth they’ve stolen, with all their guards/gardeners supplying all their food.

          Or on Mars … whichever comes first.

          • ijedi1234@sh.itjust.works
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            2 months ago

            A life of luxury is not enough for the oligarchs. They must consume more. A private island where everything outside of it is dead will bore them very quickly.

            • HellsBelle@sh.itjust.worksOP
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              2 months ago

              Why? If there’s another 20 billionaires/trillionaires who also live nearby they’ll have all the entertainment they need.

              And don’t forget Musk and Bezos will continue working on spaceships and Mars/moon accommodations for them as well.