True, Mick, that was a bit patronising for Mudcat, where knowledge and intelligence are a bit in evidence than elsewhere. It stems from an American view more prevalent in the late 19th/early 20th century which condemned the British Empire while creating its own.

I'm not really certain what the reasoning was behind the expansion of the USA, other than to fill up the North American continent and to possibly reduce the influence of Spain in the Americas. European colonisation was a desire to secure markets and sources of raw materials and also jelousy between nations. Even Belgium had to join in!

My point was that Germany, Italy and Japan had not been through this expansion process and possibly there was a feeling that they had 'missed out'. And another similarity between Japan and Germany was they each thought themselves as 'superior' to their neighbours. (As an aside our forefathers probably had similar views about Native Americans and Africans)

It just takes the wrong sort of politicians to start a war, that's all.

Peace! Les