Was WWII the only major war under whih there was a clear good side and bad side?

[Bo]

Good side=U.S., U.K. (U.S.S.R. not so much)
Bad side=Germany (especially), Italy, Japan

[The Mikado]

You undermined your own point.  WW II may have been good for some, but it doomed Eastern Europe to 40 years of Soviet despotism.

[Free Palestine]

On another note, it was the only war of the past hundred years, where the U.S. was perfectly justified in it's involvement.

[Bo]

On another note, it was the only war of the past hundred years, where the U.S. was perfectly justified in it's involvement.

WWI?

[ScottM]

On another note, it was the only war of the past hundred years, where the U.S. was perfectly justified in it's involvement.

WWI?

That whole Lusitania incident was a bit of provocation.

[So the Heroes Fall]

The Lusitania was being used to secretly ship arms. The Germans went as far as to take out ads in the New York Times warning potential passengers. Anyone who traveled on it was an idiot. There was no good side in WWI.

[Deldem]

If you're counting worldwide wars only, then probably yes.

Otherwise, I'd go with the Civil War as well- there's simply no way you could ever seriously suggest that the South was in any way the "good" side.

[SPC]

I don't think even WWII would meet that definition, what with Stalin, Tito, Mao, and Chiang being on the Allied side, and the horrific civilian bombings of Dresden, Tokyo, Hiroshima, and Nagasaki, among other cities.

[Stranger in a strange land]

I'd say the American Civil War also had a good and bad side. One could make a weak argument that the South was fighting to defend its culture and way of life from domination and exploitation by the North, but I've heard the same argument about World War II Japan.

Another possible candidate is the Vietnamese Invasion of Cambodia, 1979-1980 (whatever Vietnam's true motive for invading, the Khmer Rogue were clearly worse, and deserved to be overthrown).

[Senator Libertas]

There was no "clear good side and bad side" in World War II.

[The Ex-Factor]

I'd say the American Civil War also had a good and bad side. One could make a weak argument that the South was fighting to defend its culture and way of life from domination and exploitation by the North, but I've heard the same argument about World War II Japan.

Another possible candidate is the Vietnamese Invasion of Cambodia, 1979-1980 (whatever Vietnam's true motive for invading, the Khmer Rogue were clearly worse, and deserved to be overthrown).

Well considering China, the West, and the rest of Southeast Asia all provided covert support for the Khmer Rouge I'd venture to guess that it was far from obvious which was the clear good side. It was more a war between a bad side and a horrid, atrocious, despicable side.

[I left.]

There was no "clear good side and bad side" in World War II.

Kids, look at this. Don't do drugs!

[dead0man]

That's not fair to drugs.

[I left.]

That's not fair to drugs.

Damn pardon my lack of political correctness

[oakvale]

Pretty much, yeah. It really says something when the use of nuclear weapons is the moral thing to do.

[dialectical fetishist]

No. There is no good side or bad side in war. Both sides are evil and both comitted war crimes. For example, the Allies:

1. Bombed civilians
2. Firebombed Dresden
3. Massacred Axis PoWs on numerous occasions
4. Massacred Polish PoWs (Katyn)

Just to mention a few.

[Lief]

No. There is no good side or bad side in war. Both sides are evil and both comitted war crimes. For example, the Allies:

1. Bombed civilians
2. Firebombed Dresden
3. Massacred Axis PoWs on numerous occasions
4. Massacred Polish PoWs (Katyn)

Just to mention a few.

None of which compare at all to launching an unprovoked war of global domination and systemically murdering 15 million people.

[The Mikado]

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Repatriation_of_Cossacks_after_WWII

The Allies had some pretty awful things going on, particularly the Soviet Union.  Sure, they were much better than the alternative, but there are plenty of people in, say, Estonia that would disagree with even that statement.

[Swedish Cheese]

Although the Allied certainly was better than the alternative, and their involvment in the war was necessary to stop Hitler, you have to over look some pretty heinous war crimes to make them out as completely good. Stalin was of course the biggest crook of the bunch, but Britain and the US was definetley not innocent either. Of course this all have been said before.

[dialectical fetishist]

No. There is no good side or bad side in war. Both sides are evil and both comitted war crimes. For example, the Allies:

1. Bombed civilians
2. Firebombed Dresden
3. Massacred Axis PoWs on numerous occasions
4. Massacred Polish PoWs (Katyn)

Just to mention a few.

None of which compare at all to launching an unprovoked war of global domination and systemically murdering 15 million people.

You could say the Allies played a role in that.

[Sibboleth]

You could say the Allies played a role in that.

Only if you're trying to get the Nazis off the hook. No one forced them to murder the great majority of Ashkenazim who still lived in Europe, no one forced them to murder millions of other groups as varied as Roma and Soviet POWs, and no one forced them to launch a war of annihilation and destruction.

[Sibboleth]

but there are plenty of people in, say, Estonia that would disagree with even that statement.

Considering the extent of popular involvement in the Holocaust in the Baltics, I do find it very hard to be sympathetic...

[dialectical fetishist]

You could say the Allies played a role in that.

Only if you're trying to get the Nazis off the hook. No one forced them to murder the great majority of Ashkenazim who still lived in Europe, no one forced them to murder millions of other groups as varied as Roma and Soviet POWs, and no one forced them to launch a war of annihilation and destruction.

I'm not trying to get the Nazis off the hook. Just pointing out violence is evil no matter what flag its under.

[Fmr. Emperor PiT]

     If you are a firm believer in black-and-gray morality, sure. Otherwise, the Allied Nations left a great deal to be desired as far as good guys go.

[dialectical fetishist]

Portraying the USSR as 'good guys' is hardly a wise estimation, even if you are going to go for a whole good and bad basis.