> Maybe I should do this without invoking a hoary historical analogy, but
that
> would make my job much harder. The startlingly quick transition of
Germany
> from the shambles of a smashed fascist state to a social democracy worthy
of
> emulation probably couldn't have happened without US help. Does that make
> it any less of an accomplishment?
Nope. But remember, originally they wanted to pastoralize Germany and impose a punitive peace. They only reversed course under pressure from communism and the left.
Seth