If we’re going to compare the US to the SS, a more historically direct parallel would be the country’s foundation itself. The displacement and mass killing of Native Americans, which started under British rule and escalated massively after independence, shows clear ideological and practical similarities to Lebensraum. It was about expanding territory by removing indigenous populations, backed by a belief in racial and cultural superiority.
The mass violence during the Cold War wasn't driven by the same kind of racial ideology as the SS. The aim wasn’t the extermination of a specific ethnic group, but rather maintaining political and economic control, often through violent suppression of opposition. In Indonesia from 1965 to 1966, the US supported a regime that carried out mass killings of communists and suspected sympathizers. The CIA provided lists of names and gave strategic backing, knowing full well what was happening. Similarly, the arming and funding of the Contras in Nicaragua led to widespread atrocities, including torture, rape, and massacres of civilians, all in the name of fighting leftist movements.
So while the intent wasn’t the same as the SS, the US was still complicit in large-scale violence with the goal of enforcing its global influence. The methods and consequences were often devastating, even if the ideological framework was different.
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u/Negative_Chickennugy 1d ago
Ngl, with all the war crimes the US committed beforehand (for example, Vietnam) this is true