西方民主國家的姑息與退讓——納粹壯大的背景
當我們回顧二戰前夕的歐洲局勢，常會聚焦在納粹德國的軍事擴張與希特勒的極權統治，卻忽略了英法等西方民主國家對納粹節節退讓的態度與冷漠回應，這其實是納粹壯大的重要助力。1938年慕尼黑協定中，英國首相張伯倫為避免戰爭，與法國一同默許希特勒併吞捷克的蘇台德地區，留下「綏靖政策」的臭名。這不僅未阻止戰爭，反而助長希特勒的野心。
法國在戰爭初期即淪陷，成立了親納粹的維琪政權，不僅與德國合作，還積極參與對猶太人的迫害。戰後，法國社會因此經歷深刻分裂，追究責任與面對歷史成為艱鉅的社會工程。
同時，奧地利也在1938年被納粹併吞（Anschluss），這是一次幾乎未遭反抗的吞併行動，展現納粹利用民族主義與威脅策略，讓鄰國逐一失守。納粹的擴張不是憑空發生，而是建築在西方民主國家失守的邊界上，以及如納粹對奧地利內部的滲透策略，是歷史給我們的重要警示。
東歐的雙重創傷：納粹與蘇聯的夾擊
二戰期間，東歐地區經歷了西歐難以想像的雙重極權夾擊。從波蘭、波羅的海三國、烏克蘭到巴爾幹半島，數以百萬計的人民在納粹與蘇聯軍隊輪番蹂躪下喪命。建築被夷為平地，城市變為廢墟，數十萬婦女遭遇德軍與蘇軍的輪流強暴與虐待，這是極權戰爭機器對人性的極致踐踏，卻在許多國際敘事中被長期邊緣化、忽略。
納粹設立了集中營與滅絕營，對猶太人、羅姆人、斯拉夫人與反抗者進行種族清洗；而蘇聯則在佔領地區進行大規模逮捕、處決與強制遷徙，肅清異己如同機器運轉，絲毫不留情面。對許多東歐人來說，納粹與蘇聯的統治同樣帶來深重創傷。
東亞的軍國主義與殖民代價
與此同時，日本帝國在亞洲地區掀起軍國主義侵略，試圖打造「大東亞共榮圈」。這場戰爭同樣對東亞人民造成深遠傷害。台灣與韓國人民因為身處殖民體制下，被迫捲入日本戰爭機器。台籍與韓籍青年被徵召成為日軍士兵，參與戰爭，戰後更在各地成為戰俘，被迫在中國、蘇聯、韓國、甚至東南亞的戰後政治中輾轉漂泊。
這段歷史說明，極權與帝國主義戰爭往往將小國人民與殖民地居民捲入其間，剝奪其命運自主權，製造代代難以撫平的創傷。
戰後極權的延續與分裂的世界
戰後世界並未因此回歸和平與民主。整個東歐地區雖從納粹手中解放，卻旋即被蘇聯納入其勢力範圍，形成鐵幕下的共產集團。這些國家雖制度背景各異，卻被強制實施蘇聯式共產制度，轉化為警察國家。秘密警察、思想審查、勞改營與強迫忠誠，構成另一種形式的極權主義。
許多國家如匈牙利（1956）、捷克斯洛伐克（1968）都曾試圖掙脫，但皆遭蘇軍血腥鎮壓，抗爭者無數犧牲。這種對自由的渴望始終未熄，直到1989年，中國的六四鎮壓事件震驚世界，反而點燃東歐改革者的最後決心。自柏林圍牆倒塌起，東歐共產政權迅速崩潰，象徵一個歷史循環的終結。
東亞的白色恐怖與極權變異
在東亞，威權主義的陰影也未曾遠離。台灣在二戰後爆發二二八事件，隨後進入數十年的白色恐怖，萬人因言獲罪，受難者至今仍是歷史傷口。韓國亦經歷濟州四三事件，國軍大規模屠殺濟州居民，以反共為名進行內部鎮壓，埋下長久的歷史裂痕。
中國則在1949年成立中共政權後，迅速走向高壓統治。從大躍進的千萬人饑荒，到文革的群眾暴力與知識分子清洗，再到今日新疆的再教育營與活摘器官指控，這些暴行不斷證明，極權體制並未消失，而是以更精緻、更科技化的形式演化。
新世代的極權挑戰與國際失職
今日，某些政權仍以科技極權之姿威脅自由社會，尤其是中共，結合資訊封鎖、大數據監控與全球資本網絡，已不再是自我孤立的威權國家，而是以「互利共贏」之名滲透世界。許多西方民主國家為了經濟利益對其打壓人權選擇視而不見，甚至進一步合作，正如當年對納粹的姑息。
這種失職與短視，可能讓人類再次陷入災難輪迴。
結語：記憶歷史，是為了避免重蹈覆轍
這場戰爭與極權的歷史，絕非遙遠過去，而是仍在我們眼前變形重演的警告。歷史上的失誤與傷痛提醒我們：
自由與人權不能被交易，也不能靠幻想與妥協維持。
我們必須比當年的世界更加清醒，更加積極行動，台灣也不能置身事外。面對當代的新極權勢力，不論是滲透與資訊戰，還是經濟綁架，還有我們自己民主人權制度的推進與維持，我們都應勇於發聲與行動。唯有真正銘記歷史，承擔責任，正視結構性壓迫，才能讓歷史不再只是悲劇的循環，而成為通往自由的指引。
The Western Democracies' Appeasement and Retreat: The Background of Nazi Expansion
When we revisit the European situation on the eve of World War II, we often focus on Nazi Germany's military expansion and Hitler's totalitarian rule, but overlook the appeasement and indifferent responses of Western democracies like Britain and France towards the Nazis. This actually served as a significant aid to the Nazis' growth. In the 1938 Munich Agreement, British Prime Minister Neville Chamberlain, aiming to avoid war, along with France, acquiesced to Hitler's annexation of the Sudetenland in Czechoslovakia, leaving behind the infamous "appeasement policy". This not only failed to prevent war but also fueled Hitler's ambitions.
France fell early in the war and established the pro-Nazi Vichy regime, which not only collaborated with Germany but also actively participated in the persecution of Jews. Post-war, French society experienced deep divisions, making the pursuit of accountability and facing history a formidable social endeavor.
Simultaneously, Austria was annexed by the Nazis in 1938 (Anschluss), an almost unopposed annexation, demonstrating how the Nazis utilized nationalism and intimidation strategies to cause neighboring countries to fall one by one. The expansion of the Nazis did not occur out of thin air but was built upon the breached boundaries of Western democracies and infiltration strategies like those used by the Nazis in Austria, serving as an important historical warning.
Eastern Europe's Dual Trauma: The Onslaught of Nazis and the Soviet Union
During World War II, Eastern Europe experienced a dual totalitarian onslaught unimaginable in Western Europe. From Poland, the Baltic states, Ukraine to the Balkans, millions perished under the successive ravages of Nazi and Soviet forces. Buildings were razed, cities turned to ruins, and hundreds of thousands of women suffered repeated rape and abuse by German and Soviet troops. This represents the ultimate trampling of humanity by totalitarian war machines, yet has long been marginalized and overlooked in many international narratives.
The Nazis established concentration and extermination camps, conducting ethnic cleansing against Jews, Roma, Slavs, and resisters. The Soviet Union, on the other hand, carried out large-scale arrests, executions, and forced relocations in occupied areas, purging dissidents with mechanical ruthlessness. For many Eastern Europeans, the rule of the Nazis and the Soviet Union brought equally profound trauma.
Militarism and the Cost of Colonialism in East Asia
Meanwhile, the Japanese Empire launched militaristic aggression in Asia, attempting to create the "Greater East Asia Co-Prosperity Sphere". This war also caused profound harm to the people of East Asia. Taiwanese and Korean people, under colonial rule, were forced into Japan's war machine. Taiwanese and Korean youths were conscripted as Japanese soldiers, participating in the war, and post-war became prisoners of war in various places, forced to drift through the post-war politics of China, the Soviet Union, Korea, and even Southeast Asia.
This history illustrates that totalitarian and imperialist wars often entangle small nations and colonial peoples, stripping them of autonomy over their destinies and creating intergenerational traumas that are difficult to heal.
Post-War Totalitarian Continuation and a Divided World
The post-war world did not return to peace and democracy. Although Eastern Europe was liberated from Nazi control, it was immediately incorporated into the Soviet sphere of influence, forming the communist bloc under the Iron Curtain. These countries, despite differing institutional backgrounds, were forcibly subjected to Soviet-style communist systems, transforming into police states. Secret police, thought censorship, labor camps, and enforced loyalty constituted another form of totalitarianism.
Many countries, such as Hungary (1956) and Czechoslovakia (1968), attempted to break free but were bloodily suppressed by Soviet troops, with countless protesters sacrificing their lives. This longing for freedom never extinguished, until 1989, when China's Tiananmen Square crackdown shocked the world, igniting the final determination of Eastern European reformers. From the fall of the Berlin Wall, Eastern European communist regimes rapidly collapsed, symbolizing the end of a historical cycle.
White Terror and Variations of Totalitarianism in East Asia
In East Asia, the shadow of authoritarianism never truly receded. Taiwan experienced the February 28 Incident post-World War II, entering decades of White Terror, where thousands were persecuted for their words, and the victims remain historical wounds to this day. South Korea also underwent the Jeju April 3 Incident, where the military massacred Jeju residents under the guise of anti-communism, leaving long-standing historical scars.
China, after establishing the Communist regime in 1949, quickly moved towards high-pressure rule. From the Great Leap Forward's famine causing millions of deaths, to the Cultural Revolution's mass violence and intellectual purges, and to today's re-education camps in Xinjiang and allegations of organ harvesting, these atrocities continually prove that totalitarian systems have not disappeared but have evolved into more sophisticated and technologically advanced forms.
New Generation Totalitarian Challenges and International Dereliction
Today, certain regimes still threaten free societies with technological totalitarianism, especially the Chinese Communist Party, combining information blockade, big data surveillance, and global capital networks. It is no longer an isolated authoritarian state but infiltrates the world under the guise of "mutual benefit and win-win". Many Western democracies, for economic interests, choose to turn a blind eye to its human rights suppression, even further cooperating, reminiscent of the appeasement towards the Nazis back then.
This dereliction and shortsightedness may lead humanity into another cycle of disaster.
Conclusion: Remembering History to Avoid Repetition
The history of this war and totalitarianism is not a distant past but a warning that continues to reshape and replay before our eyes. The mistakes and pains of history remind us:
Freedom and human rights cannot be traded, nor maintained through illusions and compromises.
We must be more awake and proactive than the world back then, and Taiwan cannot stand aloof. Facing contemporary new totalitarian forces, whether it's infiltration and information warfare, economic coercion, or the advancement and maintenance of our own democratic and human rights systems, we should all be brave to speak out and act. Only by truly remembering history, taking responsibility, and facing structural oppression can history cease to be a cycle of tragedy and become a guide towards freedom.
