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Unconditional Surrender Is a Myth
The reality behind some of the most famous surrenders
The idea of unconditional surrender has been prevalent in American military mythology since the days of the Civil War. Americans are taught that they fight their enemies to the bitter end and will settle for nothing less than surrender with no conditions. Ulysses S Grant was reportedly called US Grant or Unconditional Surrender Grant from his service in the Civil War. The United States, led by President Franklin D Roosevelt, famously declared that the Allies would fight Germany and Japan until they surrendered unconditionally.
The problem with these stories is that they are just that — stories. They are myths. There is no such thing as a true unconditional surrender. The most famous instances of so-called unconditional surrender have all had terms floated by the defeated and agreed upon by the victors.
A more apt name is probably “surrender with the poorest terms imaginable,” but that doesn’t have quite the same ring.
What Is Unconditional Surrender?
Unconditional surrender is a situation in which the victorious party makes no guarantees to the future treatment of the vanquished. Not a single guarantee. The problem with true unconditional surrender is that it fuels fanatical…
