geefloyd46
Some details in this story is maybe new - but for the most part, everyone who have read some history books, about pre-war EUROPE and the political games behind the official theater, know that Stalin and Hitler was two cynical dudes, who was playing a game of who would end up being the most powerfully nation after the war.. Hitler was a gambler, from early 1920s, he had gambled his way to power - and after he got elected - in 1933, he continued to gamble for higher and higher stakes.. And by the way, the invasion in Rhineland was not in 1936 as the video suggest, it was in 1935, and was the first "foreign debacle" Germany under Hitler was playing out... But the video have it right, when they stated - by Hitler himself, that the invasion of Rhineland was maybe one of the most scary thing he ever did... Some reaction from the other side, and he might have ended up as a Foley rather than a master of most of Europe for a time..
After the west have given Hitler more or less everything he wanted - even the castration of Tsjekkoslovakia, the only democratic country in central Europe by 1938 Stalin decided it was maybe time to make some overtures to mr Hitler.. And Hitler was indeed interesting on playing nice with Stalin - when it come to Poland, who Germany wanted to occupy anyway.. The Ribbentrop-Molotov pact of 1939, was no less of a shock for most of the world - sure enough for the west-allied who also have tried to make some way with Stalin - but who was not interesting of given Stalin anything he was interesting in. A securing of his own borders - some "border adjustments" here and there - aka occupying of other nations land. The old distrust for the Soviet Union, going back to revolution times, where France and UK had been supporting the anti-revolutionary forces who until the civil war of 1922 was over, was making russia a horrible place to be. And many of them, part of the "Old guard" managed to have a great influence when it come to foreign affairs specially when it come to the USSR. In fact, the distrust for Soviet union, and to Stalin was so engraved into the foreign affairs offices in Paris and London, that it was not until the Ribbentrop - Molotov treaty was known, that they was indeed making serious efforts to make some way to a treaty with Stalin.. Of course Stalin had no interest in making another treaty with the Western Powers, as he got more or less a free hand thanks to Hitler. And it tell a lot, that the diplomats in charge from the UK/France corps, who was in Russia in 1939, was not even allowed to make a decision on their own. Where Ribbentrop and his diplomats was given broad powers to make a deal, the western powers had to call back, almost every hour to make a decision about what to do next.
. The war with the Finns in 1939-1940 was given many the idea that the Soviet army for the most part was devastated as the small country of Finland, for mounts could give the mighty Red Army a bloody nose, where many russians was killed as a result of the fact that the finns was better prepared for a winter war than the red army ever was.. In fact it was not until Stalin was given the generals a Chance to do their job - rather than being bullied by the "political officers" who messed up everything, that the finns was getting into real problems - that and the treat about bombing Helsinki (the capital) to ruins.. The images from Warsaw was already known, by then - and the finns was not willing to do that to their nice capital.. But when Hitler in 1941 was invading USSR, the finns was making their best to retake the areas they had lost in the "peace deal" of 1940 - but then stopped by the old border, as they was not willing to gamble to much when it come to Russia.. Who made the german Generals furious because they wanted the finns to do their job, to conquer the mighty symbol of St-Petersburg, or Leningrad as it was known as that.. Hitler was even promising that the finns could have the whole area for them self after the war - if they was just willing to put soldiers on the ground - to squeeze the life out of the city... They refused - and even thought they used big cannons to shoot into the City, no finns in the uniform of Finland's army was ever in the Vincenty of the City (as best as I know it)..
Your late President FDR had maybe a naive view about Joseph Stalin, even though I do believe he was honest, when he wanted to work together with Stalin on many cases.. The cold war started after FDR died - and new, more suspicious presidents got into office, and decided that Stalin was maybe a worse enemy than Hitler was.. What Stalin wanted to do, is maybe not that easy to know, as he was not easy to tell what he really wanted.. But he got more or less all what he wanted after WW2. He won over Hitler - he got all the border adjustments he ever would have wanted to get.. He occupied most of Eastern Europe and made it satellite states of USSR for 40 or so years.. And the West had no interest in risk a war with USSR, over Tsjekkiaslovakia, or Hungary - or East Germany as time was going by..
And then of course we had the massive propaganda on both sides - the russians was a scared about the military might of the West, as the West was scared about the military might of the East.. In fact I suspect the russians was more scared about the possibility of a war with the west, than the west was scared about a war with the East to be honest.. It make an impression when more than 20 million people is killed by the enemy...
Diclotican
= new reply since forum marked as read
