FACT: The Soviet Union Was an Early ALLY of Nazi Germany and One of World War II's Aggressor Nations.
The Nazis, fascist Italy, imperial Japan and the Soviet Union were the principal aggressor nations in World War II.
The Japanese kicked things off with attacks on Chinese Manchuria in 1931. By 1937, the nations were at full-scale war.
Italy invaded Ethiopia on October 3, 1935.
Then Nazi Germany, after taking over Austria and Czechoslovakia, invaded Poland on September 1, 1939.
But what is often forgotten are the then-secret provisions of the Molotov-Ribbentrop Pact, officially the Treaty of Non-Aggression between Germany and the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics but more commonly known by the names of the foreign ministers of the Soviet Union and Germany. It was signed in August 1939.
But the secret provisions were that the Soviets would invade Poland from the east after Germany invaded from the west, with Poland to be divided between Germany and the Soviet Union along the lines of the Narev, Vistula, and San rivers. The Soviets were also given a free hand to invade and annex the Baltic nations of Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania, which it did so in 1940. Also that year the Soviets invaded Finland after demands for territorial concessions were rejected by the Finns.
On September 17, 1939, Soviet troops invaded Poland.
Poland. September 20, 1939. An officer of the Wehrmacht, an officer of the Red Army and an interpreter on the demarcation line.
While the German occupation of Poland was barbaric, the Soviets also desired to wipe out any possibility of a resurgence of Polish nationalism. So, just as the Germans put into effect Intelligenzaktion Pommern, an operation to eradicate the Polish intelligentsia, the Sovietson a lower scale massacred over 22,000 Polish prisoners of war in the Katyn forest. About 8,000 were Polish military officers, another 6,000 police officers and the remainder various former landowners, factory owners and local officials.
Ironically, it was the Nazis that discovered the graves of the Poles and the Soviets denied responsbility until 1990. In 1992 the government of Russia finally acknowledged the secret provisions of the Molotov-Ribbentrop Pact, even though the West had long known its provisions.
And what does Russia's Vladimir Putin say about all this?
He blames POLAND for starting World War II !!!
"(The Poles) went too far, pushing Hitler to start World War II by attacking them. Why was it Poland against whom the war started on 1 September 1939? Poland turned out to be uncompromising, and Hitler had nothing to do but start implementing his plans with Poland."
- Vladimir Putin February 2024 Interview with Tucker Carlson
Notice Putin absolutely will not address Czechoslovakia.
AI generated
Germany attacked Czechoslovakia on March 15, 1939, and invaded Poland on September 1, 1939
AI summary of the whole WWII situation...
In summary, while the invasion of Poland is often highlighted as the official start of World War II, recognizing the earlier invasion of Czechoslovakia is essential for a comprehensive understanding of the events that led to the conflict and their implications for current geopolitical discussions.
Please don't give Putin a excuse to rewrite history. You do so by not including Czechoslovakia. Lebensraum first applied to Czechoslovakia.The real Sudatinland
You give him credit when you mention Poland first...
That's because the issue I brought up is Poland and the Soviet invasion of it and their complicity.
Czechoslovakia is itself a whole other issue and appeasement by the Western allies was a betrayal. But Putin trying to make it an excuse for the Soviets signing the Molotov-Ribbentrop Pact is a red herring.
It would be like the United States blaming the Soviets for the Japanese bombing of Pearl Harbor because of the signing of the Japanese–Soviet Non-aggression Pact on April 13, 1941.
Putin will lie and say anything, regardles of what anyone else says.
But I'd still like to debate him on World War II and Soviet complicity.
I'd tell him:
"Trying to blame Poland for starting World War II is like when you tried to ice skate over that carpet after that hockey game — clumsy, awkward, and bound to end in a fall. You can try skating over historical facts the same way—but sooner or later, you’ll slip."
And let's not forget that the UK declared war on Germany to save Poland and ensure it would remain a free nation. However, it didn't declare war on the USSR. And, as the war drew to a close both the UK and the USA decided to give Poland up to the clutches of Stalin. So much for a "free world".
@DeWayfarer Yes, I'm well aware of the dismemberment of Czechoslovakia, possibly the only real democracy in Europe at the time. It was, and has been, argued that this was realpolitik in action. It did give the UK time to improve their readiness for war, but I've always thought that explanation was really just an excuse. Similarly the silence on the Soviet invasion of Poland was truly hypocrisy. During WW2 both Czechs and Poles served in allied forces. And at the end both were handed over to Stalin. As an aside the phrase "Iron Curtain" did not originate with Churchill. It was originally used for the same purpose, the threat of Soviet domination of Eastern Europe (which Churchill gave the OK to), but with Josef Goebbels.
@22Michelle My great grandfather was shot because of that minor work of ignorance. And so was my father sent to prison camp.
And that same iron curtain prevented me from seeing my own grandmother in 1974. Or even know of her grave site. I never knew when she died even. She was scared for her life for decades. She knew where my uncles were that I still never met.
I have little more interest in this discussion because of that.
"(The Poles) went too far, pushing Hitler to start World War II by attacking them. Why was it Poland against whom the war started on 1 September 1939? Poland turned out to be uncompromising, and Hitler had nothing to do but start implementing his plans with Poland."
He's already laying down the propaganda for when he tries to invade Poland.
@Roundandroundwego I'm saying that the Soviet Union wasn't communist, not that there weren't Communists living there. "The Anti-Stalinist Left" were real Communists.
@BohemianBabe of course. It's why people say. Nothing about now and the need for socialism in the USA. Let's talk about it! There's never been any communism. Aha! Gotcha! And Like, Joe Stalin wasn't as handsome as he looked. You do not want to get political.
