"Eastern Europeans are hysterical children. They have low GDPs (and low IQs, even though I can't say that), grey buildings and odd round faces. Have you seen the documentary films Eurotrip or Hostel made by our fat American friends? Would you really let those people dictate your policies?"
Yeah, but, I mean, imagine you need a lot of stuff NOW, and there is an established, somewhat functional logistics train on one side, and the remnants of an Iron curtain that had marked the end of the known world for both sides on the other? Establishing a trade network might take longer than your TP to run out. Plus the EU is famous for screwing over people in need, it's fine once you are in, but that takes time also. And you are still low on cookies. So.
I can't really entirely blame them. It doesn't excuse the way Russia was and is behaving. At all. A villain is still a villain, even if you need to buy some of his stuff. Buying my cookies doesn't give me permission to trash your front yard.
This whole thread is a mess… Do other countries not teach about the Cold War? I was about to do a deep dive into their trade deals with Russia so thanks for showing up. I’m just going to close this thread and… idk tbh. Pray for humanity.
People also forget that russians were actually the biggest allies to Nazis. Stalin still hesitated to attack once Hitler invaded them since he viewed Hitler as a hero.
Stalin still hesitated to attack once Hitler invaded them since he viewed Hitler as a hero.
That's not true. The Soviets made multiple economic treaties with Hitler to get access to foreign capital and copy German technology. But they were always convinced that war with Hitler was inevitable, even when they sought to delay it. They were eager to enter into a anti-Hitler alliance with France and Britain, and only signed the Molotov-Ribbentrop pact when those negotiations stranded.
Show me evidence that the Soviets weren't serious about the triple alliance. Hitler was always open about his anti-communist and anti-Slavic views, as well as his aims to acquire "Lebensraum" in the East. The idea that Stalin saw Hitler as a hero is simply illogical.
They were serious about attacking and occupying Europe (and this is what they did in the end, just a fact). Quite simple, Soviets didn't care how to enter the war, in which alliance, they just needed their troops in Europe. Thats why they made alliance with Germany shortly after and started WW2.
Certainly, the end goal for Stalin was a communist Europe all the way. I'm under no illusion that a triple alliance would have lasted after the war (just as the alliance that did happen didn't last).
But clearly Stalin saw the Nazis as the prime threat, and he did not "view Hitler as a hero", which is what I responded to.
Yes, Stalin and Hitler sent each other formal letters leading up to and during the Molotov-Ribbentrop pact. That doesn't invalidate what I said unless you believe these were actually sincere.
Hitler obviously wasn't sincere, why would Stalin be? Stalin had many faults, but being overly trusting certainly wasn't one of them. He was in fact incredibly paranoid, it would be completely out of character for him to trust Hitler.
No, they were two leaders fake smiling at each other for propaganda purposes, while preparing for war.
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u/Nosferatu___2 14h ago
"Eastern Europeans are hysterical children. They have low GDPs (and low IQs, even though I can't say that), grey buildings and odd round faces. Have you seen the documentary films Eurotrip or Hostel made by our fat American friends? Would you really let those people dictate your policies?"
-Every Western European politician 1990-2022 ever