That does not change anything about Russia’s post-war actions. After WWII Russia signed another pact. This one was an agreement to be a good guy and not hurt anybody or annex smaller nations in Europe. They broke it - over time.
At the end of WWII, the US thought of Russia as a friend. It took several years for that perception to change because of the actions of the Soviet Union. At that time, the friendship broke down.
That was well after WWII, you know.
while russia and Us were technically alllies, I don’t think they were as friendly with each other like the us and uk. THey were allies more to destroy a common enemy then anything else.
The US publicly may of shown support to Russia, but i can assure you that high ranking US government officials, and even many smart civilians knew that Russia was going to end up bad. Russia’s leader, Stalin, murdered millions of his OWN PEOPLE. Now that doesnt get talked about as much as Hitler murdering the Jews, because Stalin was on the good guys side. But believe me, the US government knew that Stalin was a bad guy and that Russia would turn out bad. If a countries leader kills his own people, what do you think he is going to do when he is told to watch over other poorly developed and war torn countries? Basically the US knew that Stalin was a bad guy, its hard to overlook the murder of millions of people, and that Russia was going to develope nukes, but they didnt want to get into another costly war right after WWII.
Ture, but that does not mean that the US had reason to directly fear that the Soviet Union was it’s enemy or would see to brng the US down. We may not have agreed on political theory, but then, we never did! Long before the Russians had a communist coup in their country, and we knew all along that they were communist. But at that time, communism was not such a dirty word. The Russians were not trying to take over Europe like the Germans.
The American people viewed Russia as a friend until the late 1940’s when the Russians ceased negotiations with the west and got nukes. That’s when the American government decided that Russia was not a friend anymore. You must remember also, that the blockade between East and West Germany did not occur until 1948! And the berlin Wall was not built until August 13, 1961.
That is the time when the relationship between the US and Russia finally broke. Up to that point, there was hope for real friendship, and in 1945 - 1947, the Russians were considered a somewhat cold-shouldered friend. There was no real reason to fear them at that time.
Now, again i say, that this discussion amounts to an attmept to point the finger at the US and ask why the US did not stop the Russians before they knew of their intentions? Well, not even the Russians knew of their intentions at the end of WWII. Those events evolved, they were not planned. It is better to ask,
“What on God’s Earth makes you think that the US would have wanted to get into a massive war against the Soviet Union right at the end of the most devestating war in the history of the world?”
You are better off trying to answer that.
EDITIED TO CORRECT A TYPO
The US may have wanted to be believe that they and the Russians were going to get along, but since when has the US liked a mass murderer? Just ask Sadam Hussein :lol:
I have to agree with both Hosenfield and WW2 fanatic, the continuation of hostilities post WW2 against the Soviet Union was a non starter. Both the UK and US had used propaganda to groom their civilian population to accept the soviets as allies. The bulk of soliderary of both countries were citizens in uniform( conscripts) who saw the conquest Nazi Germany and Japan as the end goal.
To then expect them to continue fighting following the defeat of the Axis powers would have been difficult to achieve as following the surrender of their percieved enemies their expectation and that of the civillian population was that they would going home asap.
Europe was carved up at Yalta,as both the UK and the US knew that without the Soviet forces pushing from the East the war could have dragged on for at least another year. Imagine the senario of Soviet forces ceasing offensive opp’s at the German boarder.
If as Ironman postulates, that the Soviet Union was considered a friendly power post 1945 why did both the western powers continue and infact expand their development of nuclear weapons if their was no palpable enemy. The view of the civillian population may have been tinted by the years of propaganda but on a govenmental level the future was clear.
The Soviets had agents in place within the political and militery command structures of all western powers and within the super weapons development teams so it would be resonable to suggest that the cold war started before WW2 had ended.
the interesting thing is that stalin never seemed afraid of the americans ( supposedly the sole nuclear power) while he was occupying berlin…
yeh, the soviets didnt care when the US got nukes, because they knew that they were going to get them soon. does anyone know when the soviet nuclear program started? i wouldnt be surprised if they started developing nukes in 1945.
It was a semi-pisstake, although I’d better put that in big flashing letters next time :evil:
Oh, as for the casualties, the UK and France between them had just taken 2 million dead in 4 years. That’s roughly equivalent to 10 million for the US today.
May I suggest you read this? It may explain a few things.
lol sry dude i didnt mean to offend you, i know that the french arent actually pussies, im just kiddin around
but as far as the casualties i was referring to the casualties that they took in the russian campain, not in WWI. but your right it stll did take some guts to go into russia, right after WWI ended. but my point was that the frech in russia was not a major conflict.
Iron-mister
Now, again i say, that this discussion amounts to an attmept to point the finger at the US and ask why the US did not stop the Russians before they knew of their intentions? Well, not even the Russians knew of their intentions at the end of WWII. Those events evolved, they were not planned.
I see you have very quickly reverted to type and still have the persecution complex. Indeed everything you have said on this thread I remember being said on another thread back in May.
Which in your own words is Hogwashery of course. If you want to have a reasonable debate, have one, to immediately come back with your complex, coupled with your condesention of anyone you dont agree with, does you or us no good.
:x
I agree. however, this did not constitute an enemy-status relationship, and one did not exist between the governments until almost 1948 - three years after the end of WWII. The tensions which constituted a non-friendly relationship did not occur immediately after the end of WWII. It took 3-4 years to become obvious that thre USSR was not a friend of the US. Furthermore, in the eyes of the US general public, Russia continued to be seen as a relative friend until that time as well.
The opinion of the general public that the Soviet union was an enemy lagged behind that of the US government. It was not until almost 1948-49 that the US general public began to see that the USSR was a nation that did not have good intentions toward the US, and paranoia began to rise noticably. Until that time, the general public was dissapointed that the USSR was not as trustworthy as had been hoped, but the USSR was not seen as a threat by the public until almost 1950!
There is a big difference between having a non-working relationship and being seen as enemies. The transition took a few years. It did not happen at the end of WWII.
“The first heightening of Cold War tensions occurred in 1948 when the Soviets imposed a partial blockade of Berlin in April, and then a full blockade in June. Understanding the events that led to the imposition of the blockades is the key to understanding the later division of Berlin in 1961 by the Berlin Wall, and the division of the German state that had occurred earlier in 1949 when separate west German (Federal Republic of Germany) and east German (German Democratic Republic) states were established.”
http://www.coldwar.org/articles/40s/berlin_blockade.php3
Yes, 1948 - three years after the end of WWII. That is when the US began to conclude that the USSR was not a friend whatsoever. Despite the broken agreements and failure of the USSR to “play ball” in Eastern Europe, they were not seen as an enemy until at least 1948-49.
EDITED TO REMOVE AN ACCIDENTALLY LEFT-IN PORTION OF ANOTHER’S POST
Anyway, as to the thread’s title and original question:
The US had no intention of entering a large-scale war with the USSR at the end of WWII any more than Britain or any other country would have - because it was not seen as something that was going to be necessary. Nobody knew ahead of time that the USSR was going to be a biotch about things like they did, and that they would escalate their refusal to play along ewith the “good neighbor” policies that had been agreed to.
Going to war against the USSR at the end of WWII was not something which would have made sence, it would have been completely impractical, and it would have been too expensive. I suppose the same reasons apply as to why the USSR did not begin war against the US at the end of WWII -
There was at that time no reason to think there would be a need for it, and it is would have been a truly dorkus idea to do so.
the first heightening.
Not the genesis then - merely an addition to something already in place.
Look at the Malta and Yalta conferences and then deny that there was hostility in place. prior to the end of WW2.
Who said there was no hostility? A hostile atmopsphere does not an enemy make. Again, the US did not percieve the Russians as an enemy until 1948-49, and that, once again, is 3 years after the end of WWII.
OK, thats it! As soon as you claim you have hostility between two superpowers but that they are still “friends” is when you get on your trolling horse and piss me right off!
case closed you’ve started to backtrack and change tack, you are a trolling cunt
MODS evidently IRONMAN has not learnt might I suggest he takes another holiday!
You absolute unworldy moron. China is not exacly the US’s best buddy either, but they are considered friends of the US. They are not considered the enemy of the US today, and we have a freindly relationship with them, and there are no hostilities between us or threats either. Good Lord kid. Get a clue.
Your understanding of this world amounts to a pack of gum and a firing pin. Wake the fluck up already.
That and a Degree in international politics studied at University of Wlaes Aberystwyth, A public university the oldest of its kind in the world. in the Worlds oldest departemnt set up by Woodrow Wilson with the expressed intent to prevent future conflict through the study of other nations!
China is not deemed a friend, it is a trading partner!
Russian communism never allowed for trade therefore it was never a friend! did you google anything on Yalta or not?
Although I dont agree with the language, I entirely agree with the sentiment of this post.
Get a refund from the school kiddo. The US considers China a friendly nation. Come over here and see for yourslef. :lol: