Posted on 08/15/2019 3:41:47 AM PDT by RoosterRedux
Some 80 years ago, on Aug. 23, 1939, Nazi Germany and the Soviet Union signed the Molotov-Ribbentrop Pact, formally known as the "Treaty of non-aggression between Germany and the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics."
The world was shocked — and terrified — by the agreement. Western democracies of the 1930s had counted on the huge resources of Communist Russia, and its hostility to the Nazis, to serve as a brake on Adolf Hitler’s Western ambitions. Great Britain and the other Western European democracies had assumed that the Nazis would never invade them as long as a hostile Soviet Union threatened the German rear.
The incompatibility between communism and Nazism was considered by all to be existential — and permanent. That mutual hatred explained why dictators Adolf Hitler and Josef Stalin both despised and feared each other.
Yet all at once, such illusions vanished with signing of the pact. Just seven days later, on Sept. 1, 1939, Germany invaded Poland. World War II had begun.
After quickly absorbing most of Eastern Europe by either coercion or alliance, Hitler was convinced that he now had a safe rear. So he turned west in spring 1940 to overrun Denmark, Norway, Belgium, Luxembourg, France and the Netherlands.
Hitler accomplished all that relatively easily, failing only to conquer Great Britain with an exhaustive bombing campaigning.
(Excerpt) Read more at foxnews.com ...
Someone at FOX needs to change that title to “80.”
They did.
I watched “The Imitation Game” last night....the story of Alan Turing and the decryption of the captured Enigma machine during WW2. His successful efforts led to ending the war 2 years early (estimated) and saving millions of lives. Unfortunately, he died via suicide, probably as a result of his homosexual lifestyle. The man was a hero and was finally honored by Queen Elizabeth II.
Christopher Cumberbatch played Turing.
Oops! Britain forgot!
Actually the title says 80 years ago
It says 80
What that means is that the title originally said “40” (when I cut and pasted it into FR) and then they (Fox) changed it just before you noticed that it said “80.”
also - The union movement supported the nazi’s because of their leftist politics. In Pittsburgh the unions went on strike in support of Hitler and against the US because of communist organizers. Apparently this happened many other places.
Yes. American unions sabotaged weapons production in support of Hitler and Stalin as long as they were partners. No doubt they murdered many Brits and eventually fellow Americans too.
In Pittsburgh it was steel and in California I believe it was aircraft production in a plant so important the feds took it over.
The left has always been anti-American and they don’t care how many they kill.
Hitler was able to invade Poland without fear for his totally exposed flank due in large part to this.
bump for later
VDH bump for later....
I was given copy of his book on WW II and found it to be extremely difficult to read.
He draws all sorts oc conclusions often mixing ancient battles with those in WW II and confusing rather than illuminating the event
Which book was that? Hanson usually writes two types of books. One type focuses on one event, such as "A War Like No Other", which covered the Peloponnesian War. Other books, like "Carnage and Culture" are focused on many wars to make a point that Western armies usually defeat non-Western armies in conflicts.
bump
And Stalin got half of Poland on the cheap.
And Latvia.
And Lithuania.
And Estonia.
And agreement by Hitler that Iran was within Stalin's sphere of influence.
But not Bessarabia, it was then Hitler knew he had to speed up the timetable to attack the Soviet Union.
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