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To: r9etb
Yet Mr. Paul cannot have missed the fact that our policies of neutrality contributed directly to the rise of the Soviet Union, Nazi Germany, and Imperial Japan -- with the result that we were forced to expend a lot of blood and treasure to rid ourselves of the threat they posed.

Not exactly. There would not have been a 'Soviet Union' had we stayed home in 1917. No Soviet Union... probably no Red China either. No Germany humiliating defeat in 1918, probably no Nazi Germany in 1933 and no 6,000,000 dead Jews.

A little non-intervention would have taken us pretty, pretty far.

141 posted on 07/11/2003 8:30:24 AM PDT by A Vast RightWing Conspirator
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To: A Vast RightWing Conspirator
Not exactly. There would not have been a 'Soviet Union' had we stayed home in 1917. No Soviet Union... probably no Red China either.

Wrong. Russia had pretty much been defeated by the time we entered the war. A successful revolution took place in February, 1917 -- two months before we declared war, and a full year before we began serious combat operations in Europe. Lenin, et al., came to power as part of the fallout from the disastrous Russian offensive of August, 1917. One of Lenin's first acts was to take Russia out of the war. We had nothing to do with that.

Our involvement against the Soviets was a half-hearted support of the White Russian government in 1919. It is not clear that we could have actually helped defeat the Reds had we tried harder -- but it is certain that had we been able to defeat them, the USSR would not have arisen as it did.

No Germany humiliating defeat in 1918, probably no Nazi Germany in 1933 and no 6,000,000 dead Jews.

This is ludicrous. True, Germany would probably not have suffered a humiliating defeat. Instead, their separate peace with Russia freed up millions of German troops for service on the Western Front. Were it not for the presence of U.S. troops, it is almost certain that Germany would have been able to conquer all of Europe. It is not clear what would have happened after that, but it is highly likely that we would eventually have gone to war with a continent-sized Prussian empire.

A little non-intervention would have taken us pretty, pretty far.

Ridiculous. A little intervention as late as 1938 would have removed Hitler from power, and WWII probably would not have occurred.

147 posted on 07/11/2003 8:49:00 AM PDT by r9etb
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