Vyacheslav Nikonov: Western WWII Amnesia: It Was USSR that 'Saved Humanity'
[Vyacheslav Nikonov is President of Russia's Polity Foundation]
Translated By Yekaterina Blinova
What a remarkable thing: the more time passes since the Second World War, the more we [Russians] have to explain ourselves. The years have washed away historical memory, substituting it with versions more favorable to others. Now it is said that the USSR unleashed the war and acted as Hitler’s ally, and it's no longer clear who won it. And why is there this idea that September of 1939 was the beginning of the war? Because that's when Britain and France formally joined in? Are we to understand that everything that happened before that date wasn't part of the war because Western democracies don't count it as such?
[Editor's Note: Under the Molotov-Ribbentrop Pact of August, 1939, between Nazi Germany and Soviet Russia, Northern and Eastern Europe were divided into German and Soviet spheres of influence. Poland was to be split between Germany and the USSR. The German attack on Polish soil began on September 1, 1939. The Russian attack began on September 17. That is why most historians mark 1939 as the start of the war].
From the standpoint of our country (and history), World War II began in the early 1930s, when Japan invaded China, annexed North Manchuria and set up the puppet state of Manchukuo. Soviet-Japanese clashes occurred regularly, but in the West, did anyone consider this a serious war? In Germany Hitler came to power, having set out with the purpose of world domination - his first step being the destruction of communism and the extermination of inferior peoples, among which were the Slavs, Balts and Jews. Japan and Germany signed the Anti-Comintern Pact aimed exclusively at our destruction. The war in Spain was not merely a civil one, as Germany was actually one of the belligerents in to conflict, as well as, let us note, the Soviet Union [Hitler provided weapons and aid to fascist General Francisco Franco, while the Soviets sided with Spain's Republican government].
Fascist Italy, the third ally of the Anti-Comintern Pact - invaded Eritrea and then Albania, over the indignant cries of Moscow and amidst the nearly complete silence from Western capitals. Germany then conducted the annexation of Austria - the West was silent. In Munich, Czechoslovakia was sacrificed and Czechoslovakian requests for Soviet aid along with its right to resist were forbidden to it. Even Poland participated in the partitioning of the Czech Republic. In the days when Germany was preparing to attack Poland, we were already engaged in a fully-fledged war with the Japanese, who had invaded the territory of our ally, Mongolia. Over 10,000 Red Army soldiers died in the Battle of Khalkhyn Gol. By September of 1939, World War II had already been going on for a decade, and it wasn't the Soviet Union that initiated it, nor did it pursue a policy of appeasing aggressors.
Before the summer of 1939, every major European power - except USSR - had negotiated and concluded all kinds of treaties and agreements with Hitler. Why did Soviet leaders begin talking to Berlin? Because Germany launched its policy of “pushing to the East” and an attack on Poland was being discussed almost openly and officially. For Moscow, the question was whether it was possible to stop the aggression with agreements on joint guarantees for Polish security with Western democracies. And if not, where would German troops stop after attacking the Poles? In Warsaw? Minsk? Moscow? Vladivostok?
The USSR was able and willing to help Poland - which was openly hostile to us at the time. But for that to happen, she would have had to allow us to help and accept security guarantees from our side. But no one was able to convince her to do so. Poland might have been helped by France and Britain, if they would have sent Berlin the message that they were prepared to fight Germany if it attacked Poland. Instead, Western powers sent Hitler reassuring signals that war would be declared, but not actually fought. And it wasn’t - until the Germans attacked them....
Read entire article at Worldmeets.us (translated from Izvestia, Russia)
Translated By Yekaterina Blinova
What a remarkable thing: the more time passes since the Second World War, the more we [Russians] have to explain ourselves. The years have washed away historical memory, substituting it with versions more favorable to others. Now it is said that the USSR unleashed the war and acted as Hitler’s ally, and it's no longer clear who won it. And why is there this idea that September of 1939 was the beginning of the war? Because that's when Britain and France formally joined in? Are we to understand that everything that happened before that date wasn't part of the war because Western democracies don't count it as such?
[Editor's Note: Under the Molotov-Ribbentrop Pact of August, 1939, between Nazi Germany and Soviet Russia, Northern and Eastern Europe were divided into German and Soviet spheres of influence. Poland was to be split between Germany and the USSR. The German attack on Polish soil began on September 1, 1939. The Russian attack began on September 17. That is why most historians mark 1939 as the start of the war].
From the standpoint of our country (and history), World War II began in the early 1930s, when Japan invaded China, annexed North Manchuria and set up the puppet state of Manchukuo. Soviet-Japanese clashes occurred regularly, but in the West, did anyone consider this a serious war? In Germany Hitler came to power, having set out with the purpose of world domination - his first step being the destruction of communism and the extermination of inferior peoples, among which were the Slavs, Balts and Jews. Japan and Germany signed the Anti-Comintern Pact aimed exclusively at our destruction. The war in Spain was not merely a civil one, as Germany was actually one of the belligerents in to conflict, as well as, let us note, the Soviet Union [Hitler provided weapons and aid to fascist General Francisco Franco, while the Soviets sided with Spain's Republican government].
Fascist Italy, the third ally of the Anti-Comintern Pact - invaded Eritrea and then Albania, over the indignant cries of Moscow and amidst the nearly complete silence from Western capitals. Germany then conducted the annexation of Austria - the West was silent. In Munich, Czechoslovakia was sacrificed and Czechoslovakian requests for Soviet aid along with its right to resist were forbidden to it. Even Poland participated in the partitioning of the Czech Republic. In the days when Germany was preparing to attack Poland, we were already engaged in a fully-fledged war with the Japanese, who had invaded the territory of our ally, Mongolia. Over 10,000 Red Army soldiers died in the Battle of Khalkhyn Gol. By September of 1939, World War II had already been going on for a decade, and it wasn't the Soviet Union that initiated it, nor did it pursue a policy of appeasing aggressors.
Before the summer of 1939, every major European power - except USSR - had negotiated and concluded all kinds of treaties and agreements with Hitler. Why did Soviet leaders begin talking to Berlin? Because Germany launched its policy of “pushing to the East” and an attack on Poland was being discussed almost openly and officially. For Moscow, the question was whether it was possible to stop the aggression with agreements on joint guarantees for Polish security with Western democracies. And if not, where would German troops stop after attacking the Poles? In Warsaw? Minsk? Moscow? Vladivostok?
The USSR was able and willing to help Poland - which was openly hostile to us at the time. But for that to happen, she would have had to allow us to help and accept security guarantees from our side. But no one was able to convince her to do so. Poland might have been helped by France and Britain, if they would have sent Berlin the message that they were prepared to fight Germany if it attacked Poland. Instead, Western powers sent Hitler reassuring signals that war would be declared, but not actually fought. And it wasn’t - until the Germans attacked them....