I came across this interesting flyer from WW2 today, it includes a speech by Albert Einstein and the goal of the flyer is donations for something or other on the front in the fight against the nazis.
I found this part particularly interesting:
In the political field, it was the Russian government, of all the great powers, that labored in the most honest and unequivocal way to promote international security. She pursued this goal in her foreign policy until shortly before the outbreak of war—actually until the other powers brusquely shut her out of the European concert, in the days of the betrayal of Czechoslovakia. Then she was driven to conclude the unhappy pact with Germany; for it was notorious that an attempt was being made to turn the force of the German attack eastwards. Russia, in contrast to the western powers, had supported the legal government of Spain; she offered assistance to Czech׳ oslovakia; and was not guilty of strengthening the arms of the German and Japanese adventurers.
There's a lot to unpack here but Einstein says:
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The USSR made all efforts to stop the war happening.
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The western powers(UK, France, US, etc) shut the USSR out of European discussions and betrayed Czechoslovakia.
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Molotov-Ribbentrop was an unhappy last resort that they were driven to, that the western powers were attempting to drive the nazis into attacking the USSR and that's why they would not help the USSR stop them.
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The USSR supported everyone while the other powers (UK, France, US, etc) strengthened the nazis and Japanese.
This is all obviously stuff most people here already know and agree with, but I think it's notable that Einstein said it. You may have libs in your life that will listen to him.
In retrospect, it's crazy there was ever an alliance between the USSR and the US/UK
Oh fuck this vicious nasty dog that we ignored and armed to attack the USSR is biting us instead! Help us USSR!
"woopsie poopsie my german shephard got off its leash" - Winston Churchill, 1939
I think both the western allies and the USSR were pragmatic about their goals, it's just that their interests diverged at first (the west wanted the ussr to die) but converged when Germany threatened the west as well. I really wonder what would have happened if Nazi Germany focused on looting the second and third world, if they would have been able to align with the allies. It's a very morbid timeline, but it feels like one that almost happened if not for the party leadership being True Believers in their hokum to the point of suicide.