We know that the Soviet Union was industrializing at incredibly high rates, but was still far behind Germany in total industrialization. We know that the west was trading a ton with the Nazis, and were hostile to the Soviets. We know that the Nazis and Soviets hated each other. What should the Soviet Union have done? Declare war before they were ready, and risk everyone allying with Nazi Germany? Let the Nazis take all of Poland?
Prepare for war within their own borders, mobilize. That alone would’ve helped overall anti-Nazi effort. Now they could first divide Poland with the Soviets and then focus on the West and then head East. East and West being mobilized would’ve been a big barrier.
Gotcha, so you would’ve let the Nazis take all of Poland, with all of the consequences of that, such as extending the Holocaust to further ground. The Soviets were doing all they could to prepare, so this just reads as you preferring Poland be sacrificed so the Soviets could have maintained “moral purity.”
What part of “they tried to forge an alliance with Poland to protect against Nazi attack, which Poland declined, and then prevented the Nazis from taking all of Poland and extending the Holocaust to all of Poland” was confusing for you? They did try to prevent the invasion, Poland hated the Soviets more than they feared the Nazis.
They didn’t, they prevented the attacker from taking all of Poland. The goal of Nazi invasion was to grab land and labor, to colonize Poland, not to just attack Poland. Preventing more people from being colonized by the genocidal Nazis is a good thing.
We know that the Soviet Union was industrializing at incredibly high rates, but was still far behind Germany in total industrialization. We know that the west was trading a ton with the Nazis, and were hostile to the Soviets. We know that the Nazis and Soviets hated each other. What should the Soviet Union have done? Declare war before they were ready, and risk everyone allying with Nazi Germany? Let the Nazis take all of Poland?
Prepare for war within their own borders, mobilize. That alone would’ve helped overall anti-Nazi effort. Now they could first divide Poland with the Soviets and then focus on the West and then head East. East and West being mobilized would’ve been a big barrier.
Gotcha, so you would’ve let the Nazis take all of Poland, with all of the consequences of that, such as extending the Holocaust to further ground. The Soviets were doing all they could to prepare, so this just reads as you preferring Poland be sacrificed so the Soviets could have maintained “moral purity.”
I would’ve liked to see USSR try to prevent the invasion from happening instead of joining it.
What part of “they tried to forge an alliance with Poland to protect against Nazi attack, which Poland declined, and then prevented the Nazis from taking all of Poland and extending the Holocaust to all of Poland” was confusing for you? They did try to prevent the invasion, Poland hated the Soviets more than they feared the Nazis.
“Well we tried to form a formal alliance but you didn’t agree to it, so that means we’ll join your attacker.”
They didn’t, they prevented the attacker from taking all of Poland. The goal of Nazi invasion was to grab land and labor, to colonize Poland, not to just attack Poland. Preventing more people from being colonized by the genocidal Nazis is a good thing.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Soviet_invasion_of_Poland
The Soviets didn’t “join the Nazis.” After Poland fell, the Soviets went in to prevent the Nazis from colonizing all of Poland.