Germany Couldn't have won ww2

Are you sure, Barry, that Stalin wanted and was planning war with Germany? Like lwd, I think he might have pulled a Benito and weighed in if Germany was in extremis but not attack a fully powerful Germany. Yes, Stalin was building up his forces, but was flabbergasted when Hitler attacked-even after he had warning from Churchill.

 

That's questionable. Hitler did know that Stalin was rebuilding the Red Army but seems to have had a very low opinion of it. From various discussion it looks to me like he attacked the USSR more out of frustration than anything else. Another poster on this board in a different thread has argued that he attacked the USSR in the hopes that defeating the Soviets would force the British to the table. That is at least plausible.

 

Attacking it as a pre-emptive strike wasn't one of the main reasons but still was a major contributing factor.

 

It was clear from the early days of the USSR that Stalin wanted to spread communism, this his evident through his attacks on Poland and Finland, it also shows in the Molotov-Ribbentrop pact because in my opinion Stalin only signed it to buy time to rebuild his army for an assault into western Europe.

 

On the otherhand that was one of the reasons he and Trotsky fell out. Trotsky wanted to push the expansion of Communism. Stalin didn't want to risk the USSR to do that. He wasn't about to start a war that he wasn't sure he could win and his recent experience in Finland would have made him even more cautious.

 

I myself believe Stalin never wanted to share the power. That is why he killed everyone of the higher Soviet power or politbyro if I recall correctly and replace them with yes men. Trotsky was kicked out of the country and assassinated later on. Still I am amazed Stalin was able to swindle his way around Lenin's will that said Stalin should not have any political power in the future.

 

I won't argue with that. Stalin wasn't big on having a "loyal opposition". Seems to have pretty much defined any opposition as disloyalty, indeed at times the ability to potentially oppose seemed to be sufficient. Just realized we've got a new poster on board that shows some of these traits all be it in a milder form.

 

It is not yourself who believes it, every reasonable and educated man knows it, in some aspects Stalin was even worse the Hitler.

 

I agree

 

I would of course love to see evidence of the SU plans to attack Germany as well. However, It is not wholly out of the question. If Stalin did his research into National Socialism, which I'm sure he did, he would have been weary of Hitler from the jump. He was strengthening his armed forces for defensive purposes but, as IWD mentioned before, Stalin was probably playing the waiting game. Regardless, the Molotov-Ribbentrop pact was paper thin. Who knows? I've been looking for some strong source but have yet to find one.

 

Stalin still had this political machine called Komsomol if I recall the name correctly. Its intention was to plan how to spread communism to other countries. FDR wanted it removed all the time and Stalin at least stopped it perhaps not removed it in 1943.

 

Well, you couldn't really say it was stopped because after WW2 half of Europe were commies and there was also socialism in Egypt whether or not it was planned for in advance.

 

If you look at he polls carefully you'll see that the US was getting close to war in the latter part of 41. Indeed IMO (and I've seen some indications that others at the time thought so as well) FDR could probably have gotten a declaration of war vs Germany in November and perhaps as early as October of 41. He wouldn't have had the support he wanted for it and his military advisors were strongly recommending that he wait until at least mid 42 when the US would be relatively ready. Under international law the "shoot on sight order" was in itself an act of war. Germany and/or Italy would have been perfectly within their rights to declare war for that alone. Given another 6 months or so I don't think FDR would have had much trouble finding a good point to go to Congress and ask for the declaration.