User:Noah Delgadillo/sandbox

Magnitogorsk

Assigned article link: Magnitogorsk / Molotov–Ribbentrop Pact

Strengths:

-The article has some good content so far on the city of Magnitogorsk.

-The article is visually appealing due to the charts and pictures available on the page.

Weaknesses:

-lack of citations and irrelevant subjects such as the "sports" section which I deem to be irrelevant to the historical context of the city.

-Needs more content added such as in "The Later Years"

-Population census is 8 years old and needs to be updated.

Draft of potential additions to the article:

The quick construction of the Metallurgical complex was made possible by forced labor. Ibragim Akhmetzyanov was kicked off his farm in Tartarstan to be sent to Magnitogorsk where he lived in tents and dirt-floored barracks. An estimated 10,000 people died during the first five years of construction due to hunger, cold and disease. Molotov Ribbentrop Draft:

On March 31, 1939 Great Britain extended a guarantee to Poland, "if any action clearly threatened Polish independence, and if the Poles felt it vital to resist such action by force, Britain would come to their aid." Hitler was furious by this. It meant that the British were committed to political interests in Europe and that Hitler's random land grabs such as the takeover of Czechoslovakia would not be taken lightly anymore. Hitler's response to the political checkmate would later be heard at a rally in Wilhelmshaven, "No power on earth would be able to break German might, and if the Western Allies thought Germany would stand by while they marshaled their "satellite states" to act in their interests, then they were sorely mistaken." Ultimately, Hitler's discontent with a British-Pole alliance lead to a restructuring of strategy towards Moscow. Alfred Rosenberg wrote that he had spoken to Hermann Goering of this potential alliance with Russia, "When Germany's life is at stake, even a temporary alliance with Moscow must be contemplated." Sometime in early May of 1939 while at the infamous Berghof, Ribbentrop showed Hitler a video of Stalin viewing his military in a recent parade. Hitler became intrigued with the idea and Ribbentrop recalled Hitler saying that Stalin "looked like a man he could do business with." Thereafter, Joachim von Ribbentrop was given the nod to pursue negotiations with Moscow.

On August 23rd 1939 two Focke-Wulf condors containing German diplomats, officials, and photographers (~20 in each plane) headed by Joachim von Ribbentrop descended into Moscow. As Nazi party leaders stepped off the plane a Soviet military band exclaimed, "Deutschland, Deutschland über Alles." The Nazi arrival was well planned with all the aesthetics in order. The classic hammer and sickle was propped up next to the swastika of the Nazi flag which were used previously in a local film studio for Soviet propaganda films. After stepping off the plane and the shaking of hands Ribbentrop and Gustav Hilger along with German ambassador to Moscow Friedrich-Werner von der Schulenburg and Stalin's Chief bodyguard Nikolai Vlasik entered into a limousine operated by the NKVD to travel to Red Square. The limousine arrived close to the prime minister's office and were greeted by Alexander Poskrebyshev who was chief of Stalin's personal chancellery. Nazi party officials were lead up a flight of stairs to a room with lavish furnishings. Stalin and his foreign minister Vyacheslav Molotov greeted the party members much to the Nazi's surprise. It was well known that Stalin avoided meeting foreign visitors so his presence at the meeting shows how serious the USSR was taking the negotiations.

The Nazi presence in the Russian capital during negotiations can be regarded as rather tense. German pilot Hans Baur recalls Russian secret police following his every move whose job was to inform authorities when he left his residence and where he was headed. Hans Baur's guide informed him: "Another car would tack itself onto us and follow us fifty or so yards in the rear, and wherever we went and whatever we did, the secret police would be on our heels." Hans also recalls trying to tip his Russian driver which lead to a harsh exchange of words, "He was furious. He wanted to know whether this was the thanks he got for having done his best for us to get him into prison. We knew perfectly well it was forbidden to take tips." I love the article but I had a few questions that hopefully you could answer. It States that the Petition was signed in 1759 then it jumps to 1930s what happen in between? Were there any hardships along the way until 1930? Who are some of these experts that came over to "implement and direct work?" Who chose Ernst May to lead this team? As stated earlier this was a good read but if there is some way we can go into debt about some of these people I would love that.

The actual name of the attack that officially ended the peace treaty between Hitler's Germany and Stalin's Russia was called "Operation Barbarossa"

RubeusTheHagrid (talk) 02:38, 23 February 2019 (UTC)

The "Secret Pact" between Germany and Russia was just merely a rumor until it became public at the Nurnberg Trials.

RubeusTheHagrid (talk) 02:38, 23 February 2019 (UTC)