User talk:TDC/History of the Soviet Union (1927-1953)

My concerns with the prior article
''In addition, the Soviets never forgot the repeated assurances from Roosevelt that the United States and Britain would open a second front on the European continent; but the Allied invasion did not occur until June 1944, more than two years after the Soviets had demanded it. In the meantime, the Russians suffered horrendous casualties, as high as twenty million dead. The West had delayed the invasion, forcing the Soviets to absorb the brunt of German strength.''

Very POV and factually inaccurate. A second front was opened very early with US strategic bombing of Germany, which distrupted German supply lines and kept the Luftwaffe out of the Eastern front. Despite what Stalin said, he knew damn well a western European land front could not be opened till 1944 for logistical reasons. This statement above leads the reader to believe that the allies intentionally delayed the start of a European front. A land front was also opened up before June of 1944 with the invasion of Sicily and Italy.

''And, as Stalin anticipated, this was averted by maintaining roughly the same levels of government spending. It was just maintained in a vastly different way. In the end, the postwar American government would look a lot like the wartime government, with the military establishment, along with military-security dominant.''

Post war government spending was no where near wartime levels. Federal outlays as a % of GDP were 7.60% 10.10% 13.30% 20.90% 20.40% and 17.60% for the years 1941-1946. By 1950 they were back down to 14.4% and did not reach over 20% until 1999! Granted the military budget had remained higher than prewar levels, but considering the US was occupying both Japan and much of Europe, they were hardly out of line or dominant.

''which moved swiftly to consolidate its position. As the world's greatest industrial power, and as one of the few nations unravaged by the war, the United States stood to gain more than any other country from opening the entire world to unfettered trade. The United States would have a global market for its exports, and it would have unrestricted access to vital raw materials. Determined to avoid another economic catastrophe like that of the 1930s, Roosevelt saw the creation of the postwar order as a way to ensure continuing U.S. prosperity.''

POV for one, secondly the above statement is about the US, not the Soviet Union, and does not belong in an article on the History of the Soviet Union.

these aims were at the center of what the Soviet Union strove to avoid as the breakdown of the wartime alliance went forward.

With the level of espionage during the war from the Soviets, how could anyone even believe that the Soviets were not planning for confrontation with the US after WW2?

In this sense, the aims of Soviet Union were not aggressive expansionison but rather consolidation, i.e. attempting to secure the war-torn country's western borders.

This statement is a POV attempt to explain away post-war Soviet expansionism.

By successfully aiding Greece, Truman also set a precedent for the U.S. aid to regimes, no matter how repressive, that were anti-Communist and pro-capitalist.

A shade POV, wouldn&#8217;t you agree?

Stalin, fearing a revived Germany due to the Marshall Plan, responded by blocking access to Berlin, which was deep within the Soviet zone although subject to four power control.

Stalin feared a &#8220;revived&#8221; Germany in 1947? You have got to be joking.

The stated reason for the blockade had nothing to do with the fear of a revived Germany. The Soviets claimed that by setting up a west German government, issuing separate currency and through other alleged violations of "Big Four" agreements on Germany and Berlin, the west had rendered "Null and Void its' Right" to participate in the occupation of Berlin. Moscow asserted that West Berlin "is in the center of the Soviet zone and is part of that zone".

The real reason for the blockade was that the German people of the Soviet controlled block could see the difference in Berlin as three of the zones in Berlin were controlled by the Allies and prospered accordingly. This could undermine all attempts at Soviet re-education, so Stalin decided the Allies had to go.

and the United States embarked on what the Soviets considered a blatant violation of wartime treaties yet: plans to form a West German army.

The German Army was not reconstituted until 1955, ten years after the end of WW2. In 1956 the new West German Army had only 1000 troops, hardly a threat to the Soviet union and not even applicable to this article since it covers history up to 1953, 2 years before the reconstitution of the German army.

''In response, the United States sustained a massive anticommunist ideological offensive. The United States aimed to interfere in the internal affairs and sovereignty of other countries or impose its will upon others under the guise of "freedom,&quot; ";democracy,"; and ";human rights." In retrospect, this initiative appears largely successful: Washington brandished its role as the leader of the &quot;free world"; at least as effectively as the Soviet Union brandished its position as the leader of the ";progressive"; and "anti-imperialist" camp.''

Post war Soviet intervention was more extensive (if not as well known) as US intervention.

'Espionage' section
IMO 'USSR Espionage' is a totally separate thread of the history that deserves its own separate article, with its own timeline. There is much more to say (and already said in wikipedia) on the issue. The already existing info must be consolidated and cross-referenced. ...And other countries had their spies too. A *HUGE* layer of life here. Mikkalai 19:23, 6 May 2004 (UTC)