National Socialism was, to a considerable extent, a counter-movement to the international communism sponsored by Russian Bolshevism. Hence, both systems were deeply antagonistic, and had been engaged in a cold war since the end of the First World War, presaging the later Cold War between the Soviet Union and the West. Indeed, Germany and Russia were to fight a proxy war, each taking opposing sides in the Spanish Civil War (1936-39). Mutual threats of extermination were commonplace. Therefore, in the absence of any deterrent, it seemed inevitable that a military conflict would break out at some point.
By John Wear ∙ November 28, 2020
One of the most-incongruous aspects of World War II is the American alliance with the Soviet Union before and during the war. The U.S. government, which claimed to fight for democracy and freedom, made common cause with one of the most-brutal dictatorships the world has ever seen. This article documents the crucial role that American aid played in the Soviet Union’s victories during World War II.
By John Wear ∙ October 26, 2019
Germany’s invasion of the Soviet Union on June 22, 1941 is widely presented by historians as an unprovoked act of aggression by Germany. Hitler is typically described as an untrustworthy liar who maliciously abrogated the Molotov-Ribbentrop Pact he had signed with the Soviet Union. Historians usually depict Joseph Stalin as a hapless victim of Hitler’s aggression, but the Soviet archives show that the Soviet Union had amassed the largest and most-powerful army in history. Germany’s invasion of the Soviet Union was a desperate preemptive attack to prevent the Soviet Union from conquering all of Europe.
By John Wear ∙ July 29, 2019
Germany’s invasion of the Soviet Union on June 22, 1941 is widely interpreted by historians as an unprovoked act of aggression by Germany. Adolf Hitler is typically described as an untrustworthy liar who maliciously broke the Molotov-Ribbentrop Pact he had signed with the Soviet Union. Historians usually depict Joseph Stalin as an unprepared victim of Hitler’s aggression who was foolish to have trusted Hitler. This article will show that, contrary to this traditional historical narrative, Stalin conspired to start World War II and infiltrate the U.S. government to initiate American involvement in the war.
By Daniel W. Michaels ∙ December 1, 2001
Grand Delusion: Stalin and the German Invasion of Russia by Gabriel Gorodetsky. New Haven: Yale University Press, 1999. 408 pages. Samoubiystvo (Suicide) by Viktor Suvorov. Moscow: AST, 2000. 380 pages. Illustrations. Upushchennyy shans Stalina (Stalin’s Lost Opportunity) by Mikhail Meltiukhov. Moscow: Veche, 2000. 605 pages. Illustrations, maps. Stalin’s War of Extermination, 1941–45: Planning, Realization, and…
By Adolf Hitler ∙ June 22, 1941
On the morning of June 22, 1941, Reich Minister Joseph Goebbels announced to the world the startling news that German forces, together with Finnish and Romanian troops, had struck against the vast Soviet Union. On German radio he read Adolf Hitler’s historic proclamation justifying the attack. Among other things, he said that Stalin had massed…
By Daniel W. Michaels ∙ March 1, 2001
Unternehmen Barbarossa und der russische Historikerstreit (“Operation Barbarossa and the Russian Historians’ Dispute”), by Wolfgang Strauss. Munich: Herbig, 1998. Hardcover. 199 pages. Illustrations. Source references. Bibliography. Index. No two peoples suffered more during the Second World War than the Russians and the Germans. In the carnage of that great global conflict, nothing matched the massive…
By Daniel W. Michaels ∙ October 20, 1999
wwii/prelude/USSRThe Journal of Historical Review, vol. 18, no. 3 (May/June), pp. 40-45New Evidence on the 1941 ‘Barbarossa’ Attack: Why Hitler Attacked Soviet Russia When He DidDaniel W. Michaels Stalins Falle: Er wollte den Krieg (“Stalin’s Trap: He Wanted War”), by Adolf von Thadden. Rosenheim: Kultur und Zeitgeschichte/Archiv der Zeit, 1996. (Available from: Postfach 1180, 32352…
By Daniel W. Michaels ∙ October 1, 1998
Poslednyaya Respublika (“The Last Republic”), by Viktor Suvorov (Vladimir Rezun). Moscow: TKO ACT, 1996. 470 pages. Hardcover. Photographs. For several years now, a former Soviet military intelligence officer named Vladimir Rezun has provoked heated discussion in Russia for his startling view that Hitler attacked Soviet Russia in June 1941 just as Stalin was preparing to…
By Daniel W. Michaels ∙ November 1, 1995
Der Tag M (“M Day”), by Viktor Suvorov (Vladimir B. Rezun). Translated from the Russian by Hans Jaeger. Stuttgart: Klett-Cotta, 1995. Hardcover. 356 pages. Photos. Source references. Bibliography. Index. Daniel W. Michaels is a Columbia University graduate (Phi Beta Kappa, 1954), a Fulbright exchange student to Germany (1957), and recently retired from the US Department…
By Joseph Bishop ∙ November 1, 1997
Icebreaker: Who Started the Second World War?, by Viktor Suvorov (Vladimir Rezun). London: Hamish Hamilton, 1990. Hardcover. Maps. Photos. Source references. Index. Joseph Bishop studied history and German at a South African university. Currently employed in a professional field, he resides in the Pacific Northwest with his wife and three children. It sometimes happens that…
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