Translated by Ollie Richardson & Angelina Siard
20:00:22
31/10/2016
Tvzvezda.ru
The website of the TV channel “Tvzvezda” has published a series of articles on the great Patriotic war of 1941-1945 by writer Leonid Maslovsky, based on his book “Russkaya Pravda”, published in 2011.
In his opinion articles, Maslovsky reveals “the myths of the imaginary foe, Russia, and the events of the great Patriotic war, showing the greatness of our Victory.” The author notes that in his articles he is going to “show the US’ unhelpful role in West Germany’s preparations for war with the USSR”.
In 1939 the USSR made every effort to merge with the leading countries of the West in order to stand against the fascist threat. But this was to no avail. In the negotiations between the USSR with the military delegations of France and England, on 21 August 1939, the country had confirmed the West’s unwillingness to reach an agreement with the USSR. Their unwillingness to complete the agreement with us was declared beforehand when they arrived to negotiations 9 days late.
The Soviet Union offered Poland military aid. But Poland refused the help. On 18 August 1939 the Minister of Foreign Affairs of Poland, Józef Beck, and the ambassadors of England and France answered the following: “We have no military agreement with the USSR. We don’t want it.” But the Soviet Union wanted to conclude a military agreement with Poland, as it became clear that Germany would attack Poland and German troops would reach the Soviet border in Western Ukraine and Western Belarus, and would significantly reduce the time required to capture the vital centers of the Soviet Union.
What was the USSR doing in this situation, when neither England, nor France, nor Czechoslovakia (under pressure from the first two countries), nor Poland wanted to enter into the USSR Treaty of mutual assistance? What was done to the USSR when the West was preparing to attack Germany, and from the East – Japan, and all Western countries “blessed” the aggressors? The leadership of our country had found a way seemingly out of the stalemate, which was delivered to the USSR in the form of the concluded non-aggression Treaty with Germany.
This agreement, or as it is called, “pact”, had changed the attitude of the Western powers and Japan. They began to reckon with the USSR.
Stalin was personally involved in negotiations with German Foreign Minister Joachim von Ribbentrop on 23 August 1939. On this day, the negotiations ended with the signature of the aforementioned German Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs of the USSR Vyacheslav Mikhailovich Molotov (Scriabin) on the Soviet-German non-aggression Treaty. It was named on behalf of Ministers – the “Molotov-Ribbentrop Pact”.
Perhaps the Treaty was accompanied by a secret protocol defining the “sphere of influence” of the two parties. Germany pledged not to interfere in the Affairs of Eastern Poland, Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania and Bessarabia, that is, those territories which before the revolution were part of the Russian Empire and after the revolution were in the Soviet state, and were captured by Polish military means in the Young Soviet Republic in 1918-1920.
The USSR pledged not to intervene in the Affairs of Poland, Western Ukraine and Western Belorussia. By the way, it is worth remembering that the Congress of Vienna, 1814-1815, produced the redistribution of Poland: from which the greater part of the Warsaw Duchy created Kingdom (the Kingdom of) Poland, which was transferred to the Russian Tsar. Other Polish lands were transferred to Prussia and Austria.
The Soviet government recognized the Polish people’s right to self-determination and annulled all treaties of the Tsarist government on the partitions of Poland. Poland “thanked” the Soviet government in 1920 by attacking the Soviet state.
In a speech on 3rd July 1941, Stalin said: “What have we won, with Germany’s signing of the non-aggression Pact? We secured our country’s peace for one and a half years and the opportunity to prepare the fleeing of their forces…” Stalin was telling the truth. It was at this time were new models of weapons were designed and launched into production.
It is impossible not to draw attention to the fact that during the period of compliance with the Treaty, Germany gave us a certain amount of unique, important industrial equipment, which allowed us to produce weapons in large quantities and high quality.
Deliveries were determined by a number of treaties. In particular, a few days before the conclusion of the Treaty of non-aggression (August 19) was signed, there was the Soviet-German loan agreement, and further agreements on the supply of equipment.
The question naturally arose: why did Germany allow us to recover their territory, provided cash loans, delivered industrial equipment that could be used to produce weapons? These facts explain that Germany had assessed the possibilities of an “inferior” race of Slavs and believed that all would return in a few weeks, and the factories with German equipment, ultimately, will work in Germany.
“Let the Russians build them for Germans,” said Berlin, playing a dangerous game. Most importantly, Hitler believed that Germany, after signing the Treaty with the USSR, could quietly expand his holdings, accumulating industrial and human capacity, which would allow the destruction of the Soviet Union without any effort.
The Soviet-German Pact has been portrayed as an aggressive act by the USSR by those who hate Russia and the people living in it. After all, this agreement contributed to the fact that we won and survived in this terrible war with Europe. The agreement was concluded to improve the safety of the people living on the territory of the USSR. We would be proud of this diplomatic and political solution, but many residents echoed the slander towards Russia and were ready to repent for the fact that such a Treaty was signed. And yet they did not realize that we had much to be proud of, and nothing to repent for.
Our nation and government at the time gave us millions of reasons to be proud of the Homeland and the people. Take for instance the presence of a non-aggression Treaty with Germany, which our government managed to make so that the Soviet Union would not be embroiled in a war in Europe and Germany.
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