March 15, 1939 - Germany invades and conquers Czechoslovakia. The next day, Hitler proclaims from Prague Castle the new protectorate of Bohemia and Moravia that replaces the remains of a once independent republic.
In the rapid response to this gross violation and betrayal of the Munich Agreement, the UK House of Commons' Foreign Policy Committee called for conscription, an all-party coalition government of national unity, and...an alliance with the Soviet Union to deter further German aggression. (Who notably were left out of the MA and felt betrayed because France, like the USSR, shared a mutual defense pact with Czechoslovakia.)
Conscription happened, as did the unity government ultimately, but alliance w/ USSR didn't happen. Why didn't it? One problem was that of geography, and Germany was seperated from the USSR by Poland, who refused (by historical reasons, understandably) to grant USSR permission to militarily cross its borders in case of outbreak of war. Also I suppose in Chamberlain's government, it was the fact that USSR were the evil communists and we can't dare to partner up with the ideological mortal enemies. (Of course later that year, the supreme Fascist Hitler and Communist Uncle Joe both proved that lucrative pragmatism can cut through ideology. Nixon/Mao would prove this again decades later.)
Unless I'm mistaken, do correct me if I'm incorrect, but didn't Chamberlain at MA dangle in front of Hitler the idea of a broad continental coalition against the Soviets, consisting of UK/Nazi Germany/Italy/France? (Which Hitler had no interest in anyway.) I seem to remember reading that somewhere, but I'm not certian.
March 31, 1939 - Chamberlain announces to the House of Commons that UK has given Poland a unilateral security guarantee. As a result of being rebuffed twice by the Western allies, feeling alone with nobody to deter Hitler with, Stalin decided to make a deal with Hitler, who was desperate himself to negotiate too to let him invade Poland by September.
But...what if the Western Allies did ally with the USSR in this critical junction? Sure it was easier for Hitler to promise more than the Allies were willing or able to give (practicality and ethically), unless the Western Allies were willing to replace Hitler in pre-emptively partition Poland. (Which sounds like something Chamberlain would do, yet would he be too squeamish to do this now?)
If somehow UK and USSR came to terms before Hitler coulld, would it deter Hitler from invading Poland or would it not? Would Hitler even consider partnering up with Poland (for the short term)? One must remember that Poland considered Russia a greater threat to their sovereignty (again informed by history) than Berin. I do also remember one anecdote that Stalin before June 1941 didn't believe Hitler would attack the USSR because that would be stupid/craz.
I don't know. Thoughts folks?
(For bonus, what terms could the Allies have offered the Russians?)
In the rapid response to this gross violation and betrayal of the Munich Agreement, the UK House of Commons' Foreign Policy Committee called for conscription, an all-party coalition government of national unity, and...an alliance with the Soviet Union to deter further German aggression. (Who notably were left out of the MA and felt betrayed because France, like the USSR, shared a mutual defense pact with Czechoslovakia.)
Conscription happened, as did the unity government ultimately, but alliance w/ USSR didn't happen. Why didn't it? One problem was that of geography, and Germany was seperated from the USSR by Poland, who refused (by historical reasons, understandably) to grant USSR permission to militarily cross its borders in case of outbreak of war. Also I suppose in Chamberlain's government, it was the fact that USSR were the evil communists and we can't dare to partner up with the ideological mortal enemies. (Of course later that year, the supreme Fascist Hitler and Communist Uncle Joe both proved that lucrative pragmatism can cut through ideology. Nixon/Mao would prove this again decades later.)
Unless I'm mistaken, do correct me if I'm incorrect, but didn't Chamberlain at MA dangle in front of Hitler the idea of a broad continental coalition against the Soviets, consisting of UK/Nazi Germany/Italy/France? (Which Hitler had no interest in anyway.) I seem to remember reading that somewhere, but I'm not certian.
March 31, 1939 - Chamberlain announces to the House of Commons that UK has given Poland a unilateral security guarantee. As a result of being rebuffed twice by the Western allies, feeling alone with nobody to deter Hitler with, Stalin decided to make a deal with Hitler, who was desperate himself to negotiate too to let him invade Poland by September.
But...what if the Western Allies did ally with the USSR in this critical junction? Sure it was easier for Hitler to promise more than the Allies were willing or able to give (practicality and ethically), unless the Western Allies were willing to replace Hitler in pre-emptively partition Poland. (Which sounds like something Chamberlain would do, yet would he be too squeamish to do this now?)
If somehow UK and USSR came to terms before Hitler coulld, would it deter Hitler from invading Poland or would it not? Would Hitler even consider partnering up with Poland (for the short term)? One must remember that Poland considered Russia a greater threat to their sovereignty (again informed by history) than Berin. I do also remember one anecdote that Stalin before June 1941 didn't believe Hitler would attack the USSR because that would be stupid/craz.
I don't know. Thoughts folks?
(For bonus, what terms could the Allies have offered the Russians?)