Why? They treated Chinese civilians in Manuchuria just as bad.
They didn't treat the Poles, Romanians, Hungarians, or Slovaks just as bad.
Why? They treated Chinese civilians in Manuchuria just as bad.
They didn't treat the Poles...as bad.
Are you kidding? Would you like a list of war crimes they committed against the Poles?
Notice that I said not as bad. Katyn stands out as the worst off the top of my head (Though it was pre-Eastern Front), though crimes against Germany were arguably worse. Hm. They're probably equally bad.
That's really asking alot. That's a total change in Soviet behavior.
The Soviets could use past French heroes and figures and ideals and cast them in a Communist light to stir up the people. As France is a bastion of and founder of modern Democracy, it wouldn't be hard to do. And I believe there may have been certain statements and ideas by French Democratic thinkers which were proto-Communist already.Would the Soviets use french nationalism later at their advantage? There would be only anglosphere remaining, so...
What sort of losses would the Soviets take in a campaign to take the whole of western Europe? They'd already suffered deaths in the millions in their defense against and repulsion of the German invasion, which had extreme demographic repercussions that are still felt today.
Most German forces in France were relatively inexperienced and weak. They wouldn't be any match for veteran Soviet armoured columns. The Soviets would have annihilated the Germans in France, especially since the French communists would rise up in support. The Maginot line had been destroyed after the capture of France, so the Nazis wouldn't have any good defence line in the East.
There's also a small chance Australians and New Zealander's might still consider themselves 'British,' in addition to those national identities. IIRC, a strong affinity with the mother country would last right up until Britain joined the EEC in the early 70s. A Soviet occupation of W. Europe butterflies that away...
Why? They treated Chinese civilians in Manuchuria just as bad. From what I've read it took the Soviets limiting their junior troops to their barracks only to stop the rapes in Austria.
I doubt that somehow crossing the French border while advancing against fleeing Nazi units is going to make all the Soviets angels.
Hell based on Zhukov's behavior they most likely will be loading every train car they can with stolen art and luxury goods. And of course they will be stealing every bit of industrial equipment they can find, that's not going to stop at the French/German border.
That still doesn't explain why the Russians raped Polish, Chinese, and even Russian women as well as Germans. While the Russian soldiers were out for revenge, the military leadership didn't do anything to at least redirect this rage so that civilians wouldn't be as victimized. Stalin even condoned it, saying something like "a soldier should be allowed to have some fun with a girl as his reward for marching so far".One of the reasons that there were so many rapes were because f how the Nazis treated Russians. Many of these young Russian soldiers' sisters or mothers had been repeatedly raped by the Nazis. It was revenge. Although there would've been sexual predators, as in any military (see Americans in Okinawa militray base/cave of the negroes).
That still doesn't explain why the Russians raped Polish, Chinese, and even Russian women as well as Germans. While the Russian soldiers were out for revenge, the military leadership didn't do anything to at least redirect this rage so that civilians wouldn't be as victimized. Stalin even condoned it, saying something like "a soldier should be allowed to have some fun with a girl as his reward for marching so far".