francoHFW
Diamond Member
Communists are always dictatorships, socialists are always democratic everywhere in the world but brainwashed English speaking world. The French Spanish Italians Russians Germans etc etc all had socialists and communist parties. The socialists always won and the communists disappeared after the fall of the USSR and its support. Nazis and communists like to refer to themselves as some kind of socialists, but only fools believe their ridiculous propaganda and nomenclatures...No I didn't. I don't see Stalin as the only or prime "controlling factor".
France and England were at war and attacked by Germany nearly two years before Russia was in the picture ~ other than that botch where Russia attacked Finland and grabbed some turf in 1940 - The Winter War. (BTW, at that time, it being before the attack on France in early Summer of 1940, England and France were working on plans to come to Finland's aid against Russia, but the war ended in a settlement before those could jell.)
Then after the fall of France there was the Battle of Britain in later Summer 1940, which the Brits would refer to as "The Blitz". While there was an intense couple of months, it eventually tapered off to more sporadic attacks during the next two years.
Also at this time (attack into France by Germany), Italy declared war on France and England, attacked from Libya into Egypt and set off the whole North Africa, East Africa, and Mediterranean Theaters of action.
So when the attack/invasion of Russia happened in June 1941, and tied up the majority of the German Army and tanks, keeping Russia in the war and not defeated, or striking another "deal" with Germany like happened with regard to Poland a few years earlier, became essential to give the West a better chance to attack through France, eventually.
Stalin made his demands, and while FDR might have leaned in favor of Uncle Joe, both being fellow 'socialists', Churchill made a strong counter weight and point in regards to USA's "Germany First" policy, and provided a base of reality and perspective opposite Stalin's narrow Russian priority.
Also remmeber that during most of the war Russia wouldn't declare against Japan, despite FDR and Churchill pleading, so there was a sense of "If you don't do this, we can't do that" in the USA and UK relations with the USSR.