Was the Soviet Union an ally of Poland in World War II?
600698
indirectly,yes. Polish gvt. was in exile in England.\nmany Poles fought under British,American,and Soviet forces\ndirectly or in the underground.\nthe Russian "liberation" amounted to nearly 40 years of sattelite rule by Moscow.\ntry BBC archives
671056
when the war started in 1939, the Allies were Poland, Great Britain, France, and other smaller countries. By 1941, the Us, China, Russia, Canada, Australia, New Zealand, and most of the rest of the world was embroiled against the Axis forces.
460431
World War II, also, The Second World War, or WWII, was the global military conflict that took place between 1939 and 1945. World War II was the largest and deadliest war in history.\n\nThe war began between Germany and the Allies. Germany was later joined by Italy, Japan, and others, jointly known as the Axis. The Allies at first were made up of Poland, the United Kingdom, France, and others. In June 1941, Germany invaded the Soviet Union, and in December, Japan attacked the United States. China, which had been at war with Japan since the mid-1930s, also joined the Allies, as eventually did a number of other countries.\n\nItaly surrendered to and then joined the Allies in late 1943. Germany surrendered to the Allies in May of 1945. The war ended on 2 September 1945 with the formal surrender of Japan.\n\nApproximately 62 million people died in the war. Most were civilians, as a result of the large-scale aerial bombing of cities, disease, starvation, and genocide (see the Holocaust). It is guessed that the Soviet Union suffered around 23 million deaths, and that China suffered about 10 million. Poland suffered the most deaths in proportion to its population of any country, losing 5.6 million out of a pre-war population of 34.8 million.\n\nThe war was responsible for the re-drawing of national boundaries and the creation of new nations, the end of western colonialism, and the beginning of the Cold War. [1]\n\nAfter World War II, Europe was informally partitioned into Western and Soviet spheres of influence. Western Europe largely aligned as NATO, and Eastern Europe largely as the Warsaw pact. There was a fundamental shift in power from Western Europe and the British Empire to the new superpowers, the United States and the Soviet Union, with significant boundary changes and displacement of people as the Soviet Union's borders shifted westwards.\n\nIn Asia, the United States' military occupation of Japan led to Japan's democratization. China's civil war continued through and after the war, resulting eventually in the establishment of the People's Republic of China. The former colonies of the European powers, such as India, Indonesia, and Vietnam, began their road to independence.\n\nFinally, the war saw a number of newly developed weapons that were used against either military and civilian targets. Atomic weapons, long range missiles, jet aircraft, and radar, are only a few of many wartime inventions that changed the nature of future conflict.\n\nhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/WW_2
681363
Strasveetya!  You really need to study more about the Cold War between the Soviet Union and the United States, its a very intereting time in history.  Most of the American movies, by the way, called the Soviet Union "Russia."  For many, many years our countries were the worst of enemies.  It started around the end of World War II, and officially ended when Yeltsin took power.  Why?  Because America believed communism to be the greatest evil, and the Soviet Union believed capitalism to be the greatest evil.  We were in a state that is known as a cold war.  A cold war is essentially a state of war, but at a constant state of cease-fire.  Some shots were fired, mainly planes shooting down other planes, but no major battles were fought between the two countries.  However, we had enough nuclear missiles pointed at each other to completely destroy all life on this planet several times over.  The Cold War was never more tense than when Khrushchev and Kennedy were presidents, and Khrushchev said on international television that the Soviet Union would crush America (taking off his shoe and pounding it for all to see while he said it).  I believe two of the greatest leaders our nations ever had were Gorbachev and Reagan.  They did much to clam things down, and both began the process of disarming our nuclear missiles.  Slava Bog!
675428
To answer your questions in order:\n\nYes, the Soviet Union (which included Russia) was an ally of the US and the British.  The USSR (Union of Soviet Socialist Republics, also called the Soviet Union.  Russia was a part of the USSR, but wasn't called Russia then), led by Stalin, signed a non-aggression pact with Hitler (leader of Germany).  This was in force until Hitler broke it and invaded the Soviet Union.  Stalin was taken unawares and unprepared, so Hitler did well at first.  Stalin therefore allied with the British and the US to fight the Germans.  The "cold war" didn't start until after WWII During the jostling for control over the states freed from the Nazis. \n\n*****\n\nThe USSR and the Japanese didn't work together.  The war in Europe against Germany) ended sooner than that in Japan (May 8, 1945 for Germany’s surrender and August 15, 1945 for Japan’s) and the USSR was free to declare war on Japan, which it did.  This was one of the reasons that the US dropped nuclear bombs on Japan.  It wanted to end the war before the Soviet Union forces entered the fighting, who would then stay and have control in that country and region.  \n\nAfter WWII Germany was divided into two halves, appropriately called West and East Germany.  The US, the United Kingdom (the British) and France controlled the West.  The Soviet Union controlled the East.  Germany was two different countries.  The US, UK and France set up a democracy in the West and then left (although the US left troops to guard against an attack from the Soviet Union, and many are still stationed there.  Now the bases are used as staging grounds for operations in the Afghanistan and Iraq).  The country they created was called the Federal Republic of Germany.\n\nThe Soviet Union established a country in the Eastern half, called the German Democratic Republic. This was not democratic though – it was communist.  The Soviet Union had many troops stationed there as well, and had a lot of influence in the Eastern half.  Vladimir Putin, the current President of the Russian Federation, worked in East Germany as a spy when he was part of the KGB (this isn’t a secret – he admits it freely and uses his excellent German in speeches).\n\n*****\nGermany played a very strong role in the War.  They were allied with Japan, but because they had some common enemies in their efforts to expand their territories.  In Europe, the war started when Germany annexed Austria and Czechoslovakia, claiming to be uniting the Germans who lived there (Austrians speak German and there were a lot of Germans in Czechoslovakia.  The moved there in the centuries that it belonged to the Austro-Hungarian Empire, the Austrian Empire and the Holy Roman Empire, which were all names used at different times to describe the same Empire ruled from the Austrian city of Vienna). At this point there was a lot of nervousness in Europe, as Hitler was using rhetoric such as “Germans need more land to live, which is their birthright.” But the British made a deal with Hitler that they would let him keep those countries if he didn’t go any further.  Hitler agreed, but he invaded Poland anyway, and kept going from there. He took France, Bombed England and wanted to invade, and moved through Eastern Europe.  He also invaded the USSR, as mentioned above.\n\nThe US at this point wasn’t involved.  Hitler made an alliance with the Japanese, who were engaged in their own war of expansion, because both were fighting the British and French (the British had a lot of Colonial holdings in the Pacific, and the French had some, too).  \n\nThe US became involved when the Japanese bombed Pearl Harbor.  The Japanese wanted the US to withdraw from the pacific, but instead the US declared war on the Japanese.  The Japanese and the Germans were allied, so Germany declared war on the US, which then also entered the European war.  It was already helping the UK and the USSR with equipment and logistical support,
481975
the allies that was us!! Russia had a pack with gremany no to invade each other however aroind 1941 maybe later hitler broke the treaty and attacked russia then russia because kind of an allie..
143182
The Allies won WW II because of the armies of the Soviet Union.  Operation Barbarrossa decided the fate of the Second World War.
834416
from 1939-1945 but the u.s. wasnt involved until 1941
1059924
cause the germans (nazis) were brutal toward the polish when they owned Poland during the occupation in WWII
357860
Stalin's post-war aims was to secure the immediate security needs of the USSR and to establish a base for recovery after the terrible damages of World War II. The war had cost over 20 million Soviet lives and destroyed a large proportion of Soviet industry and Stalin was determined that the Soviet Union be repaid in strategic influence and territory what his country had given in blood. He was especially keen to create a buffer zone of friendly states in Eastern Europe to protect the USSR from further attack from the West. This was to include the Baltic States, Poland, Hungery, Yugoslavia and Romania.\n\nChurchill's main strategy was to ensure the continuation of British-American wartime cooperation which he viewed as vital to mainting British influence on the world. As a keen colonialist, he was also concerned with keeping possesion of British overseas territories, despite increasing stirrings for independence in the immediate post-war period. He was keen to counter the rise of the USSR, particularly it's growing influence in Eastern Europe.\n\nRoosevelt wanted to adopt a modified form of Woodrow Wilson's idealist international vision. He acted early towards creating a United Nations to guarentee collective security, but one that was based on the principles of power politics (in the form of a Security Council). He was keen to try and maintain the wartime alliance as he viewed this as the main avenue for peace being preserved, but scholars differed over how much he trusted Stalin and was willing to accomodate him.
189521
WWII's victors agreed that both Russia and China should become members of the U.N. Security Council. In terms of overall casualties in the war on the allies side, both Russia and China suffered the most.
290464
Ok.....a full answer to this would take 200 pages minimum.  This is the stuff graduate thesis are made of....but to summarize.........\n\nYou have to change how you view what WW2 was.  It was essentially a late and last ditch effort for a newly resurgant Russian and German empire to expand territory.  Both countries have always had flexible borders (borders that often change) over their histories.  And Russia in particiular has always sought expansion for warm water ports.  If you look at the geography of it......Germany and Russia are natural rivals.  This is why Russia so distrusted any form of a unified Germany following ww2....Russia has always seen invasions from German territory...even before there was a Germany.  In the early-mid-late 30's both countries were already expanding.....but the Germans were bogged down with Yugoslavia and Poland, and the Russian expansion was bogged down in Finland.  Both leaders also distrusted their militaries....and had to consolidate domestic power at various times.  The alliance/non-agression pact was always meant to be a temporary measure.  Hitler rose to power screaming about communism and socialism.  He was always a direct rival of Stalin.  Stalin and the communist party in Russia saw Hitler as an enemy of the proletariat...and historically feared Germany.  In other words both Stalin and Hitler knew that they were going to be fighting at some point.  The non-agression pact was a mutual agreement to take care of other concerns before this happened.  Germany over came it's problems/obstacles before the Soviets did (they had a 70 year advantage on industrialization, and a more centralized/homogenous population) and broke the Warsaw Pact first.  Stalin's reaction was simple disbelief....and when he did find out the invasion was real he hid for days inside of a bunker and Russia was in chaos.  He finally emerged...and ww2 was fought on the the plains of Russia.  To say that ww2 was a land war between Germany and The Soviet Union would not be too far off the mark.  Both sides benefited from the non-agression pact....but Germany was quicker to take advantage.  As far as appeasement.....the initial German expansion was more bluff than anything else.  THe german war machine could quickly have been stopped in places like Czeck.  To understand appeasement you have to understand the Versailles treaty (the treaty/surrender that ended ww1).  The German State lost territory, had to make reparations, etc.  They had limited military production.  The French (who suffered the worst of ww1) were the primary driving force behind the humiliating (to German thinking) Treaty of Versailles.  The English always felt the sanctions on Germany were unfair and unenforcable.  Because of this....when the Germans entered areas like the Sudatland......the British saw it as fair.  The french lacked the strength or will to fight...especially without international support.  By the time that Germany entered Poland (a mutual invasion with Russia actually), their war machine and industry was far greater...and Hitler's domestic power was far more consolidated.  The Germans already had a huge buffer zone.  Appeasement lead to the inevitable and eventual war with a stronger Germany.
215620
- heavily forested swamps of Eastern Poland and White Russia: Hitler was forced to choose whether he wanted to attack northeast or southeast, with forces once committed to one direction not being easily available to be transferred; it is said that the war was long in July 1941 when the bulk of German armor was pulled from the northern route south to Kiev, slowing down the advance in the north just enough for Russians to make a stand at Smolensk, earning them time they desperately needed; the very same forests slowed down Russians in 1944.\n- major rivers: Russians were forced to expend major resources when trying to cross Dnepr, Visla, and other rivers during their offensive. Not only did this mean heavier casualties, it also required coordination and concentration of artillery on a scale not seen before.\n- long distances: Whereas war in France in 1940 included just one offensive and allied campaign in the west in 1944-1945 three, the distances in Russia were so great that it was a constant stop and go for both sides as they constantly ran out of supplies on its frontlines. Battles such as Kursk (1943) required months of preparation just to make sure everything arrives where it needs to. Long distances and stretched frontlines also meant having to use 2nd line troops (e.g. Stalingrad operation) or having no troops at all in certain areas of the frontline (e.g. Kursk operation or Rumanian offensive 1944).
392825
The former U.S.S.R.\n\n"Possibly 62 million people died in the war; with estimates varying greatly. Most were civilians, as a result of the large-scale aerial bombing of cities, disease, starvation, and genocide. It is guessed that the Soviet Union suffered around 23 million deaths, and that China suffered about 10 million. Poland suffered the most deaths in proportion to its population of any country, losing approximately 5.6 million out of a pre-war population of 34.8 million."
151772
The act that started WWII was Hitler's invasion of Poland in 1938, you can look there. But of course it could be argued that WWII started before that as Naziism took hold of the German country.
177277
There were two main places communists got involved in World War II.  The first, obviously, was Russia.  They were, ironically enough, our allies in the fight against the Nazis.  The second was the underground movements in occupied countries.  Since communists were banned by the Nazis, they already had a network of secret cells and communication systems.  They were the ones, after all, who invented the Molotov Cocktail and other guerrilla fighting techniques.  And there is no denying that some of them were very brave and took terrible risks in the underground fighting.  This also clearly gave them some key positions when the war was over, and they took maximum advantage of the fact.
357915
It appears that Prescott Bush was an executive banker for the firm Brown Brothers Harriman & Co that did business in Germany and financed some of the Nazi party PRIOR to 1940.  They provided support to Fritz Thyssen (a German industialist) who backed the Nazis.  However, he fled Germany in 1939 and vocally denounced the Nazis.\n\nI suppose that their support could have overlapped the time that Germany invaded Poland, so technically they supported the Nazi's during WWII.  But the US did not go to war with Germany until 1941.