Chapter 32 Chapter 5 Defend against powerful enemies together 6

6 The international alliance of liberal capitalism and communism against fascism was not strengthened by Stalin's wishful thinking about joining forces with the United States after the war.But it is also because of the short-lived Stalin's dream, which further confirms the lack of strength and depth of cooperation between the two parties.At that time, this international joint operation across ideology was obviously a kind of military cooperation to jointly fight against Nazi aggression.Such cooperation would never have occurred without the ambitions of Nazi Germany to advance and attack the Soviet Union and declare war on the United States, resulting in the climax of the war.The nature of the war attests to the significance of the Spanish Civil War of 1936: it was a general mobilization of military and civilian power plus social change; especially for the Allies.This great war is a reformer's war for two reasons.First, even the most confident capitalist forces have to admit that if they do not change course, it is hopeless to win this long-term war.The second is that the war broke out again in just two decades.It fully highlights the bankruptcy of all efforts between the two wars.But the inability of all wills to unite against a powerful enemy is just a small symptom among many failures.

The mentality that the new hope of social reform will come with victory can be more and more clarified from the evolution of public opinion in various countries at that time.Oddly, while people in other warring or recovering countries were free to express this idea, in the United States alone since 1936 the number of votes for the Democratic presidential nominee has fallen slightly, while the Republicans have risen sharply.At that time, the focus of the United States was on internal affairs. Compared with any other country, the United States paid the least price for the war.On the contrary, in other countries where real elections can be held, public opinion generally swings to the left.The most notable of these is the United Kingdom, where Winston Churchill, widely revered and loved by the world, was defeated in the 1945 general election.However, the Labor Party's votes jumped by 50%, and it was sent to power by voters.Over the next five years, the Labor government carried out a series of unprecedented social reforms in Britain.In fact, the Conservative and Labor parties were evenly matched for the war; the voters' choices showed that both victory and social reform are indispensable.This willingness to have both the fish and the bear's paw became an extremely common phenomenon in Western European countries during World War II.However, although the public opinion at that time seemed radical, and even once overthrew the former fascist or collaborating wartime government, we don’t need to exaggerate the intensity of it.

As for other European countries that were liberated and recovered by guerrilla revolution or the Red Army, the actual situation is more difficult to judge.There is at least one factor that makes the job of public opinion even more difficult.In these areas, a large number of genocide actions have taken place, and a large number of people have been forced into exile and migration.Even though the same country had the same name before and after the war, its personnel affairs have changed drastically, and it is difficult to determine the direction of changes in public opinion.In this large area, most of the people of the countries that were once occupied by the Axis forces regard themselves as victims of the Axis violence.There were exceptions to this, and that was the peoples of politically opposed Slovakia and Croatia—both of which had acquired ostensibly independent states during the war under the German wing—and the peoples of Germany’s allies Hungary and Romania; , Germans who moved to these areas.However, although most people consider themselves victims of the iron heel of Germany, it does not mean that they agree with the underground anti-enemy actions launched by the Communist Party (maybe the Jews are an exception, and everyone will not let them go), let alone that they therefore They expressed great sympathy for Russia (except for those Balkan Slavs who have always favored Russia).For example, the Poles generally hate Germany and Russia, and they have a natural aversion to the Jews.As for the Baltic countries, which were forcibly occupied by Russia in 1940, they were anti-Russian and anti-Semitic but pro-German during the few years from 1941 to 1945 when they could rarely express their opinions.In Romania, the communists and the underground anti-German movement were absent; in Hungary, there were very few.In contrast, Bulgaria has strong communist ideology and pro-Russian sentiments, but the momentum of underground activities does not match.The Communist Party of Czechoslovakia, always one of the largest parties in the country, emerged in a truly free election as the largest party ever.However, various differences in political stances quickly turned into empty talk under the ensuing Soviet occupation.However, although the victory of the guerrilla force cannot be compared with the significance of the referendum, the vast majority of Yugoslav people sincerely welcome the victory of Tito's guerrillas.The only exceptions are the minority of Yugoslav Germanic descendants, as well as the regime of Ustasha in Croatia (this regime will massacre the Serbs, the war will end, and it will be the turn of the Serbs to take cruel revenge), plus the traditionalists in Serbia base camp.As a result, the activities of the Communist Party led by Tito, as well as the subsequent war against Germany, never blossomed and borne fruit in this area.As for Greece, despite Stalin's categorical refusal to support the communists and left-wingers - whose opponents were backed by Britain - the country continued its tradition of division and strife.The situation in Albania is more complicated. Only those who have in-depth research on ethnic relations in the country dare to try to analyze the political trend of the people after the victory of the Communist Party.However, although the situation varies from country to country, in general, it was moving towards an era of great social change.

Strange to say, looking around the world, the Soviet Union (along with the United States) is the only country that did not bring about major social and institutional changes as a result of the war.Stalin alone ruled the Soviet Union at the beginning and end of the war (see Chapter 13).But despite this, the pressure of the war on the stability of the communist system was not insignificant, especially in rural areas where repression was particularly severe.If it weren't for the deep-rooted thinking of National Socialism that the Slavs were an inferior nation, the German invaders would probably win the long-term support of many Soviet people.On the contrary, the final victory of the Soviet Union was mainly based on the patriotism of the majority ethnic groups in the territory—that is, the people of Great Russia. They were the core of the Red Army and were the object of urgent appeals from the Soviet authorities when life was in danger.In fact, in the Soviet Union, the official official name of World War II was "the Great Patriotic War" (the Great Patriotic War), and the name is indeed appropriate.