`Anniversaries have come and gone, with the 80th anniversary of victory against Japan just passed, along with the bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki. Despite little celebration due to the coronavirus, it marked one more passage of time, one that should remain hallowed. Other anniversaries of less numerical significance, but should be remembered even more so than dates of victory, so that mistakes are not made again of similar magnitude which lead to such costly triumphs.
World War II taught the world some great and horrible lessons. Appeasing one’s enemy is certain to bite in the bud, being unprepared, especially in a war of greater technological and industrial capacity is deadly, and not correctly anticipating the consequences of inaction, were all remembered. However, especially the last one, has not taken root, especially in terms of unforeseen consequences.
Over a week and some eighty-one years ago, the final guarantee of war was sealed. This came in the form of the Molotov-von Ribbentrop, an agreement signed by Soviet Union and Nazi Germany, a week before the invasion of Poland. Without this agreement, Hitler would’ve been in a much more confined set of circumstances after starting war near the Soviet sphere of influence. Instead, he was given a green-light for his war on Europe.
Before this agreement was even negotiated, Hitler was aware of the unfortunate geographic position Germany had. With potential enemies on two fronts, with Britain and France in the West, and Russia to the East, Germany could ill afford another war fighting two directions a second time. Neutralizing one of these enemies was vital to win the Continent and fulfill his plans for domination.
After the Munich Agreement, Britain and France had proven to be feckless and were unwilling to stand up to Hitler. Stalin, while worried about Hitler’s rise through the 1930s, was becoming more convinced that the Western Powers did not have the will to fight. While Winston Churchill was hopeful of various alliances, including one with the Soviets to hem in Hitler, the time for gaining Russia as an ally was gone.
Instead, Stalin decided to back the stronger horse, and protect himself from the impending Nazi onslaught. With Britain and France struggling to reorient and rearm, the German and Soviet governments began to meet and decided to carve out swathes of Eastern and Central Europe. Also, which would prove crucial in the months ahead, Soviet grain and oil would flow into Germany via rail, while German finished goods would reverse the trek back to Russia, enabling both dictatorships to gain additional strength.
With a wink from his newfound friend in the East, Hitler invaded Poland a week later on September 1st, beginning his armed conflict to subjugate Europe. On September 17th, the Soviets invaded the remnants of Poland, carving out the Soviet part of the devilish bargain. In addition, the Soviets gained the Baltic states, Poland was divided, and other elements of territory and influence were divvied up.
Before a year had passed, Germany, without a fear of war to the rear, was able to invade and conquer: Denmark, Norway, Holland, Belgium, Luxembourg and France. Supplied with Soviet raw goods, and glutted with victory, Germany stood victorious, with only an isolated Britain remaining as opposition. And although the war would turn in favor the West (and Soviets), it would be decades before countries in Eastern Europe, especially Poland, would become free once more.
Having given into weakness and appeasement, the West not only set the stage for a conflict that would kill well over sixty million people, but they had allowed the world’s two greatest dictatorships to unite and become a loose coalition against the democracies. And it should also be mentioned, that in the decades after World War II, the hard earned resources in addition to what had already been spent, from scarce dollars to precious blood around the world, to prevent communism from gaining an even greater foothold.
Looking back at those dark days in 1939, it is beyond reproach to believe those in power regretted not having done something to stop Hitler. However, it was not only failing to stop Hitler, but also failing to stop Stalin from helping Hitler, which was even more damnable. By not confronting one tyrant, another was allowed to stand aloof during the early days of carnage, only then to see the West support the aloof tyrant in the subsequent years, both unintended consequences of inaction. Let that be a sub-lesson of appeasement, for not only do the generations past regret not standing against aggression, but their descendants also regretted their ancestors lack of fortitude, as they continued to pay the price for appeasement, merely in another guise of totalitarianism.
Sincerely, your humble servant,
Winston Publius
The Classical (Trumpian) Liberal 