>>542286
>Soviets have Finland, Eastern Poland, Romania, Lithuania, Latvia, Estonia, Georgia, Armenia, Azerbaijan, Ukraine and Belarus. What was Stalin the Russian version of?
If you say we cared about Europe as a continent at any point, then in which wars between 1600 and the peninsular ones did we demonstrate it?
Soviets has less territory than the Russian Empire which lost to the Germans and the Soviets lost the war to Pooland in the 30s. But more importantly if Russia wanted to get into Western Europe they'd need to defeat Germany first meaning they are a much smaller threat considering Germany is already in Western Europe.
>Why did we not care that they had more tanks and more men and more food and more oil for a land war over Europe than Germany had?
Because as I said before Russians can't fight and the geographic distance.
>I know we're closer to Germany than Russia geographically. But these modern ideas of Ukraine being a breadbasket and of Russia simultaneously restricting access to abortion... do you think the upper echelons of our own society could not tell and did not notice what was happening there?
Sorry what do you mean about Ukraine being their bread basket, are you saying that made Russia vulnerable?
>I'm noticing but with the benefit of hindsight. But back then it was their job to know. Our intelligence was the best in the world. Who could not tell, what with more tanks and more production for them than Germany; what the other moustache man was intending to do?
Sheer numbers aren't the only thing, see WW1 and the Soviet Polish war of 1930ish.
>I do not accept that we cared which country ruled Europe.
Its something we've always cared about and debated on. Its still going on today, its something permanent in our geopolitical goals seen by the ruling class.
>I know of our naivety and of what was sold to the general public at the time. "No one country may rule Europe". It sounds rather like something Ben shapiro would say today.
Well yeah, it made us Europe's police. I'm not endorsing the policy, I'm saying that is our policy and has been for a while. I wish we went with Splendid Isolationism and focused on colonial empire building.
>But if our elites cared and were not culpable not just for negligence but for malice, then you have to explain Russia away.
Not quite following this but I'll do my best. Cared about who controls Europe? Our elite are both negligent and malicious. Russia doesn't control Europe, its been forced out of Europe basically and has a weak economy and a degraded military. Which has shat the bed in their three day operation in the poorest most corrupt country of Europe.
>If you say we cared about Europe as a continent at any point, then in which wars between 1600 and the peninsular ones did we demonstrate it?
Anglo-Spanish Wars, Thirty Years war, Portuguese Restoration War, Franco-Dutch War , Nine Years' War, War of the Spanish Succession, War of the Austrian Succession, Seven Years' War, Napoleonic Wars, Crimean War
>Pretty sure that doesn't apply to any considerations re. 1938-1939.
It shows intent of the geopolitical goals of stopping a ruler of Europe from emerging was always there and Germany wasnt special in terms of Poland, it was closer.