Molotov-Ribbentrop pact !

[ljadw]

The Congo Society (or International Association of Congo) disappeared in 1885(!)to become the Independant State of Congo),who disappeared in 1909 becoming a Belgian colony

[Topspeed]

The Congo Society (or International Association of Congo) disappeared in 1885(!)to become the Independant State of Congo),who disappeared in 1909 becoming a Belgian colony

Ok it is obvious that the todays Congo was a colony of Belgium; http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/africa/3516965.stm

As many as 10 000 000 innocent people got killed on those labour camps..shadowing even the Hitler's and Stalin's doings.

But the going wasn't much prettier in the neighbouring Congo basin states of which 2 were in Otto von Bismarcks rule.

[ljadw]

1)the 10 million figure is ,IMHO,an unproved and inflated figure .
2)You have a wrong conception of the Congo basin:Tanzania does not belong to this basin
3)Tanzania (Tanganyka) was the ONLY German colony in East Africa,Ruanda-Burundi was a part of Tanganyka,but, was,after(and because of) its capture by Belgian forces,geven to Belgium(a mandate of the League)
4)that the situation during the "Congo State" was bad,is a fact,but,I doubt that it was worse than in Angola,Sudan,Ethiopya (an independant state),etc,etc ...

[Topspeed]

You are possibly right..I find no evidence to back up my memory based idea that Part of ex-german colony in Africa was ever offered to Finland..maybe a representavive on the League of Nations had suggested it...and this was registered somewhere in the history annals.

[georgi23]

Stalin had no obligations to Poland

Stalin had an open bill with Poland since the polish-soviet war....

Jan-Hendrik

More than 40 000 PAW perished in the Polish concentration camps across the Poland.

[Jan-Hendrik]

I don't think that Stalin cared about that....what were 40,000 dead for him?

It was much his fault that Tutaschewski failed in front of Warschau...as Stalin pushed foreward in the south instead of helping to encircle the polish forces at Warschau

Jan-Hendrik

[wm]

More than 40 000 PAW perished in the Polish concentration camps across the Poland.

A concentration camp is for civilians, prisoners of war are usually put in a POW camp. According to Polish historians 16 thousand Soviet prisoners died in Polish POW camps, according to Gennadij Matvejev 20 thousand. A similar number of Polish POWs died in Soviet camps. In fact both death rates are roughly similar to the death rate in Russia POW camps during WWI - 25%.

[durb]

This thread has been "silent" for a while, but it is probably time to wake it up to commemorate the 75th Anniversary of Molotov-Ribbentrop pact on 23.8.2014.

Documents and their translation in English: http://www.lituanus.org/1989/89_1_03.htm

Photos: https://www.google.fi/search?q=molotov+ ... 80&bih=886

Happy Molotov-Ribbentrop Anniversary for all!

[wm]

Card Cheats (1939) by Artur Szyk.

Szyk02.jpg (95.02 KiB) Viewed 461 times

[Leutnant Von Historian]

Well, some things to consider:
- Finland is rather pro-German.
- At that time Finland is supported by a lot of nations including England and France.
- Finland is far from Germany.
- Though Hitler didin't expect a world war 2, it is possible that he want to build Germany military and also make settlement with the west before doing anything against SU (avoiding 2 fronts).
- Everyone know that the pact will not last long, they just doesn't expect it was broken so fast.
- It was possible that Germany support will not make any difference at all ( remember the surrounding countries prohibit Britain and France to send troops to Finland).
Thereby it is possible that Germany want to help Finland yet consider it as both useless and disadvantageous act.

[durb]

No, Germany was not interested to support Finland anymore as the Baltic states in autumn 1939. Privately many Germans sympathized Finland, including the German ambassador Blücher in Helsinki and Göring. However, the official German policy was to respect up to very letter the Molotov-Ribbentrop and the consequent arrangements sealed in late Sept. 1939. Ribbentrop was never a particular friend of Finland and it is known that he in fact opposed later the operation Barbarossa and preferred to maintain good relationships with Soviets. Thus Ribbentrop was willing to leave Finland to be entirely a Soviet problem.

Hitler was not interested in Finland during the Winter War and his opinion at that time was that Finland had only itself to blame for not giving some tiny islands and insignificant territory to satisfy justified Soviet demands (Hitler was a master to define which were "justified" demands). No sympathy and almost zero interest - Hitler´s interest toward Finland started to rise only after he had mentally committed himself to operation Barbarossa and this was perhaps reflected in German-Soviet negotiations in November 1940 in Berlin. IIRC, there was some talk regarding Finland and Hitler did want to leave it anymore as a entirely Soviet matter (as he calculated that Finland would be a useful ally for Barbarossa plans). This should have been a warning sign for Soviets reconsider the validity of Molotov-Ribbentrop pact, but Stalin chose to ignore it.