202501031529 Status: #idea Tags: #world_war_2 #geopolitics #history # The case for generous aid to the USSR during WWII The Americans & British were almost unbelievably generous with the USSR during WWII, providing millions of tons of raw materials and hundreds of thousands of tanks, airplanes, weapons, and ammunition with essentially no concessions granted from the USSR. All of this unconditional aid looks illogical on its face, especially for the British Empire, who was facing attacks in Europe from Germany and imminent threats in Asia from Japan. A steelman argument for why this was necessary is the following - Nazi Germany had shown extreme competence in military matters, making short work of France in only a few weeks and absolutely smashing the Soviet Army in the opening four months of Operation Barbarossa from June-October 1941. By contrast, the Soviets had been a picture of incompetence, losing rapidly to the Germans and having well-known issues developing their own domestic industry to the same level of efficiency as the Germans. It is also likely that prevailing racial animosity towards the Slavs played into a notion that they were "backwards" when compared to the Germans. Given the Germans' extreme success and proximity to total victory, it seemed preferable to the US and Britain to support the Soviets with massive amounts of aid because, after the fall of the Germany, they could withdraw this aid and aim to stop the Soviets from flooding into Western Europe. By contrast, if the Germans were to succeed in conquering the USSR up to the Volga River, it would essentially control an enlarged Roman Empire, trading some holdings in the Middle East for much greater holdings in Eastern Europe compared to its predecessor. Its population would have likely been around ~300 million people, about 2.5 times the US population at the time. And, most importantly, it would have access to all of the natural resources and industrial base necessary to survive (and even thrive) despite the British naval blockade. It would thus be virtually impossible to defeat, even if the US were to enter into the war with the full force of its military. Hence, preventing the fall of Russia to the Germans may have been seen by British and US officials as the only path to preventing complete Nazi domination of the Eurasian continent. The overarching goal was to tie down Nazi Germany in East Europe for as long as possible, grinding down the Wehrmacht using the large Soviet population alongside the fruits of Soviet industry (supplied using raw materials from the US) and the Lend-Lease-provided weapons and vehicles. [[Why Hitler invaded Russia in WWII]] --- # References [[Stalin's war]]