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Until 1933, Germany was a completely democratic country (even Hitler came to power democratically).Pre-Hitler Germany and the USSR were both "pariahs" for other capitalist countries. Therefore, the Soviet Union, experiencing hostile pressure, allowed the germans (democratic germans, let me remind you) to open two schools in Russia, where the Germans trained tankmen and pilots. The Soviet military used these schools to train its specialists, as Germany was more advanced in both aircraft and tank construction. After Hitler came to power, these contacts were immediately terminated.
The USSR was the only country in the 30s that actually fought the Nazis, for example in Spain. All time in 30s USSR tried to create a system of collective security against Hitler. Through the fault of appeasers in England and France, it failed. It turned out that these politicians wanted Hitler to go east. So, Hitler proposed a non-aggression Pact, and the USSR accepted it thus receiving a reprieve from the war of almost two years. Very important years. after all, the USSR began to create a mass army only in 1939. By the way, this led to the fact that in 1941 the officers were not sufficiently trained. there were not enough experienced officers for the entire multi-million-strong army .
Alas, the USSR could not afford to create a powerful industry and maintain a million-strong army in the 30s. The USSR still hoped to rein in Hitler. Future allies prevented this. Yes, the USSR supplied food to Hitler, but this was not a one-sided process. In response, the USSR received modern machine tools from Germany, which, by the way, then created weapons for the war with Germany all through the war, samples of new german military equipment (Hitler allowed this to be done, being sure that the untermensch would not have time to use them) and other goods necessary for Soviet industry.
On the web, you can find a list of valuable goods the USSR received from Germany for a year and a half. In any case, the work of historians in the russian language.
Yes, there were heavy losses. The whole Europe, united by Hitler, the whole f***ng EU #1. with all its power and human resources, motivated to plunder by its theory of superiority, descended on the USSR. Fortunately for all mankind, the USSR was a country of socialism, capable of defending itself and crushing nazism.
You are welcome.
The Soviet Union actively undermined the effort to fight against the Nazis in Spain by promoting constant internal infighting between the “orthodox” Marxists and the various militias. The Republic collapsed, in large part, because of Stalinist paranoia and stupidity undermining the war effort at a crucial junction. But hey, on the plus side Stalin got to loot Spain’s gold reserves, so that’s...something.
Stalin also promoted the theory of “social fascism”— “after Hitler, our turn”—- which saw Moscow aligned communists actively avoid making common cause against the Nazis.
Nobody trusted Stalin after he’d murdered thousands of innocent people, starved millions more to death, and spent years helping the Nazis come to power in the first place.
The officers “were not sufficiently trained” because Stalin murdered almost everyone who was. Stalin’s stupidity and paranoia were the direct cause of that. Nothing else.
“Reign in Hitler” lol the USSR had no interest in “reigning in Hitler” and never did. They did have interest in using Hitler’s conquests to carve up their own....for example, in the Baltic States.
Considering that the Germans defeated and humiliated the Red Army’s demoralized, beheaded corpse for the first several years it’s clear Hitler knew it would have mattered if Stalin knew. After all, Stalin ignored Sorge and let him die.
There were heavy losses because Stalin’s own stupidity and paranoia gutted the Red Army, then allowed it to be encircled and lost hundreds of thousands of men on multiple occasions, then got it beaten repeatedly in the open field.