Why do Russians and Russian supporters, when talking about the Second World War, forget to mention that they received substantial American aid?

[Julie4]

I'm sick of hearing this speech on social networks where people say that if the war was won it's thanks to Russia. That the Russians won alone.

Of course the Russians were essential to the victory, but many people tend to forget that the Americans provided considerable aid to Russia.

[Syntosi]

Is this truly that surprising? WW2 was a deeply traumatic experience for Russians which basically forged their new national identity and culture. They are not going to tie that to the "west" which is their geographical enemies.

It is deeply important for Russia to keep their memory of WW2 as the war between the Soviet Union and Germany.. with side characters. They do not even call it World War 2 in Russia, they call it the "Great Patriotic War". Most people do not understand how important this image of themselves standing up against Nazi Germany is to Russia and having that image of strength be undermined by the implications that Russia needed HELP makes them sound as if they were desperate or weak rather than the image of strength that they desperately cling to.

[blackgaletiger]

Yes America did help. However there are arguments in the history community on why. The Allies never trusted the Soviets but chose to help them. They could have helped German if the circumstances were a little different. Russia and the United States were actually a lot closer. Hence why Russia sold Alaska to the Americans to avoid it going into British hands. Alliances change and reason change just as frequently. America wanted Russia to prevail and did whatever they deemed necessary. But its not always the aid you get but how you use it. So that is something you can give the Russians credit for at least

[RavVid]

A good take on it. You have to give the Russians credit for having the smarts to steal the T34 tank suspension to further add to your points.

[Unit1]

I don't know what to believe.

Some say the soviets won the war mostly by themselves.

Some say the soviets and the USA were always enemies but on ceasefire for the time being.

Some say the soviets were offered aid but their government has declined the aid.

Some say the soviets did receive aid from the US.

History is written by the victor.

I believe nothing I didn't see or experience I suppose.

[Cormac995]

They're called Tankies and they're stupid morons who have no idea what their talking about. You have a good head on your shoulders though for seeing through the bullshit and this is a pretty well-informed take even if it's a short one. I'm going to follow you.

[Maybe_Maybe_not]

Well, tech companies have taught us that any of our opinions are important, especially when they are controversial. They also must be heard 24/7 to generate ad revenues. So, we're sharing our opinions, to support economic growth, that's the plan.

[DryGermanGuy]

I find it more irritating that they are wearing their fatality numbers of 20 million+ almost like badge of honor, when it seems to me, their winning strategy was solely to send wave after wave into the frontlines until the Germans ran out of bullets?

[RavVid]

In cases unarmed meat waves. The unarmed were expected to be able to pick up a mosin rifle cause there would be certainly casualties.

[genericname85]

so what? america still claims to be the "winner" of ww2 even tho they did litterally nothing. they just litterally joined the last second of the war when it as already over just so they could claim they took part in it. and while russia probably had the greater war casualties than any other party in that war, it's only the americunts that are still stationed in germany. the russians left decades ago while america is still dictacting germanies policies through nato.

[genericname85]

i'm not a russia supporter by the way. the world isn't black and white.

[Julie4]

Let's be precise here, because m USSR wasn't just made up of Russians.

Moreover, without the industrial and economic power of the USA, good luck winning the Second World War, it simply wouldn't have happened, even Stalin said in one of his letters that without America they wouldn't have been able to continue the struggle.

[genericname85]

Russian Soviet Federative Socialist Republic. "russian". if you wanna be "precise" don't act as if russia wasn't the main governing body of that union and therefore that territorry was considered russian. that's like saying texas isn't part of the USA.

germany was already on their last breath and failing. Europe would have killed them without americas help. america just came in like a vulture to collect the loots of what the entirety of Europe fought hard about.

[Julie4]

You're acting out of a primitive anti-Americanism, but that's not what the Soviet elites of the time thought, be it Stalin or others.

That doesn't take away from the sacrifices made by the various states that eventually made up the USSR, which were conquered by the Russians and by the Russians themselves.

[DrPepper12]

Many people are fucking willfully ignorant and manipulated about accurate history - especially USA Americans.

Why did our WWII "ally" Stalin not open a front against Japan after Pearl harbor? Why did the USSR NEVER open a front against Japan? Riddle me that...

Google it if you dare...

[Twalli]

Russia didn't do much before getting aid and would have lost before aid got there if Hitler didn't keep changing his mind about where his heavy artillery should be. Although the same can be said for Hitler changing targets in the UK bombing right before they were about to surrender (allowing them to regroup).

[AviatorTom]

The Lend-Lease program, where the US sent material to the USSR is not too well known, it's not something that is typically included in histories of WWII in the West. It may not be covered in Russian education at all.

[RyanEC]

Because they didn’t want to credit us for helping during World War Two during the Cold War.
At the same time we tend to ignore how much more the people of the Soviet Union suffered compared to the people of the United States.

[RavVid]

I think we have a pretty good idea of the why :) It is pretty impressive how quickly it turned from allies to enemies at the end.

[bolverk]

It comes as no surprise, as the Russian People were told by their 'Government' that WW2 was the 'Great Patriotic War' where Russian fought alone with no help from other countries.

[Dargil]

The Russians did not win the war alone. But Hitler lost it by poor leadership.

[beefcakebradybatson]

And after realizing that "Uncle" Joe Stalin was a muss murdering POS, America promptly turned the former USSR into its biggest foe.

[noohair]

The Russiand paid a high price during WWII. But they could not have won without American aid.

[Jennz6]

I’m not as smart as you about this stuff