WWII Behind Closed Doors: Stalin, the Nazis and the West | Clip #3 | PBS

[TalonMercenary]

this show was brilliant, I especially loved Stalin in it, thats what he would just have looked nad acted like

[RedComradeChe]

Comrade Stalin a horrendous tyrant? If it was'nt for Stalin and the brave red army, your flag would have a swastika on it. This is right wing propaganda!

[waynedaly100]

this show was great,allso was war of the century

[CanoPinto]

Stalin was a pig, in his testament Lenin suggested Stalin be removed from his position as General Secretary of the Soviet Communist Party's Central Committee, wanted the testament to be read out at the XII Party Congress. But his wife kept it secret, changin for ever the URSS and Communism History! "Stalin, having become Secretary-General, has unlimited authority concentrated in his hands, and I am not sure whether he will always be capable of using that authority with sufficient caution".

[coppincopp]

i got all the parts of it, and it is a really film about ww2. This film shows more of the ww2 in poland and the east. it shows as well how the communism happend in the east.

[poleposition100]

American symbol of collapsing communism was collapsing of Berlin wall .which is another BS. Everyone in Europe knows that collapse of communism began in Gdansk yard ship gate number one when solidarity was created and first peaceful strike began .What to expect form American people when asked on the street by local tv when ww 2 began answer was North Korea. Obama also considers collapse of communism from

collapsing of Berlin wall.

[skinz703]

Americans knows the ant- Communist movement began with Solidarity...but the Berlin wall is the symbol of the ending of the cold war because the only way we could have ever defended West Berlin against Soviet agression was nuclear war...we supported, funded and helped Solidarity all we could..but the threat of nuclear war always centered around Berlin and the German question..that is why the fall of the Berlin wall is the symbol of the ending of the cold war to most Americans.

[poleposition100]

Majority of Americans do not know what word Poland means.Go to the mid west and you will learn that .90 percent of Americans know very little about world history .Average citizens learn history by reading daily papers like nypost. According to top secret CIA SPY jerzy kuklinski who wired over 40 thousand pages of classified Warsaw pact doc Poland was suppose to be hit hit first by nuclear warheads in case of nuclear conflict .Two years ago CIA called him a top spy in history of CIA.

[MrTelevel]

Yes, a big part of the teritory that stalin took from Poland after the WW2, realy should belong to Lithuania, but at that time, just like now, this nation is to small and has no affect on global politic, it's word would never be heard, so there is a small dark side in this documentary... very sad but it is true...

[kf1393]

Many Russians would not believe in this documentary, and I always ask why. Does Russian propaganda from ww2 era still run in their heads, is it strong nationalism, or do they not want to admit the crimes commited by the Soviet Union. As an American I know the U.S. betrayed Poland in ww2, and Roosevelt basically gave Poland to Stalin. It was wrong, and that is not the only thing the U.S. did wrong, but Russians need to admit that Stalin did not liberate Poland, he only took control of it.

[alinytch]

I wish it was translated into Russian and shown on one of Russian national channels (unfortunately it's hardly possible under the present dictatorship) !!! As many people as possible should learn the truth

[ErzengelRafael]

I hope a few Russians will watch this documentary as well and will try to understand why the polish nation has never seen the Red Army as liberators... Poles are being accused of lack of gratitude towards their slavic comrades, who helped them to defeat the nazis.

I just feel sorry for those polish soldiers fiighting at nearlly every front of the II WW. The 4th biggest allied military force. All for nothing since we had been betrayed by the great 3.

[elmuchoconrado]

I think that Russian society wouldn't believe this movie. This is probably totally opposite to the propaganda they have every day. I wonder if they have full access to the internet or some pages are blocked. In fact survey research shows that many Russians think of Stalin-times as the best years of their nation. High scores in mass murders belongs to them but is it something to be proud of?

[FilipH86]

in all fairness the russians just took back parts of Poland that you took during the Soviet Polish war

[raykaelin]

who took from who?

[FilipH86]

the parts of poland that the soviets took in 1939 they just took back from when the polish took it in the polish soviet war

[raykaelin]

Shouldn't "Poland" be Polish?

[FilipH86]

Did you not read my comment??? Russia took back what Poland had stolen from them in the 1920s.

[raykaelin]

Idiot. The people who live there speak

polish, and have spoken Polish for over 800 years or don't you know you're history. It was Poland before there were Czars, Czarina's or even something called Russia (which at the time was actually Ukaraine centered in Kiev). and yes I did 'read' it. It was nonsense.

[FilipH86]

first of all FUCK YOU!!!! NOBODY CALLS ME A IDIOT, you little fuckhead,

With your thinking then the true owner should be Lithuania because they had all the WW2 (polish) territory before Poland had it. So tell me why should it not be Lithuanian.

How far back do you need to go to squabble about bounderies.

And I see your profile sais USA well FUCK YOUR MASSMURDERING, WARMONERING NATION, the only thing you are good at is invading countries and butchering innocent civilians.NOW FUCK OFF

[raykaelin]

Your eloquence is only exceeded by your venomous stupidity. Please don't multiply

[raykaelin]

You prove my point better than I could. People like you resort to perverse name calling and base language when they have absolutely nothing intelligent (if they ever did have anything intelligent to say) in their heads. shame on you and your ability to write such filth.

[FilipH86]

No your wrong you started it you fool I was very civilized until you called me an idiot, for no reason. so rat your own words and again fuck OFF

[FilipH86]

I mean eat your own words, you started the foul language.

[raykaelin]

Where did you go to school? I used no perverse language. the term 'idiot' means 'ignorant fool' which I believe in your case was not name calling - but rather self fullfilling. Now you can, as you say, fornicate off but I prefer to say ...get a job or a girlfriend...soon.

[bolosmelga]

idiot...

[FilipH86]

go fuck yourself right back

[goldyn12345]

my grandad was in anders army fighting at monte cassino and he did feel betrayed by churchill but especially roosevelt, he felt that he gave in to stalin a lot!!!

[phillipegal]

@ErzengelRafael And if you feel sorry about the died Poles, why don`t you feel sorry about the Soviet soldiers who also died? The Soviet soldiers didn`t fight for Stalin`s dictatorship so you should respect those fallen Soviet soldiers at least! They fought for their motherland at first. And many thought they fought for Polish freedom as well. So at least have respect for those soldiers...

[ErzengelRafael]

@phillipegal I respect the fallen Soviet soldiers since many of them were simple men forced to fight, but they were not liberators and this is my point. The march of the red army to the west was nothing more but a systematic conquer of eastern and central Europe. Don't forget how it started - the nazi-soviet pact and who attacked Poland on 17th September. Does that ring a bell? That's why I will not indulge any soviet-era monuments of the glorious red army on polish soil except the cementaries.

[phillipegal]

@ErzengelRafael And membership in NATO can be considered as a form of being a client state of USA. What does Poland do in Asia (I mean Polish troops as a part of NATO contingent)? Poland has no its own interests in Asia. It just follows USA interests like sheep. USA imposed their version of iron curtain on Europe. The Warsaw Pact doesn`t exist anymore, NATO (i.e. American) Pact still exists with its imperialistic ambitions.

[ErzengelRafael]

@phillipegal

We had more then one occasion throughout history to learn that bordering to Russia (no matter if it was ruled by the csars or the central commitee) is a delicate matter. Being a member of NATO is obvious to ensure our safety since the military treaties with France and England failed during WWII. Given the above, a military bound with the US is obvious and reasonable. What are you suggesting, that we should allie with the Russian Federation which will ensure our safety?

[rramass69]

The strange Polish attitudes towards Russia and Russians can sometimes be understood in light of the history. But the Poles sometimes act as teenagers who want to rebel against their parents (the parent is Russia in this case). Poles are very stubborn and it seems they don`t understand that nobody would give a fuck for them in case of a real war. Do you really think US want to start a war with Russia because of Poland? I have a great doubt about that so Poland`s provoking Russia is very stupid

[phillipegal]

@ErzengelRafael But remember Polish imperialism under Pilsudsky who took the Lithuanian and Ukrainian-Bielorussian lands as a conqueror. And Pilsudsky created concentration camps - even the Germans learnt from Pilsudsky how to use the camps...The Poles always were victims of their illusions. They thought they were fighters for freedom and were knights. In fact they were just usual imperialists who were overcome by other imperialists. They were dogs eaten by other dogs.

[ErzengelRafael]

@phillipegal

Piłsudki wasn't a saint but all he wanted was just to ensure the existance of the polish state. If you're accusing the 2nd polish Republic of imperialism, what should I say about the so called "export of communism" to the west, when USSR's plan was to place a red banner on the ruins of Vatican? The plan was to make all of Europe red by force, but thank God we did our part in 1920.

[rramass69]

@ErzengelRafael But is that wise using Poland? US need Poland because the old nations of NATO aren`t that easy to manipulate but Poland simply sells itself to US for illusion of protection. Protection from whom? Poles are idiots if they really think Russia wants to attack Poland.

[rramass69]

Personally, I think Pilsudsky wasn`t just imperialist. Remember his regime of so-called sanation? That looked pretty Nazi! That was Pilsudsky`s regime. About imposing ideologies. I think Poland is merely a little bitch which became communist after WW2 and now it`s pro-American.

[phillipegal]

@ErzengelRafael I`m a Russian and I`ve watched this movie. And what? Nothing new have I seen. The old song. During Napoleon`s wars the Russians weren`t seen as liberators, in the same way they weren`t seen by some Poles during WW2. And I don`t feel sorry about the Poles cuz` the Poles always pretend to show themselves as victims.

[ErzengelRafael]

@phillipegal the same army that attacked Poland and defeated their enemy (the Nazis) on the march to Berlin to claim Victory does make the red army liberators unlike the Americans, who did not impose their 50-year long protectorate on the Netherlands, Italy, France and other Countries wich they indeed "liberated". Austria can feel pretty lucky not to fall under the iron curtain.

[phillipegal]

@ErzengelRafael My friend! The Americans have nothing to do with deleting the Germans from the Polish territory - the Soviets mached through Polish territory. And don`t forget - the Americans supported Yalta-decisions that the Poles don`t like. Oh no! The Americans helped the Soviets in Yalta. Remember?

[phillipegal]

@ErzengelRafael Actually, the interpretation of the history the modern Poles use is very funny in my opinion. You always blame the Russians for a propagand and history falsifications though your popular history is a premitive anti-Russian(anti-Soviet) propogand and very pro-American one). You said the Americans were liberators unlike the Soviets?

[ErzengelRafael]

@phillipegal It's always funny when Russians are accusing other nations of propaganda :)

[watcherwatcher2]

@ErzengelRafael

It's not funny that Russians lost 25 million people fighting Nazi Germany...

[rramass69]

@ErzengelRafael I don`t like any stereotypes. You refer to the myth that the Russians allegely are more propagandist than others. But the fact is any political culture has a propaganda part of it. E.g., do USA have their propaganda? Of course! The States believe in their special mission of democracy and export their values which they see as a pure democracy.

[ErzengelRafael]

@phillipegal

Yes I did, because aside from the political context, the Americans were not executing or sending the french resistance fighters to labor camps as the soviet regime did to the polish underground army AK just because they didn't match their ideological POV.

[rramass69]

@ErzengelRafael You give the Americans too many credits. =) You know the history of US? People of Japanese origin were sent to special camps only because of their Asian origin - and that was in the XX c. The Blacks won against discrimination in the near past. And you know there were labor camp in US under Roosevelt. He was criticized because the camps looked very communist but his camps helped in fighting the Great Depression. Don`t idealize - USA aren`t paradise of the Earth

[phillipegal]

@ErzengelRafael That was a part of the protective war. One can have different interpretation of the 17 th September. Don`t forget Pilsudsky conquered the West Ukrainian and Belorussian lands though Versaliles treaty left them to Soviet Russia.Those lands weren`t ethnic Polish lands - remember Curzon`s line. So I have no reason not to see the Soviet soldiers as liberators.

[MBeniowski]

@phillipegal Get a life, mate... seriously...

[TheGreenRooster]

@ErzengelRafael

Maybe the red army should have left the nazis in Poland if you loved them so much? 600,000 red army troops died liberating Poland you ungrateful cretins. If it wasn't for the red army, the Polish race would have been wiped off the face off the earth.

[ErzengelRafael]

@TheGreenRooster Maybe if the red army wouldn't invade Poland on 17th Sept. we would at least have a chance. This liberation costed us the sistematic slaughter of the polish underground army. Where was the glorous red army when polish fighters where bleeding out in the ruins of Warsaw during the uprising in 1944? I'll tell you... they waited on the other side of the Vistula river.

[buildingeverything]

@ErzengelRafael "Maybe if the red army wouldn't invade Poland on 17th Sept. we would at least have a chance."

That is very true indeed. The German army at 1939 wasn't the "invincible army the crushed Europe" yet. If you study Polish strategy, which was mainly make you defenses stronger as the Germans some closer. Warsaw gathered enough defenses to last at least week. And if Warsaw fell (Germans couldnt street fight back then BTW) they would retreat to southern Poland, being supplied by Romania.

[casssaqwc00012]

brilliant, uncover the truth !

[MaspethFilm]

In 1943, the Germans defeated the Uprising in the Warsaw 's Jewish Ghetto resulting in a total annihilation of this district. After the defeat of the Warsaw Uprising in 1944, the city was given a death sentence. The Germans began the systematic destruction of the town. An estimated 650,000 of Warsaw's people lost their lives and 84 percent of the urban fabric was destroyed as a result of the war.

Thank you PBS for this movie.

[grubelsucht]

Thank you, PBS, for providing another view of WWII--one not from Hollywood.