George Galloway and Karl discuss Stalin, the Red Army and D Day

[ryler05]

I got to say I am with Karl on this.

[1gladdis]

I will never forget the sacrifices made by the Soviet Union between 1941 and 1945 but I will also never forget that Stalin, not the Western Powers, made a disgraceful and unprincipled agreement with Hitler in 1939. By the way, there is lots of evidence that Stalin instigated terror and mass murder against the Soviet population - a terroristic policy instigated and implemented by Lenin. The caller sees and hears what he wants to see and hear.

[SkullOfYorick]

Stalin was as bad as Hitler, while Roosevelt and Churchill were globalist-enablers. Stalin may have been a Communist, but he was not a communist. Britain's involvement in the European theatre of the war was a failure on its own terms: Poland wasn't liberated until 1990, and lost its independence again when it joined the EU in 2004. The same goes for the maintenance of Belgian neutrality as the excuse for British involvement in the First World War.

[JDTNH]

isnt that ken from the highlands?!?!!?

[reyter2007]

He was still slightly wrong however. The Red Army and Soviet people generally were responsible for 86% of fascist losses in Europe, not just German. Finland, Hungary, Italy, Romania and Slovakia sent their own armies along with the Nazis (including Austria, Sudetenland in Czech and western areas of Poland). Tito and his Serbian Partizans made the next largest contribution.

The Red Army then destroyed the largest and most powerful Japanese army formations in Manchuria.

[reyter2007]

That guy really knew what he was talking about. No offense intended to British people but there seem to be so few of them who know about this kind of thing. 

[glaschris08]

nah this guys full of shite! Stalin was a monster, end of!!

[Caribdus]

Lost the War without Russia? Well in that case wtf would Russia of done against not only Germany but Japan. No way could Russia of taken on Japan as well so they needed the allies just as much.

[wvprogressive1933]

Stalin is a far more complex figure than the one we hear about in the West. I second vivascargill's comments. You have to look objectively at the history. Most of us have been lied to. Stalin does not = Hitler.

[ignaciosanmon]

It's very revealing to read what was said at that time of Stalin and the Soviet Union itself, and to read documents and letters and debates between Stalin and Western leaders. Churchill offered him a deal in the Balkans, "let's go 50-50 on here and there". But current mainstream media makes Goebbles look pale in comparison.

[wvprogressive1933]

It's very interesting to read the Time "Man of the Year" articles when Stalin was the figure given that title. The most interesting one was in the year 1942.

[wvprogressive1933]

Henry Wallace, FDR's vice president from '41-45, ran against Truman on a militantly anti-Cold War campaign. Wallace was a very different figure from Truman. Wallace generally believed in a more radical social democratic system in the United States and peace with the Soviet Union.

The Soviet Union, which bore the brunt of much of Hitler's army, was screwed out of the postwar planning.

[ignaciosanmon]

Very interesting... In 1948, previous to the Berlin blockage, US-UK and France authorities created a single economic zone in their areas of occupation in Germany; they also created a new currency, excluding the USSR. After that, they created FRG. Who was responsible then for splitting Germany?

[Redcarpet01]

@The US was, they opposed re-unification remember. Especially George Kennan in the State Dept.

[TheTollundWoman]

Stalin made a deal with Hitler to split Poland between the two of them, Hitler wanted all of Poland, if Hitler had kept his "end of the bargain" then Stalin would've remained an ally of the Nazis.

In Russia today the Neo-Nazi election candidates put pictures of Stalin in their offices. Which says a lot about the real relationship between the Soviets and the Nazis

The Gulag was the Soviet version of Auschwitz. different name for the same thing

[vivascargill]

Hey George check out the archives--don't buy the western crap! CHECK OUT PARENTI AND MAYER! THERE ARE MORE BLACK MEN IN OUR "GULAG" THEN EVER WERE IN THE SOVIET PRISONS-I AM SICK OF THIS STALIN BASHING!

[ThetaWaves69]

@vivascargill denying the murders that stalin was responsible for ?? sounds like how neo nazis deny the holocaust

[yington]

Why did Stalin only attack Hitler when Hitler attacked him?

He could have joined Britain in 1939, 1940, or 1941. Yet he sat back, & only attacked Hitler out of self interest when Hitler attacked USSR.

Stalin's record in the war stinks.

[CommissarRed]

Err no he couldn't as Neville Chamberlain was adamant that their could be no alliance with Stalin ever. In fact he only ever sent ambassadors to discuss the idea of an alliance with the USSR after pressure from Labour the Liberals and Churchill's Tories.

[yington]

So the Soviet Union could not attack Hitler, until Hitler attacked them. Oh crikey.

In 1939, the Nazi's were at war with most of Europe.

Stalin's Comintern had encouraged Communist Parties in other countries in the world not speak out against Hitler.

Stalin sold Nazi Germany a great mass of resources between 1939 and 1941.

ONLY when Soviet Union was attacked, did Stalin declare war on Germany - self interest only.

No principle in that.

His record in the war stinks.

[ignaciosanmon]

Maybe you can also mention the US sponsored the Nazi party.

In fact, Prescott Bush, former senator and the grandfather of George W. Bush saw his assets seized because of breaking the "trading with the enemy act", when it was revealed his Union Banking Corporation was funding Hitler. Who was in bed with the devil?

[yington]

So you have actually said that the US government prosecuted a traitor who funded Hitler! That's great to hear! It's refreshing to know that the US government made sure to prosecute those who sided with the Nazis. (how you came to the conclusion though that the "US sponsored the Nazi party" when they actually prosecuted him, is another matter.) You moron.

What would have great though, is if Stalin didn't promote Hitler's cause around the world for many years, until they were attacked in 1941.

[ignaciosanmon]

I don't allow insults here. This is your last comment.

Now I recommend you go and read a little bit. It's ridiculous to see people like you pretending that they know a low... You have no idea what you're talking about.

Prescott Bush, after financing Hitler, got a seat in the senate. That's the US, who protected nazis to spy in the Soviet Union. Who supported Pol Pot against Viet Nam. Who armed Saddam Hussein against the Iranians who got rid of the US-backed tyrant.

Go read now.

[yington]

You don't allow insults here? You create little comments alone specifically to insult me!

& you have completely failed to address anything I said about Stalin and his pact with the Nazis.

Instead, you tried to suggest that the US were funding the Nazi's, before hilariously contradicting yourself in the same post.

Are you that desperate to defend the tyrant Stalin? He's all yours mate!

But if you are going to try and debate it, at least try and stay on topic.

[ignaciosanmon]

Tell me where I have insulted you, and after that I will ban you.

Now, if you are not blind, you will see I'm not defending Stalin, I'm rather saying that the US, and specifically the Bush family were in bed with the nazis. The US were responsible for funding Hitler rise to power, and after the war they protected nazi war criminals to use them against the Soviets, same way as they have protected other criminals like Bin Laden or Pol Pot, if you can't understand my argument, that's your fault.

[TheTollundWoman]

@ignaciosanmon

You're right about Prescott Bush...also it was American scientists that created the "Eugenics" theory which the Nazis used to justify the holocaust.

But just because America was messed up doesn't mean stalin was innocent. Stalin and Bush actually played a very similar role- trying to *profit* from the rise of Nazism, instead of confronting what was clearly an evil force.

[ignaciosanmon]

I agree, and I don't justify Stalin on the basis that Bush was funding the nazis. My point is: Stalin gets always regarded as a tyrant who at the first stages collaborated with Hitler (although that's not true...), but no one mentions Prescott Bush. This is what angers me....

[ignaciosanmon]

And now, you've got 24 hours to show me where I have insulted you, before I get you blocked.

[ignaciosanmon]

You see, it's impossible to argue with that yington guy, he's misinformed and unable to see.

[rollinhammer]

The USSR were trying to get the allies to sign an anti-fascist pact for years but they kept on refusing.

The USSR was politically isolated from the west, so it tried to stay out of the war as long as possible by signing a peace with hitler.

By the way,"only attacked Hitler out of self interest when Hitler attacked USSR.", I think they call that DEFENDING YOURSELF.

[mitchverr]

marred by the vets booing gordy brown?!?!? They booed him because they battled to protect britain and to defend our freedoms and ability to vote etc etc, gordy is giving power from britain to europe and isnt even calling a national vote because he KNOWS he wont win it, he is the picture of what they battled against.

5 year plan for starters, purging, list goes on

[fodsaks]

Hear hear!!

Whenever I listen to Galloway's show I'm constantly baffled by this Karl bloke's love of Stalin.

[MagnaCarta2015]

Josef Stalin was an absolutly Brutal dictator of the worst kind, on par with Adolf Hitler, dont forger the Nazi-Soviet Pact.

The only reason we have a nicer image of Stalin in the west is becuese of the imense sacrifice made by the Soviet people against the Nazis in what they call "The Great Patriotic War".

It is true that during Stalins reign litterecy and Industrialisation increased in the Soviet Union, but the same can be sead about Adolf Hitler in Germany.

[smezec]

The Nazi-Soviet pact came about because Britain and France refused to form a pact with the USSR and were willing to tolerate the Nazis. So don't say it as if Stalin was in the sack with Hitler, because he absolutely bloody wasn't.

[RevolutionaryJam]

man Karl is seeing what he wants to see

[joebhoy182]

Karl is a great man

[blu3pr1nt1]

Karl rules.