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FS*
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That's pretty wild. Whatever the feeling toward Reagan and the admin at the time...
One might speculate- as the article mentioned- that without this initiative, the geography and events in eastern Europe and Asia might still look much the same as they did in the 80's.
Cool article.
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Tripledoc
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I read today that an Arianne rocket carrying a satelitte to explore a comet had to be delayed because the technicians found that some insulation on it's fuel tanks had fallen off.
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Tripledoc
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quote: Originally posted by pchang
Part of why every Warsaw Pact division was "backed up" by a Soviet division. "Fight or we shoot you in the back." |
I think the Polish peasantry was pro-communist. So there was a large recruitment base. In the cities it was another matter.
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Tripledoc
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quote: Originally posted by pchang
Are you implying the US sold the ESA the fule tanks or its insulation? |
No.
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Tripledoc
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It was just a remark. I thought it so insigificant that it did not deserve its own thread.
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chegitz guevara
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Ft. Lauderdale, FL Communist Party of Apolyton
Jun 2000 time: 00:34
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quote: Originally posted by Shogun Gunner
That's a very logical argument. However, the seeds of a police state in Russia/Soviet Union existed well before WW2. Good point about self-fulfilling actions. The US actions only served to heightened the defense mechanism of the Soviets. |
I limited myself to the actions of the U.S. Clearly Stalin's security aparatus was extreme by any reasonable measure. Perhaps if the U.S. didn't keep poking them, things might have calmed down even more after Kruschev became the head of the USSR.
That said, however, Soviet paranoia begins with the efforts of the West to overthrow them and aid the White armies during the Civil War. Even after the war was over, France kept a White army (led by General Wrangel) supplied and ready to invade just across the border in Romania. This was the reason behind the extremely harsh response to Kronstadt. In addition, ex-pat Russians, Ukrainians, etc. kept slipping back into the USSR and committing what we would call today terrorism.
Stalin, however, had to take what was necessary precautions even further. The army had been built from scratch by Stalin's cheif rival for power, Trotsky. Had Trotsky ever given the word, the Army could have seized power and brought him back from exile to lead the USSR. They even begged him to give the order (as he was the only one who had the personal authority to get the army to mutiny). Meanwhile, the peasantry was chafing under the restrictions on trade with the Soviet state. Then the Nazis started trying to undermine them.
Many of the agents the CIA recruited after the war were originally agents working for the Nazis, old Ukrainian fascists, etc. These were people who had helped round up Jews and others and turned them over to the SS.
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All times are GMT. The time now is 05:34. Apolyton Time is 00:34. |
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