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> In the invasion of Western Europe scenario, I think it's hard to say exactly how it would have played out. The Soviets had huge numerical superiority on the g
by Context_free 6y ago
> In the invasion of Western Europe scenario, I think it's hard to say exactly how it would have played out. The Soviets had huge numerical superiority on the ground and in the air. The West had a qualitative advantage.
The invasion of western Europe happened in 1940 from the east and then in 1944 from the west. This talk of "invasion of western Europe" is ahistorical. In 1956 the communists had 103 seats in the French parliament, the next largest party - the socialists - had 95. The US interventions in Italy's 1948 election exceeded Russian interference in Czechoslovakia in 1948 (the events of which were precipitated by the February resignation of the opposition from the ministry). Up until 1976 the communist party won over one third of the vote in Italy.
This notion of a united "West" fearing an invasion from the east is popular in some quarters, but is not what was the reality in Western Europe, and few western Europeans of the time had this view.
- cameldrv 6y agoOK now do Budapest in 1956, Prague 1968, and the defeat of commmunists in basically every free election in Eastern Europe in 1989-91. Why were there so few migrants from West to East during the Cold War, while, on the other hand, many were willing to risk their lives to go the other direction? Germany is a near perfect example. The effort required for someone to migrate from West to East was comparatively small. No new language is required, the culture is very similar, and the distance is short. Where were all the true believers in Soviet style Socialism? Given the similarity of the languages, today we see large migration flows from Romania to Italy. Why didn't we see the reverse during the Cold War?
- thrwway34 6y agoI've heard the wonderful assumption that The Wall in Berlin was built to actually cut the flow of migrants from... The West, seeking refuge in socialistic paradise of East Germany. Too bad that real situation was completely different.