If Germany hadn't invaded Poland does anybody think that the 1939-45 allies would have sided with Germany?a

Question

If Germany hadn't invaded Poland does anybody think that the British, US & France would of sided with Germany? (Serious question). At the time the majority of the Allies had serious anti-semetic as well as anti-comunist beliefs, Does anybody believe that that the cold war could of been fought 10 years earlier if the circumstances had been different?

Answer 1

well first part of the question first, britain and france wouldnt have sided with him ( though vichy france seemed to do okay with germany in occupation) but the US is a different matter, up until pearl harbour was destroyed by the japanese..... the president at the time had locked away in the vaults a peace treaty to be signed by the US and Germany if they had succeeded in their invasion plans for the UK. up until that time the americans wanted nothing to do with the war. They were quite happy to make money fromthe British government with the "lease/lend" plan which we were still paing back well into the 50's hence the fact that rationing didnt cease till 1953. As to the cold war, that was borne if the fact that berlin was divided up into sectors after the war when all the allies became suspicious of each other, not just the so-called "super powers" of the US and the USSR, both of which seem to be failing fast now the USSR already being bought down by its own people, and the USA not far behind as the populace are very downhearted by many things including the economy, the war in Iraq, the treatment of their own people while more is spent abroad in aid than was spent on the whole US last year. So no offence to any members of the american public who may or may not read this. you didnt save us from hitler, if it hadnt been for the fact that we held his forces at bay in france, he would have been in the US next, with the japanese attacking from the pacific. it was only the fact that he couldnt win the "battle of britain" in the air that stopped him invading us, so he turned his forces to the east in an attempt to invade russia, Big mistake in my opinion, for while they may not have had the machinery he had, they had the men, and the freezing cold steppes to be crossed, and that was his downfall, the russian front, so why Russia and the US were such big enemies at one point was in fact just a big pissing contest to see who would back down first.

Answer 2

I don't think it's very likely that the Allies would have sided with Germany, if only because Germany would have been unable to stop expanding in one direction or another. That was pretty much the whole raison-d'etre of the Third Reich (which, after all, means 'Third Empire', don't forget) - expansion.

Anti-Semitism was not so dominant in the UK, France or the USA as to have allowed them to side with Germany. Remember also that Britain, for one, was extremely peeved with Germany before it invaded Poland - it had already annexed Austria and carved up Czechslovakia. The invasion of Poland was the last breach of many promises Hitler had made to the British, and hadn't kept.

Remember, too, that the Allies didn't fight Germany to prevent the genocide of the Jews, which at any rate wasn't really underway in 1939. They fought Germany for the traditional reason European countries tended to form alliances with each other - to stop one nation, in this case an especially brutal and ruthless one, from occupying the whole of Europe.

Answer 3

This question has a flawed premise. The notion is that the US, Brits and French would have "sided" with Germany if Hitler and his regime would not have invaded Poland.

The western powers would have likely opted to contain Hitler rather than side with him. The western governments were not a friend or potential ally of Hitler, he was armed to the teeth and openly hostile and aggressive. He was a threat.
It is conceivable that the west may have stood onthe sidelines if Hitler attacked Russia, without invading Poland, but you can not do this without trouncing on another countries soil therefore there woulfd have had to been a pretense of assistance to a border country against Russian hostility to enable the movement of troops and equipment across territory to attack.

No, seems Hitler had intentions of gaining his lebensraum ( living room ) for his people and his empire and was set to invade and motivate the west to defend europes freedom. The notion that anti-communist and anti-semetic sympathies could have created a alliance among western europe and Hitler seems to not have a strong basis in the facts of the time.

Answer 4

There were a strong movements in the UK the USA and France who supported Nazism and Fascism. So it might seem that we would have supported him, but that leaves him and his beliefs out of the equation. He was slaughtering the Jews as well as Gypsies, Communists and many others. He also believed, really believed, that Germans were the Ubermenschen and the rest, to differing degrees Untermenschen. (Over and Under)

He also had an entirely misplaced belief in his own military genius which allowed him to regard other nations with contempt.

His aim in invading Poland was a step to invading the USSR and was thus necessary because the USSR had what he wanted (and believed would be his by right of conquest) 'Lebensraum' (Living space).

So he HAD to invade Poland, even knowing there was a treaty between Britain France and Poland.

Then came Pearl Harbour and Hitler had a treaty with Japan so he declared war on the USA.

So now he was committed to fighting the USA and the USSR as well as defeating Europe.

So without being an historical determinist it is difficult to see how else, once he had started, it could have happened.

Answer 5

Doubtful. Simply because of the alliances that were already set up. By the time WWII came around, the world still had the left over alliances from pre WWI, the Triple Entendre and the Triple Alliance. Because those were in place, it's highly unlikely. Aside from that, there have been hundreds of years worth of tension between France and Germany. France has been angry with Germany for a number of years, for various reasons, including the Franco-Prussian War, the crowning of William I at Versailles, etc. The Allies realized that Hitler was about more than anti-communism and anti-semitism. He had laid out his plan for the imperialization of Europe many years before the war broke out, in both Mein Kempf and in his public speech tours. France and Britain knew that aside from his attempt at creating an aryan nation, Hitler was also trying to conquor and dominate all of Europe. Neither of them wanted that. They had been fighting a strong Central Europe for hundreds of years, which is why it was so difficult for Germany to unify. So, I think it's about more than the anti-semetism and anti-communism.

Answer 6

It would only have been a matter of time before Hitler invaded some country other than Poland. Dictators like Hitler need an enemy in order to rally their people. The Allies were already ideologically opposed to Nazism, in spite of their slightly anti-Semitic and anti-communist leanings.
Could the Cold War have been won 10 years earlier? Possibly, but only if the West had made exactly the right moves. Remember, in the late '70s there was a weak, vacillating President of the US in office. It took the combined strength and moral authority of people like Ronald Reagan and Margaret Thatcher to defeat the communist empire.

Answer 7

No, I think with Hitlers actions and speeches plus the allies fought against Germany in WW1, there was too much friction. I would only be guessing about the cold war.

Answer 8

A lot of ifs.
I don't believe that Britain would of sided with Germany purely because our pride would not of allowed this, at the time we were the greatest empire in the world and would not of wanted to share this position with anyone unless our country was seriously threatened. The only way Britain would ally itself with Germany is if the Soviets made war on Europe ( which they were in no shape to do after Stalin's terror ) As ww II showed us the British empire would make allies of anyone no matter how ideologically distasteful to them i.e Russia & anti imperialist USA, if it mean't victory.
France, after tremendous losses in 14-18 was weary of war,as can be seen from its faliure to contest Germany's reclaiming of the rhineland. I think it would of claimed neutrality while using diplomacy to strenghten its ties with its allies and other european countries extracting promises of mutual defence. Germany the old enemy would of been seen as a direct threat and France would of stepped up its military preparations, but would of tried not to provoke Germany. so long as no more aggressive land gains were made by the Nazi's. France too would not of allied themselves with the Germans, there were too many old grievances.
The americans did not do anything when Poland was invaded, they maintained diplomatic ties with Germany for a long time after that. In fact America never declared war on Germany (not sure they ever would of either) it was Hitler who finally declared war on them 4 days after pearl harbour.
But no I dont think the USA would of allied themselves with Germany. They would of happily maintained their isolationist view and instead made themselves rich by sitting back and selling supplies to any or all European countries no matter their ideology or power. Remember most US citizens wanted no part of a European war, although look at hollywood today you would think the USA were the only ones to fight the nazi's.
Finally if Roosevelt would of listened to churchill about attacking the soft underbelly of europe and given reasources to this The armies who fought through Italy could of continued and liberated the balkans and south east europe before the red army got there thus insuring that post war europe would of been a very different place, and that the soviets could not then of annexed all of eastern europe without another costly war. So the cold war may never of even had to happen. Unfortunatly that would of left us in a position similar to today with only one superpower in the world and this one scares me just as much.

Answer 9

No. GERMANY had already broken the armistice that ended World War 1 by, re-arming and, re-building it's military.

Answer 10

well if germany hadnt invaded poland id be a communist living in warsaw