Given how paranoid Stalin was, I doubt he kept any potential successors alive.

History would contradict this claim, as when Germany invaded, Stalin himself oredered that the Government be evacuated and he himself stayed.....

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The war against Russia will be such that it cannot be conducted in a knightly fashion. This struggle is one of ideologies and racial differences and will have to be conducted with unprecedented, unmerciful and unrelenting harshness. -Adolf Hitler

So in other words, he would have had to get rid of the entire communist party?

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The war against Russia will be such that it cannot be conducted in a knightly fashion. This struggle is one of ideologies and racial differences and will have to be conducted with unprecedented, unmerciful and unrelenting harshness. -Adolf Hitler

There is a difference between a person who has the personal power and notability to be a heir apparent from a member of the party.

Stalin without a doubt, got rid of anybody that would have challenged his position... no argument there.

But in case of his death, no matter accidental or deliberate, someone would have just taken his place after being appointed by the party. There would have been no revolution if thats what you mean.

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The war against Russia will be such that it cannot be conducted in a knightly fashion. This struggle is one of ideologies and racial differences and will have to be conducted with unprecedented, unmerciful and unrelenting harshness. -Adolf Hitler

I just wonder how smoothly the appointment would happen.

Would his death in 53' count as an example? Only difference, there was no world war but there was the Korean confilict plus the action in French Indo-China (Vietnam). Even then, there were rumours of assasination by Berea. Yet, he did not ascend the throne of the communist empire.

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American by birth, TEXAN by the grace of GOD!

I cant imagine it being too far from what actually happend.

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The war against Russia will be such that it cannot be conducted in a knightly fashion. This struggle is one of ideologies and racial differences and will have to be conducted with unprecedented, unmerciful and unrelenting harshness. -Adolf Hitler

Well said, and the same for me also; I detest the horrors that Stalin and his communist cronies visited upon the Russian people, however, it was the Red Army that bled and died in enormous numbers and played the largest part in destroying Nazi Germany.

By mid-1945 the Red Army was far and away the strongest and most highly motivated (for several reasons) army in the world. In any 'continuation war', this force would certainly have been the major factor in any outcome, atomic weapons notwithstanding.

Ok here is a senario, The Soviet Union for whatever reason decides to attack the west just prior to the surrender of the Germans, this is to take all of Europe, western allies rally and with the help of the Nazis and her former Axis allies manage to hold off and after some time manage to push back the Soviets in the west, while in the east the combined American, Japanese, Chinese and Commonwealth forces launch and offensive on the Soviets thus splitting the Soviet forces on a two front war, and this leads to an eventual collapse of the Soviet war machine.

Until the Soviets resort to their classic burn and retreat method and the Allied forces who are less prepared than the Germans were encounter the Russian winter just like Napoleon, Charles XII, and Hitler did.

Plus I think the idea that the Soviets would invade the west is the classic Western misconception of the Russians (and I mean Russians). The purpose of westward expansion has always been to create a buffer between the Russians and the West. If nothing else, the Russians are a paranoid people.

I have to say Roddoss, ( with all due respect ) this " what if " falls under the same premise as saying " What if " the aliens came down and fought with the Russians against the planet. The reason I say this is because there was no reason for the Soviet Union to attack Europe.... NONE. It was Europe and the United States which felt threatend by the SU and communism and history proves this with the wars in both Korea and Vietnam which were started by the US only to prevent the MYTH of the communist expansion domino theory.

But lets play this game, SU invades Western Europe, why would Japan and China ever consider attacking the SU for?

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The war against Russia will be such that it cannot be conducted in a knightly fashion. This struggle is one of ideologies and racial differences and will have to be conducted with unprecedented, unmerciful and unrelenting harshness. -Adolf Hitler

If anything the Nationalist Chinese attacking the SU would probably spark civil war. Japan at this time is crushed and exhausted from 18 years of war.
And the Allied forces in the Pacific were not geared to a major land assault, but a series of smaller disconnected island battles. The hopes of a Kamchatka front would be nil. As for allied forces in the West, and logistics were already stretched thin. Patton's desired run on Berlin was denied because SHAFE needed the fuel supplies so the British forces could keep pace.

By mid-1945, the Soviet Union's main strategic goal, beyond the complete destruction of Nazi Germany, was to develop an extended 'buffer zone' as far to the West as possible so that it would be somewhat insulated from any possible future invasion from that direction AGAIN. After invasions by Napoleon and Hitler, and outsider involvement in the civil war between 1919-1921, no wonder the paranoia.

Holy shit, this film was made in 1966. Haven't you evolved even a little bit since then? "Its a plot to make the world die laughing!"

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No argument there.... You are absolutely correct, but can you blame them? As you said they have been attacked before by enemies which at the time of the attacks were stronger then Russia was. Russia did not want to keep falling victim to this...

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The war against Russia will be such that it cannot be conducted in a knightly fashion. This struggle is one of ideologies and racial differences and will have to be conducted with unprecedented, unmerciful and unrelenting harshness. -Adolf Hitler

Don't blame the Soviets at all, actually in complete agreement. Just wish the so-called experts and movers & shakers in the US state department post WW2 would of had a better understanding of this aspect of Russian history, then perhaps the cold war would have been less intense.

And I agree again

Damn it, now its just getting too mushy with all of this agreeing

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The war against Russia will be such that it cannot be conducted in a knightly fashion. This struggle is one of ideologies and racial differences and will have to be conducted with unprecedented, unmerciful and unrelenting harshness. -Adolf Hitler