Talking about the Second World War is always simple and challenging at the same time. The most terrible war in the history of humankind did not leave indifferent and indifferent, probably not a single-family in the world. Its grave consequences are still kept as ugly scars on the body of our planet and in the soul of every person who is not alien to humanism and compassion. In the middle of the twentieth century, what happened can only be called a tragedy. The cruel and bloody meat grinder, which began in the center of enlightened and civilized Europe and, later, spread to almost the entire planet, should have been a lesson. This catastrophe was not only to teach us to value life, love, and safety above all else. The palpable horror of the transcendental scale was to become a vivid, unforgettable illustration for each of us. This was to convince us that the war is nothing more than the sublimation of all the vices of humanity. And, for universal prosperity and happiness, we do not need to succumb to the unnatural desire to kill our kind.

Unfortunately, these lessons have not been learned. Moreover, the conclusions turned out to be precisely the opposite. Today we live in conditions that were ironically created precisely by the victory over the destructive and inhuman ideology of Nazism. The Cold War, the Cuban Missile Crisis, the USSR, Asia, East dictatorships, and crazy authoritarian Russia were fed by American humanitarian aid. This, and much more, became an illogical continuation of the story that ended on September 2, 1945.

Many books have been written about the Second World War, an incredible number of films have been shot, and an ocean of tears has been shed, but not one. The conversation about this confrontation can never be finished, and it is impossible to determine when it was started. We simply do not have enough eternity for reasoning about philosophy, the dualism of human nature, and the psychology of the masses in the context of those events. We do not even claim it within the framework of this article. But, today, we would like to discuss the Second World War from the position of a modern person living in a modern, digital world and seeing the events happening today. And, of course, we want to remember the role of the United States both in that war and in today's events. We will talk about the far-sightedness of the Nation and our country's role in ending the grand conflict. Also, we will raise the question of the real meaning of lend-lease and how it created a new monster in the form of modern Russia. And also about how the second Lend-Lease in US history can help destroy this monster.
But first, let's look back.

The Second World War. Origins. The Great War.

If we start looking for a starting point for the Second World War, we are afraid that we will need to look very far into the history of humanity. How much? This is such an existential question that the answer to it depends on your philosophy. We will need to look at the beginning of the story. But, we will be more prosaic and say only one thing: the Treaty of Versailles. Many historians agree that the predatory terms of this treaty, which ended the Great War, became the main prerequisite for starting a new global conflict.

One should not think that such a position is some attempt to justify the emergence of Nazi ideology and the subsequent war. But, it is worth recognizing that the First World War, at its core, was one big mistake, which was the result of a vast number of minor errors.

From the beginning of the 20th century, Europe was thirsty for war. It should be noted that the war was covered with a particular romantic veil at that time. Young officers dreamed of being on the battlefield, riding mighty, stately war horses in pompous uniforms with epaulets, brandishing family rapiers. The reality turned out to be quite different. When, on a formal occasion, the desire of almost all European states was finally realized in a full-scale conflict, everyone, without exception, was shocked. Be afraid of your desires - they can come true.

As it turned out, cavalry maneuvers turned into grueling skirmishes in dirty, lousy trenches knee-deep in mud. Noble duels on swords were replaced by ruthless fire from machine guns. And the sounds of war drums were replaced by a deafening cannonade of exploding shells and the suffocating smell of poisonous gases. Humankind did not even expect such progress from itself, the results of which the soldiers were forced to face. It was a war of annihilation. Not only did millions of military and civilians fall victim to it - it destroyed entire empires.

Four years of continuous nightmare ended in a completely incomprehensible way. In short, the main, if not the only culprit and loser, was Germany. Causes, political intrigues, and tectonic shifts in socio-political processes became, if not the cause, the explanation of such a result. All the fury and despair of the victors was brought down on Germany. They decided for a long time and with some pleasure what to do with the defeated. Britain and the US were relatively moderate.

Moreover, Woodrow Wilson's Fourteen Points looked like a long-term plan to appease the most aggressive player in the European political arena while keeping the continent relatively quiet for everyone. At the same time, the French were thirsty for blood, which is quite ironic, given the general impression of the army of this state in general and their military merit in particular. Still, several jokes praising the inability to fight and the cowardice of the French are not born from scratch.

In any case, peace has been established. If not for one factor - reparations. And the peace treaty was signed. It was based on those same Wilson's Fourteen Points, and the Germans didn't seem to mind the terms they were forced to accept.

We are not talking about justice. We are simply stating that the economic conditions for reparation for damage caused by hostilities have become such an unbearable burden for Germany that they have put the country and each of its citizens on the brink of survival. The Germans were able to pay off these obligations only in 2010 entirely. Still, at the beginning of the collection of reparations, this was a complete disaster for the country, ruined by the costs of the war. Many historians believe that the vast, ruinous payoffs were the foundation stone laid for the next, very soon next world war.

The Second World War. The beginning.

There is an old joke that the first significant achievement of the Austrians was to convince the whole world that Mozart was an Austrian. And the second main achievement of the Austrians was to convince the world that Hitler was a German.

But, despite these jokes, the future Fuhrer was delighted with the beginning of the Great War, like many of his compatriots. He immediately applied for enrollment in one of the regiments of Bavaria. This desire was not only an unsuccessful career as an artist and not a problematic financial defeat after the death of his mother. As we have said, all of Europe was waiting for war.

The future head of Germany proved himself worthy in battles, was awarded, and was injured. And he was utterly crushed by the news of the surrender of the Germans. Here it is also worth remarking that the love of the state among the Germans was mixed with extraordinary and unacceptable views of modern man, which were cultivated at all levels of social and political life. Anti-Semitism and racism were utterly ordinary in Germany at the beginning of time and were considered a sign of good taste. In local elections and city mayors, candidates actively used anti-Semitic rhetoric in their speeches. That is, such views were more than commonplace in the society of the time and were deeply integrated into the minds of ordinary citizens. Although not ultimately, this gives us an idea of what those wild, primitive, and cruel postulates were formed from, which later formed the basis of Nazi ideology.

Ironically, one of the first international treaties in 1922 was concluded by Germany with Soviet Russia. For the communists, this was the first international agreement. Considering what will happen next and the fact that many revolutionaries and members of the communist government were ethnic Jews, the irony is obvious.

According to the Treaty of Versailles, Germany was not only obliged to pay massive reparations. It was deprived of many diplomatic, financial, and economic opportunities. But, most importantly, she was robbed of the chance to have her military industry and military education. Guess who helped them get around these restrictions? The Soviet Union, carrying out inhuman industrialization and robbery of its people at the cost of two famines in occupied Ukraine, generously provided the new allies with everything they needed. Moreover, often to their detriment.

Moreover, just two years later, the rapid rapprochement between the two states reached such heights that the USSR created several centers for the training of German tankers and pilots. In the future, such a policy will become the main one for Europeans and will be relevant today, in the days of Nazi Russia's attack on Ukraine. The rest of the world, including the countries participating in the treaty, expressed their concern and anger at the current situation, but it looked very hypocritical.

When he came to power in 1933, Adolf Hitler not only took advantage of the hidden diplomatic ties with the communists. He developed them to new, unique heights. Even though most of the training programs for the German military were stopped, relations between the two emerging dictatorships grew rapidly and productively. At this stage, Germany already had a sufficient number of specialists to form the composition independently. But the Soviet Union continued to supply raw materials. Moreover, the Holodomor of 32-33 years in Ukraine gave the communists unique opportunities to develop production at the expense of gold, paid for with the blood of Ukrainians. All this culminated in a formal document affirming the dualistic union of the two states that embodied the world's evil, but more on that later.

But, the germs of a new war made their way not only in Europe, and they were nurtured not only in Germany. Fascist Italy, led by yet another lunatic, Benito Mussolini, waged its wars to satisfy archaic ambitions. Mussolini, who initially despised Hitler and declared differentiation from Nazi ideology close in spirit and form, soon joined it. The reason for this was the sluggish opposition of the League of Nations to the Italo-Ethiopian wars. It should be noted that the League of Nations was very similar to the modern UN in its uselessness.

The Spanish Civil War, in turn, slightly delayed the start of a full-scale world war, becoming the arena of confrontation between authoritarian Germany, Italy, and the USSR. The result was the emergence of another dictator in Spain - General Franco.

Imperial Japan also made no secret of its ambitions by attacking Chinese territories. However, the Kingdom of Hungary did not let its neighbors get bored either, although these soldiers were rapidly approaching the Romanians and French in terms of their effectiveness, which today we can read in many memoirs of officers of those years.

By 1938, the balance of power in Europe, and indeed in the world, was formed entirely. The impending catastrophe was visible to the naked eye.

The Second World War.

By 1938 Germany was at the point of no return. Thanks mainly to the Soviet Union, she had amassed enough resources, specialists, and a military reserve to launch her crusade. But against whom it was not too clear. If anything, it was not clear to the European leaders.

When Hitler annexed Austria, the danger became clear to everyone. And Europe began to confront the arrogant dictator with its unique method firmly. Highly. An extreme concern.

You can often hear that history always repeats itself. If you doubt this statement, take a look at your news feed. Since 2014, we can see a complete repetition of those same events. The insane, flawed dictator who annexed Crimea, the total support for the dictator from his people, and the same reaction patterns from European politicians - all frighteningly reminiscent of Anschluss. Then, however, the reaction was more evident and cowardly.


The main symbol and face of the world reaction to Germany's treacherous annexation of foreign territories were Arthur Neville Chamberlain. This character did not get tired of visiting Germany, conducting a series of negotiations that led to the signing of the Munich Agreements. The result of this cowardly policy was the actual division of part of Europe, followed by the transfer of territories of neighboring states under the control of the Nazis. It should be noted that Chamberlain was very proud of this "achievement." Newsreel footage has entered the story, where the Prime Minister of Great Britain waves pieces of paper returning after the signing of the partition of Europe. He said: "I brought you peace."

Better than the legendary Winston Churchill, no one would have commented on this agreement and the inglorious path that led to it. "Whoever chooses between war and shame will end up with both war and shame." Sir Churchill hardly realized then how profound and prophetic words he uttered. They predetermined the fate and behavior of European leaders not for years to come but for decades. Seventy years later, history took a new turn, and Nazi Russia still annexed the territory of Ukraine. And European leaders still looked for gleams of complacency in the eyes of the modern dictator Putin. And just like Chamberlain, current leaders like Macron and Merkel have sought peace for fear of war. What this led to then knows every student. What will an identical situation lead to today? That's a big question, given that the modern reincarnation of Hitler, the crazy Russian president, has nuclear weapons at his disposal.

At the same time, the weakness and cowardice of Chamberlain and his colleagues made it clear to the Fuhrer that they were not his rivals and would swallow any of his antics. And this, in turn, opened up the possibility for a fantastic symbiosis between the two invading states and their crazy dictators, Hitler and Stalin.

It cannot be said that the world could not see the bloodthirsty ambitions of the two allies. The USSR modestly but greedily and cruelly occupied territories twenty years before the war. On the other hand, Hitler carefully but confidently probed the characters of his opponents, trying to understand how far he would be allowed to go. After signing the Munich Treaty, the Germans captured all of Czechoslovakia. The lack of an international response turns on the green light for all dictators and shows that the right of the strong is still relevant.

At this time, the seemingly unnatural alliance between the communists and the Nazis reaches a new level. The USSR actively supplies various raw materials, specialists, and technologies bought for gold in the West and produced on its territory. At this time, no one, not even Neville Chamberlain, should doubt that Germany was acting without regard to all treaties aimed at appeasing them. The Soviet Union is also extremely pleased with the current situation since they are no longer mainly hiding their plans for intervention in neighboring countries.

All this ends with the formalization of the relationship in a non-aggression pact between the USSR and Germany. It was like a wedding after a long time together. Dictators officially unified identical views and desires. But, in addition, they approved joint bloodthirsty plans by signing a hidden annex to the Pact. According to him, the USSR and Germany divided Europe, confirming their intention to act together.

The lack of sincerity on both sides became apparent very soon. But for now, the communists and the Nazis, on September 1, 1939, tore Poland in half, held joint parades, and continued further aggression. The communists are also attacking independent Finland, which mercilessly torments the invaders in the course of its war for independence, buying time for Europe. But Europe never learns its lesson.

Hitler begins to realize that there is nothing to oppose him. Even though he does not have an army and military resources more significant than those available in other countries, he can boldly go further. After all, his arrogance compensates for its shortcomings. And such a situational ally as the USSR allows you to have an ace up your sleeve.

It is necessary to note the actions of Great Britain and France. To their credit, they fulfilled their obligations to Poland and immediately entered the war. Another thing is that this war was very conditional. The French carried out sluggish actions. And the reason for such low involvement remains a big mystery: either an apparent unwillingness to get involved in battles with the Germans or whether it is the legendary French courage and combat skills, or all together. On the other hand, Great Britain was very limited by its geographical position and the large-scale naval war imposed on it. It was then that the Battle for Atlantic, called the second, started.

Further events are not of interest from the point of view of intrigue. Two allies, two countries that unleashed the Second World War with the close support of each other, were engaged in the occupation of other countries. The Germans confidently and without any problems captured Scandinavia and several other countries and declassified France, showing its true combat potential. The USSR, losing ground, drowned Finland in the blood of its soldiers but did not receive any special dividends. However, the communists occupied the Baltic countries.

That period almost entirely and frankly shows each country's actual state of affairs. For example, Italy and Japan showed their ambitions and proved that their imperial interests were identical to those of the Nazis. And the Soviet Union, almost without hiding, is preparing to attack its closest ally, Germany. Also, the story begins to sort the participants.

But, the Germans are hitting ahead. In the summer of 1941, they open the Eastern Front, making a swift attack on the USSR. The Communists, who were preparing for an attacking flash war, shot most of their adequate generals, had an unbalanced logistical system, and a crazy maniac dictator, terrifying even against Hitler, and did not have enough resources, were swept away by the organized attack of the Nazis.

The final alignment becomes clear when Japan launches an insane air raid on Pearl Harbor, leaving the US with no choice but to enter the war entirely.

The United States in World War II. Land lease.

Land lease.

Lend-Lease for USSR.

At the time of the start of aid supplies from North America, the aggregate indicators of the main parameters of the German economy slightly exceeded the combined hands of the USSR and Great Britain. Moreover, the situation in the island state tended to worsen. A partial blockade and an economy built on foreign trade provoked a financial decline exponentially.

The USSR also had a weak position. Since the revolution of 1917, strange things have been happening on the territory occupied by the USSR. Firstly, the government was seized and held by frankly stupid and cruel people who were infinitely far from understanding the economic mechanisms and algorithms for governing the country. Moreover, cruelty and destruction were the first places for the revolutionary leaders of the communists. For example, their icon, Lenin, whose withered corpse still adorns Red Square in Moscow, wrote many books. Which are slightly more than entirely meaningless, but, almost on every page, there are recommendations for executions and the destruction of all those who disagree. Such a paradigm became the main one throughout the entire period of the existence of the USSR.

What is even more terrible, the communists massacred their citizens. This fact distinguishes them from Germany, which committed an infinite number of appalling crimes, but they were directed at strangers. Up to a certain period, their citizens were in relative comfort. The Communists, on the other hand, shot and hanged their people with passion and pleasure. This concerned not only the citizens of the countries they occupied but also the struggle among the revolutionary leaders. By 1941, they implemented several stages of repression, as a result of which they shot their best military and politicians who created the revolution as a phenomenon.

All the approaches of the communists to the establishment of the functioning of all spheres of social and political life were very illogical. For example, industrialization was backed by gold from the sale of grain. To have more gold, you need to sell more grain. Therefore, they arranged several stages of the monstrous, inhuman Holodomor in Ukraine, confiscating the entire crop from the unfortunate people. As you understand, if you solve the issues of the development of the state by destroying your people, you will not be inventive in other areas. It is pretty logical that at the head of such a state were not professionals, but many asocial psychopaths, accidentally raised to the top by a bloody revolution. What good can be expected from such a country? With such definitions, nothing is surprising that they merged in symbiosis with Hitler's regime, similar in its anti-human paradigm.

Thus, the fate of Europe, and with it, the future of the world, was in jeopardy. There was only one force that could even create balance. This force turned out to be the United States, which, thanks to Lend-Lease, was able to turn the tide.

What did lend-lease mean for the USSR? Survival and the ability to regroup. Supply routes were carried out in three main ways. To describe the list of goods sent to the communists, we will have to write a new article. The USSR had a minimal resources for the production of even rolled metal, not to mention complex military equipment. They were provided with airplanes, car tires, and canned food. By the end of the war, it was difficult to find in the arsenal of the Soviet army at least something that did not have an American mark. The same was true for the civil sphere. Many humanitarian supplies were also provided for the population, mostly canned food.

This assistance and the direct participation of the United States and allies in the conflict helped put out the fire in Europe. But, few people thought that by including the same madmen as the Germans among the winners, the world would get an identical problem, which would become apparent decades later.

Consequences of Lend-Lease. Modern Russia.

The US did not expect full reimbursement of Lend-Lease costs. We did not expect this either when starting deliveries or after the war's end. Nevertheless, all aid recipients voluntarily wanted to pay for all the goods and equipment. To the credit of the US, the refund request was only for surviving military equipment and civilian supplies. And here, the communists showed their true colors once again.

It is worth making a slight lyrical digression and discussing what victory in World War II means for modern Russia, which considers itself the heir to the USSR. The main thing to know is that the Russians believe that they single-handedly defeated Germany. This can be the end of this conversation.

Today, May 9, Russia falls into mass hysteria. The main slogan of the whole country becomes: "We can repeat!". Yes, you understood correctly. They are ready to repeat the millions of deaths of their citizens, the pain and tragedy of war, and the tears of mothers and countless cripples. Russians write this slogan on cars, dress up their children in military uniforms, drink a lot of alcohol, and walk around with portraits of their grandfathers. Speaking of grandfathers, we will also recall their other exploits on the territory of liberated Europe and Germany. Soviet soldiers went down in history as liberators, marauders, and bloodthirsty rapists. Considering that during the division of spheres of influence in Europe, they occupied a significant part of its territory, the question of their status remains open.

It is also worth recalling that modern Russia, led by the miserable maniac-tyrant Putin, considers the United States to be its main enemy. They do not get tired of thinking about how they will wipe us off the face of the Earth with nuclear weapons and consider themselves a God-chosen nation. If you apply the scale of the definition of Nazism to the Russians, they will correspond to almost every item. And it didn't start yesterday or a year ago. It started right after the end of WWII.

The Communists did not feel obliged to pay a cent. Immediately, they attributed their victories to the tactical genius of their military leaders and Stalin personally. Given the number of casualties, this was not something to be proud of. And the main pride of the senior officers of the USSR, Marshal Zhukov, very clearly showed his real training in the Korean War, where it was impossible to throw the enemy with the corpses of his soldiers in such numbers. And this man, who gave us the phrase “Do not spare the soldiers, women still give birth,” was an icon for the Russians.

The Communists agreed to pay only a tiny amount, which they announced in 1948 during negotiations. In 1951, a paltry $800 million was set. But even this amount seemed too high to the communists; they were ready to pay only 300 million. The United States, still paying tribute to the feat of ordinary people of the USSR, did not seek to argue and twice underestimated the size of the debt.

In 2006, Russia announced that it had paid the final Lend-Lease payment.

Second Lend-Lease. Russian-Ukrainian War.

Until recently, the history of the United States knew only one case of such sincere, gratuitous help in the fight against evil as Lend-Lease. We, like all humanity, were sure that the chthonic horror of the Second World War became a convincing lesson for all humankind, which will never again give rise to the conditions for a repetition of this nightmare. But, remember the Russian slogan "We can repeat"? They repeated.

On February 24, 2022, Russia attacked Ukraine. This is what we are talking about now. But, to be honest, they attacked much earlier. In 2014, these heirs of Nazism annexed Crimea and unleashed a war in the Ukrainian Donbas. We can remember the many conflicts the Russians have initiated before and the many territories they have annexed: Chechnya, Georgia, Moldova, Syria, etc. But, a direct and despicable attack on Ukraine has become an analog of the vociferous recognition of themselves as Hitler's heirs. Putin repeated the path of his idol almost entirely, and the only open question is whether he will end up like his idol?

The world may not have created Putin. But, he had to see it back in 1945. After all, Putin, complete insignificance and a narrow-minded person, is just a response to a social request. When ordinary German citizens were taken on a tour of the concentration camps and involved in the reburial of the regime victims they were part of, most of them wept and said that they knew nothing about it. Today, in the digital age, when information spreads instantly, the Russians applaud and bare their teeth in rapacious demand for more at the sight of the insane atrocities of their troops. They wanted it, dreamed about it, and won't stop.

In many ways, this is our fault, the fault of all Western world countries. We enjoyed the progressive development of technology and the economy, turning a blind eye to the monster growing nearby. USSR-Russia has not changed. It was the Nazi state, and it remains so. Only she received financial resources to create her inglorious army of rapists, marauders, and cowards, selling oil and gas to Europe.

Russia has offered the world nothing else. As you can see now, after all the sanctions imposed on the Russians, they remained cut off from modern technology and knowledge. The world might be afraid that, in return, they will deprive the world of their achievements. But, they have nothing to take away from the world since they have given nothing to it. Everything that Russia exports except resources: primal malice, unbearable cruelty, and threats of prehistoric nuclear weapons.

Moreover, they advertise their product in all available ways. Their president, deputies, journalists, and ordinary citizens speak about it. And support for the war and attack on other countries in Europe and the US reaches an incredible 86 percent.


For the second time in history, the United States is faced with the need to support a country fighting an unequal battle with the Nazis. With their courage and incredible love for the Motherland, Ukrainians proved their right to help. For three months, the whole country, in unison, has been waging a constant war with a vile enemy devoid of pity and human feelings. Every citizen of Ukraine is involved in defense of his country - sincerely and desperately.

That is why, on April 7, 2022, the Senate passed a law allowing President Joe Biden, for the second time in US history, to use the Lend-Lease procedure to help Ukraine, which alone confronts the global evil sprouted from the germs of Nazism. After all the examples of the courage of the Ukrainian defenders after they showed all the effectiveness in using the resources provided to them, after the horrors that the Russians did in Bucha and Mariupol, the bill was passed almost unanimously. Only ten members of Congress opposed it.

Today we are at the very beginning of supplies for Ukraine. And it is difficult to say what exactly we will provide to the brave Ukrainians and when it will be done. But it just so happened that the United States has assumed the function of one of the leading players on this planet. Throughout our history, empathy has remained one of the main qualities of Americans. Now we are back on the right side, at the forefront of the fight against evil. With evil, in the birth of which we were forced to take part.

Lend-Lease during World War II and today's aid to Ukraine are something that embodies American values. And what makes us Americans. After all, the desire for justice is one of the pillars of our self-identification. We must remember this, especially in dark times like this.