r/coldwar

The article: between 1954 and 1990, West Germany played with an insane, existential urgency because of the heavy burden of WWII history and the division of their country. That immense pressure to demonstrate pride and honor forged this unbreakable "football steel" - a desperate hunger to prove themselves to the world.

But after reunification in 1990, that deep historical pain started to fade. Germany became a comfortable, prosperous, post-historical, and much more inclusive, diverse society. Because the country is doing so well and history stopped hurting, they've lost that raw, "fire-in-the-belly" edge.

I think it's a good theory to be considered. Before unification 3/10 World Cup Championships, 8/10 final 4 appearances. After unification, especially the last 3 world cups, well, it's not the same.

I think there is a sociological element to sports and I thought I would offer this for consideration.

Addendum: I did not think a sports article which I felt was interesting was going to draw so much hatred and venom. If the mods don't think their readers can handle a new idea without showing hatred and spewing insults, please delete the article and ban me from this subreddit.

My understanding is that the likes of the UK and France supported Finland during the Winter War with the Soviet Union, by providing them with weapons and preparing to send troops.

Were they concerned that, when the Soviet Union was invading Poland, that they didn't want to make too big an enemy of them? Or could it be that, because Nazi Germany had already violated the Munich Agreement, of which the USSR was not party, the Allies felt pretty much powerless?

Also, in terms of Finland, they petitioned the League of Nations, which expelled the Soviet Union from its ranks, however when the Soviet Union invaded eastern Poland, the Polish government fled to Romania in response, and thus couldn't petition the League of Nations as there was effectively no government in Poland.

Furthermore, if you refer to Article 1 of the Anglo-Polish Agreement of Mutual Assistance of 25.08.1939, it specifically states that Britain would only come to Poland's aid if the invading aggressor was Germany.

Was Neville Chamberlain, therefore, seen as quite weak? Certainly, he resigned as PM in 1940, paving the way for his successor, Winston Churchill.

And FDR seemed as though he was much more trusting of Stalin, as opposed to Churchill. It appeared as though he got most of his information on the Soviet Union from the New York Times, which is why he had such a distorted view of the Soviet Union, because the NYT's Moscow correspondent, Walter Duranty, was on the Kremlin's payroll.

Having looked through CAB-65-1-19.pdf from the UK's National Archives, War Cabinet 19 (39), minute 8, Soviet Invasion of Poland, it states as follows:

>The Prime Minister said that he thought it desirable that a statement should be issued to-day declaring that His Majesty's Government had learned with indignation and horror of the action taken by the Government of the U.S.S.R in invading Polish territory, that this action neither altered in any way the position in this country in relation to Poland nor weakened the obligations which we had solemnly undertaken towards Poland. Although the Soviet aggression had added a further tragedy to the history of Poland, His Majesty's Government still retained complete confidence that, on the conclusion of the war, Poland would be restored.

Am I right in thinking that FDR didn't invoke the Neutrality Act against the USSR because he saw them as an effective deterrent against Nazi Germany, and it was only after FDR died that America introduced the Truman Doctrine to attempt to combat further Soviet expansionism, such as with the Suez crisis, French Indochina etc?

I know we had "Alerts" on a regular basis along the East/West German border during the 70s. Did other units in other parts of the European theater also have regular alerts? If so, what did they entail?

Hello everyone! Now I started new model(BTR 152 V1 from TRUMPETER in 35 scale) and think: hmm, what camouflage USSR can use? So, anybody know what summer camouflage USSR use in 70 years? In internet I found nothing(

We often look back at the anti-apartheid struggle through a highly simplified, harmonized narrative. This visual essay examines the critical turning point of March 21, 1960—the Sharpeville Massacre—not just as a tragedy, but as the specific catalyst that fundamentally altered the mechanics of South African resistance.

Based on academic research into the era, the video traces how the state's violent response to peaceful passbook protests effectively closed off all legal avenues for change, forcing the African National Congress (ANC) to make a sharp strategic pivot.

It’s an 11-minute deep dive utilizing primary trial records, archival footage, and Truth and Reconciliation Commission findings to keep the history both precise and honest. Would love to hear your thoughts on how this dual-track model of resistance compares to other 20th-century liberation movements.

Link: https://youtu.be/O0eUYapT8oA