Why did the US welcome Joseph Stalin and the USSR into the Allied Powers of World War 2?

Answer 1

first answer: "The enemy of my enemy is my friend."-Some old guy somewhere The U.S. along with Britain were not left with many choices at that point. The U.S.S.R. was a massive military power, if for no other reason than Stalin would send battalion after battalion of men, poorly trained and armed, into the German lines. While these three nations did not see eye to eye and the U.S. pursued a ABC (Anything But Communism) policy after the war, during the war it was necessary. Allying with the USSR opened up a Eastern front and relieved some of the pressure on Britain. It can be argued with success that the USSR really won the WWII (in Europe anyhow) as the Germans sent more of their forces into the Eastern front. Why fight two great powers when you can only fight one? It made tactical and practical sense at the time. You must also realize that the USSR did not ask to be allied with the US and the US did not invite them to join the war. Germany attacked the Soviet Union and Germany declared war on the US. After that, the two countries were automatically on the same side.

It needs to be said that in August of 1939, Stalin and Hitler signed the famous Russian-German Nom-Aggression Pact. Under a secret clause in the treaty, it was agreed that if Hitler invaded Poland, and he did in September of 1939, the Soviets would "occupy" eastern Poland. There they carried out massive executions of Polish soldiers, 15,000 at least. It was in 1940, when Hitler invaded the USSR that the Sovoet Union joined with Great Britain as an ally. Later in 1941 the Western alliance was complete. The US, Great Britain and the USSR.

second answer: The above is correct. I would add the thought that there is another way of viewing the US & British relationship with the Soviet Union during the Second World War: Instead of "Ally", consider the more accurate description "Co-Belligerent". The Soviet Union was never a true ally of Britain & America. Stalin had his own agenda during the war and his troops did not fight "alongside" British & Americans, nor did the Soviet Union's military forces operate with the US, Britain or France in a unified or cooperative command structure. On the other-hand, the United States, Britain, and lesser extent France did actually operate as true allies. Their troops, air forces & navies did work together towards common goals under unified commands. There were many instances that the Soviets actually worked against the US & Britain during the war. This often required Churchill & Roosevelt to remain calm & remember their common goal of defeating Hitler.