(03-09-2023, 12:03 AM)homebiscuit Wrote:

(03-08-2023, 11:54 PM)mikesez Wrote: We agree it would be a closer call. 
If the Russians let the eastern European nations, especially Poland,  have free and fair elections before 1950, the EU might have formed more quickly and NATO might never have formed at all.  America may have reverted to isolationism if the Russians were playing nice.  The whole Cold War competition doesn't happen the same way.  While both sides would have developed rockets and satellites, manned space flight might not have been emphasized as much.  The US would be less involved in Europe, and, depending on whether the UK decides to join the EU, perhaps English would not become the common language of the EU.  Perhaps by now it might be French or German or even Russian.  The influence of speaking the common language is huge. Losing that would change a lot.

Which explains the enigma of Russia. They do not act wisely for their own good. A country with such a brain trust has throughout history acted with brutality and indifference to not only others, but especially to their own. Paranoia is an exquisite Russian character.

In World War 1, fed up Russian troops returning from the battlefield were a force propelling the 1917 Revolution that brought down the Czar.  From news reports, it seems Russia still has this military doctrine of throwing troops at the enemy no matter how many get slaughtered.  And yet, from watching on-the-street interviews with Russians, they seem to be either loyal to Putin or resigned to the fact that they can do nothing about it.  

This guy has an interesting channel:  

(1) Russians look at pictures of destroyed Ukrainian city (Bakhmut) - YouTube

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