The year is 1960. Georgy K Zhukov has just been pushed out of the Premiership by hardline Communists,principally backed by Nikita Khrushchev. The Cold War is at its peak; the Soviets have just added the United Arab Republic and Vietnam to
Warsaw, alongside Afghanistan. The Comintern is strong, in 1950 Marshall Tito accepted Stalin's dominance over Eastern Europe, and Zhukov (his successor) initiated a vast program of monetary aid to back up Warsaw nations. Khrushchev is convinced that with the US determining to stay back from European affairs, the time is now for the ultimate ideological struggle.
During the Civil Wars in Greece and China, the Soviets had offered full alliance to the Chinese, an offer they declined. Comrade Stalin declared war on the Greek Republicans and immediately allied himself with the Communists. The US and her NATO allies were extremely angry, but the US public demanded Truman not start the war over Greece. Indeed, there had been many flashpoints up until now that could have triggered a war; the Soviet alliance with Egypt (now the United Arab Republic) came shortly after Egyptian aggression against Israel,triggering an embargo on Soviet goods for 2 weeks from the Americans, and the American ambassador requesting his passport (an event usually reserved for war), but nothing
came of it, ultimately.
Party politics in the Soviet Union had went from one extreme to the next after the death of Stalin,with the moderates ultimately backing Zhukov because he was the lesser of the presumed evils;Beria and Bulganin.Many in the party also saw
Zhukov and the old Army leadership as men whom had ultimately saved the Union from the cataclysm of 1942. In 1958 the power struggle came to a head, with Zhukov desperately trying to save his job,ordering the invasion of Afghanistan
after they refused to accept an alliance offer after many years. Unfortunately for Zhukov, Party Hardliners wanted much,much more, and in 1959 demanded he invade the West by the following spring or face the axe. Zhukov felt that though
global communism had gained much ground since 1945, they were still too disunited to make global invasion. Khrushchev and the people who backed him saw the failure of Hungary's revolution to be proof that Warsaw was more united than it ever
was; indeed, Soviet troops did not even enter Hungary before the Hungarian government surrendered to Kremlin demands.
And so now, the year 1960 begins. Khrushchev has just been named Soviet premier, and Westerners everywhere are on high alert. These may be the pre dawn moments before the great Reckoning.
Warsaw, alongside Afghanistan. The Comintern is strong, in 1950 Marshall Tito accepted Stalin's dominance over Eastern Europe, and Zhukov (his successor) initiated a vast program of monetary aid to back up Warsaw nations. Khrushchev is convinced that with the US determining to stay back from European affairs, the time is now for the ultimate ideological struggle.
During the Civil Wars in Greece and China, the Soviets had offered full alliance to the Chinese, an offer they declined. Comrade Stalin declared war on the Greek Republicans and immediately allied himself with the Communists. The US and her NATO allies were extremely angry, but the US public demanded Truman not start the war over Greece. Indeed, there had been many flashpoints up until now that could have triggered a war; the Soviet alliance with Egypt (now the United Arab Republic) came shortly after Egyptian aggression against Israel,triggering an embargo on Soviet goods for 2 weeks from the Americans, and the American ambassador requesting his passport (an event usually reserved for war), but nothing
came of it, ultimately.
Party politics in the Soviet Union had went from one extreme to the next after the death of Stalin,with the moderates ultimately backing Zhukov because he was the lesser of the presumed evils;Beria and Bulganin.Many in the party also saw
Zhukov and the old Army leadership as men whom had ultimately saved the Union from the cataclysm of 1942. In 1958 the power struggle came to a head, with Zhukov desperately trying to save his job,ordering the invasion of Afghanistan
after they refused to accept an alliance offer after many years. Unfortunately for Zhukov, Party Hardliners wanted much,much more, and in 1959 demanded he invade the West by the following spring or face the axe. Zhukov felt that though
global communism had gained much ground since 1945, they were still too disunited to make global invasion. Khrushchev and the people who backed him saw the failure of Hungary's revolution to be proof that Warsaw was more united than it ever
was; indeed, Soviet troops did not even enter Hungary before the Hungarian government surrendered to Kremlin demands.
And so now, the year 1960 begins. Khrushchev has just been named Soviet premier, and Westerners everywhere are on high alert. These may be the pre dawn moments before the great Reckoning.
I can't wait to see the world painted Red.
