#233 – Big Stick Diplomacy

#233 – Big Stick Diplomacy

During 1947-48, England and France had been working on their own treaty as well as one involving the so-called Benelux countries (Belgium, Netherlands, Luxembourg). That became the basis of discussions about a broader treaty creating a United States of Europe,...
#233 – Big Stick Diplomacy

#232 – Norway Wants The Money

The Soviets and Finland had a complex history including a non-aggression pact and a false flag operation used to break it. But the President of Finland after WWII, Paasikivi, signed a new one anyway. Norway, on the other hand, was reluctant to sign one. They went with...
#233 – Big Stick Diplomacy

#231 – Finlandization

The other countries that lead to NATO being formed were Norway and Finland. One signed a non-aggression pact with the USSR. The other did not. We discuss the reasons and history behind each decision. There something secret here that only members can see. Probably an...
#233 – Big Stick Diplomacy

#230 – The Communist “Coup”

As the Communist Party of Czechoslovakia dominated the 1946 election, former Catholic fascist Slovakia ministers conspire to overthrow the Benes government through acts of terrorism. This leads to a series of purges, protests, strikes, and finally the Communist...
#233 – Big Stick Diplomacy

#229 – Peak Communism

After Benes took control of Czechoslovakia again after WWII, with the support of the Allies, he ran a program of ethnic cleansing, mostly targeting people of German ancestry. And the Czech Communist party became the most popular political party of any country in...
#233 – Big Stick Diplomacy

#228 – Czechoslovakia

Let’s talk about the history of Czechoslovakia. The anti-semitic founder of the modern state was well connected in the USA, all the way up to POTUS. His list of important American friends included a Nazi-lovin’ industrialist. But the state he founded was friendly to...