Well, there is no recognizable military threat to the US today that could possibly justify US military spending and having bases in something like 170 countries. There is no equivalent of fascist Germany with a highly advanced industrial economy, a powerfull military and expansionist ambitions. Nobody denies the importance of the US in WWII, but it could well be argued that without the Red Army fighting the German military to a standstill on the Eastern front, the D-Day landings may never have been possible. Churchill and Roosevelt both feared that the British and American armies would not endure the slaughter suffered by the Red Army, which is one reason they delayed the invasion so long. The population of the former Soviet Union sacrificed far, far more than that of the US to defeat fascism in Europe. So how about a little perspective, not to mention some acknowledgment of the huge sacrifices made by others.
Churchill and Roosevelt also feared that the Red Army would not stop at Berlin and would roll through to the Atlantic ocean if left unchecked. You are definitely right about the sacrifices the Soviet Union made, they are the ones who fought and defeated the Nazi war machine, a fact that is appallingly missing from the US educational system. Most history classes do not or only in passing mention the Eastern Front instead spending inordinate amounts of time on D-Day and the Holocaust, important topics in their own right but not as relevant in the context of the entire war and especially the actual fighting.
WW2 Soviet casaulties: Approx. 11 mln military casualties Approx. 11 mln civilian casualties Combined casualties: Approx. 13% of the pre-war population.
"Free energy under lock and key by the military"?? Is this the technology gathered from the alien crash at Roswell and stored at Area 51?
Quote from dcraig: The population of the former Soviet Union sacrificed far, far more than that of the US to defeat fascism in Europe. In the long run, they were nonessential. The diff is, Russia had little choice. The US was not attacked by Hitler, but pretty much performed sufficient CPR to keep England from falling. Even though they would have been stronger without the Russian front, Germany still would have fallen like Japan, because the Manhattan Project would have started there first. Yes, the war would have taken another year, but once Berlin, Munich, and other cities started going up in mushroom clouds, it would only be a matter of time. So how about a little perspective, not to mention some acknowledgment of the huge sacrifices made by others. Russia's sacrifice still was not that which turned the tide overall. The war had two fronts. Russia was almost zero help in the Pacific (the US sank about 97% of Japanese shipping, and the US was still the dominant force in Europe. No one said that others didn't sacrifice. The point was, going off on the USA like they are feckless, was rather ridiculous. And Russia was sure a lot of help when they sucked up eastern europe. Somehow, I don't remember the western powers doing that to newly-freed nations. Not to mention what Stalin did to his own people - it is estimated some 20 million Russians disappeared under communist Russia. Europe didn't learn the first time, and pulled the US in the second time partly because they didn't have sufficient military defense to withstand attack. The funny thing about the military is, you think it is a waste of money, until they start dragging off part of your countrymen to the gas chambers. Then, it is too late.