DISCUSSIONS
- << previous
- 1
- next >>
Will Republican Spain be Communist, because in reality it was mainly backed by communist countries and sometimes denounced by democratic countries. This would make it so that USSR would have better relations with them. Russia supplied them with many weapons including planes, anti-aircraft guns, rifles, and some Republican Spain uniforms were even made in the USSR.
- ladonlaken
- MHII
- location: United States
- joined: Aug 12, 2009
- posts: 156
Republican Spain was never communist....
And the primary motive for the USSR supplying Republican Spain with weapons might have been for economic reasons rather than ideological ones
- Carl
- location: United States
- joined: Aug 10, 2009
- posts: 241
Carl said
Republican Spain was never communist....
And the primary motive for the USSR supplying Republican Spain with weapons might have been for economic reasons rather than ideological ones
I kind of think it was just a way of saying "Screw You" To Germany.
DEMONS
The prolonged Spanish Civil War was actually good for Nazi Germany. It took attention away from German rearmament and foreign policy objectives, it allowed them to refine military doctrines, and they made money from it. Although the whole Spanish Civil war was never really important to Germany
It was very important to Italy though. In fact the Spanish Civil War was probably the biggest reason Italy was so unprepared for WW2
- Carl
- location: United States
- joined: Aug 10, 2009
- posts: 241
why is that?
- warman45
- location: Unknown
- joined: Aug 22, 2009
- posts: 288
What statement was "that" referring to?
- Carl
- location: United States
- joined: Aug 10, 2009
- posts: 241
I'm guessing the latter statement, I too am wondering what the answer to that is.
"I am not your son"
~JPS
- cavetroll1304
- MHII, MH GOLD
- location: United States
- joined: Aug 10, 2009
- posts: 1260
The combination of the Abyssinia war and Spanish Civil War destroyed the Italian economy
Italy spent way more on military armaments than they could afford and all that went to economically worthless colonies and a civil war that didn't really benefit Italy at all
Italy's ridiculously large budget deficits were met by printing lots of money. This devalued the lira.
So by 1939 Italy had massive inflation, its industrial sector of its economy had barely grown in the 1930s, and its military was still consisting of WW1 level equipment as it couldn't afford to update it
- Carl
- location: United States
- joined: Aug 10, 2009
- posts: 241
Carl said
The combination of the Abyssinia war and Spanish Civil War destroyed the Italian economy
Italy spent way more on military armaments than they could afford and all that went to economically worthless colonies and a civil war that didn't really benefit Italy at all
Italy's ridiculously large budget deficits were met by printing lots of money. This devalued the lira.
So by 1939 Italy had massive inflation, its industrial sector of its economy had barely grown in the 1930s, and its military was still consisting of WW1 level equipment as it couldn't afford to update it
Ok, it's official. Mussolini's Italy is the worst country EVER.
DEMONS
what about the wiemer republic?
- warman45
- location: Unknown
- joined: Aug 22, 2009
- posts: 288
What did Wiemar do to make it a worst country candidate? The capital flight that caused German hyperinflation?
Given the financial status of Germany post WW1, leaving the country and converting your Papiermarks and German assets into foreign currency and foreign country assets was probably the only financially sound thing to do.
Its not like there was anything Wiemar could have done to prevent the capital flight. Well they could have confiscated the war debt assets from individual Germans, but governments confiscating the property of the rich people of their country isn't exactly something that happens outside of communist countries.
I'd nominate Francisco Solano Lopez's Paraguay for the worst country award. For starting a war of aggression against Brazil and Argentina when Paraguay had a poorly equipped army that was smaller than Brazil's army (let alone the combined forces of Brazil+Argentina). (And yes I know Uruguay fought in the War of the Triple Alliance, Paraguay didn't declare war on them)
Said war led to ~60-70% of the pre-war Paraguayan population dieing, including ~90% of the Paraguayan males. And Brazil and Argentina annexed approximately 25% of the Paraguayan pre-war land.
- Carl
- location: United States
- joined: Aug 10, 2009
- posts: 241
Excuse me Carl, you will find that you are quite incorrect.
Do not get me wrong, Lopez was ultimately a fool who destroyed almost everything that his forerunners had worked for, but it was not the suicidal insanity that Carl makes it to be. Before the war, Paraguay was a Regional Power. Did you not think there was a reason why this so called worst country held out against three others united for 6 years?
After President Lopez became President-Dictator in 1962, the Paraguayan government hired more than 200 foreign technicians, who installed telegraph lines and railroads (NOTE the most advanced communication and transportation systems of the time) to aid the expanding steel, textile, paper, ink, naval construction, weapons, and gunpowder industries. As you can see this was not some third world backwater.
In 1850 the construction of the Ybycui foundry was finished. Here they manufactured cannons, mortars, and bullets of all calibres. River warships were built in the shipyards of Asuncion. Paraguay had an impressive industry, it was making its own material, not merely buying them from foreign powers.
President Lopez encouraged the development of war industries, mobilised a large quantity of men for the Army (conscription already existed), and submitted them to intensive military training. Fortifications where built at the mouth of the Paraguay River. He also set about building riverboats of war.
THE WAR
At the beginning of the war, the military force of the Triple Alliance was inferior to that of Paraguay, which had,
- Somewhere between 70000 and 100000 men.
- A naval squadron of 23 steamboats.
- 5 river navigating gunboats.
The armies of the Triple Alliance were a fraction of the total size of the Paraguayan army.
- Argentina had 8500 troops and 6 ships.
- Uruguay had less than 2000 troops, no navy whatsoever.
- Brazil had 16000 Troops, but it did have 42 well armed and trained ships.
Now admittedly, contemporary conservative historical evidence shows us that the Paraguayan army had plenty of faults and weaknesses, but so did all the other nations in the conflict. EG Most of the Paraguayan infantry armaments consisted of inaccurate smooth bore muskets and carbines, slow to reload and with short range. However, Brazils army was also unorganized. The troops used in the interventions in Uruguay (which is the what effectively sparked off the armed conflict) were composed merely of the armed contingents of gaucho politicians and some National Guard staff.
So very roughly, little Paraguay outnumbered Brazil, Argentina and Uruguay by roughly 3 to 1 on land, but in turn was outnumbered by close to 2 to 1 at sea (However, take into account that Paraguay was still a landlocked nation with only a large river).
AFTERMATH
According to a study carried out Dr. Thomas Whigham from the University of Georgia in 1999, Paraguay lost 60 to 70 percent of the population. And of the 150,000 to 160,000 people left, only 28,000 were adult males. That means the woman man ratio was 4 to1, while in some more devastated areas of the nation the ratio rose up to 20 to 1.
BUT
It was not all one sided.
- Of the 123,000 Brazilians that fought, the best estimates say that around 50,000 died. Roughly 40%
- Of 5,600 Uruguayans, about 3,100 died. Roughly 55%
- Argentina lost around 18,000 of its 30,000 combatants. Roughly 60%
Of curious note, the 1st of March is a national holiday in Paraguay called Heroes Day, held in honour of Lopezs memory. To date, Lopez is considered to be the greatest Paraguayan national hero and his remains are located at the National Pantheon of the Heroes in Asuncion.
Yes Paraguay initially outnumbered the Triple Alliance. Within 2 years Paraguay was outnumbered. That's what happens when a 1860s small population country attacks much larger ones.
The war lasted so long (through 1868) as Paraguay had built excellent forts at the junction of the Paraguay and Parana rivers
And yes I said the war was over in 1868. The mass slaughter of vastly outnumbered armed Paraguayan women and children by soldiers (because Lopez wouldn't surrender) of 1869-1870 should be considered a post war absurdity rather than a military campaign
- Carl
- location: United States
- joined: Aug 10, 2009
- posts: 241
- << previous
- 1
- next >>
