Comments on: What If Franklin D. Roosevelt Had Disliked Churchill? http://www.historynet.com/what-if-franklin-d-roosevelt-had-disliked-churchill.htm From the World's Largest History Magazine Publisher Thu, 23 May 2013 09:29:12 +0000 hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.3.2 By: Thomas Kerr http://www.historynet.com/what-if-franklin-d-roosevelt-had-disliked-churchill.htm#comment-820856 Thomas Kerr Thu, 11 Oct 2012 17:08:25 +0000 http://www.historynet.com/?p=13682311#comment-820856 Would the question of a 'special relationship' even have been relevant if Hitler had NOT declared war on the USA. I doubt FDR could have persuaded the Congress to declare war on the III Reich in the wake of Pearl Harbour. Oh sure, lend lease would have continued but not to the USSR. And many German divisions guarding the west might have been deployed to the eastern front. More like even money that the Soviet Union survives 1942 I reckon that Monty still wins at Alamein, but the Brits are left to snap and bite at German flanks until USA has finished the Japanese war. Beyond that, you speculate. Cheers TKerr Would the question of a 'special relationship' even have been relevant if Hitler had NOT declared war on the USA. I doubt FDR could have persuaded the Congress to declare war on the III Reich in the wake of Pearl Harbour.
Oh sure, lend lease would have continued but not to the USSR. And many German divisions guarding the west might have been deployed to the eastern front. More like even money that the Soviet Union survives 1942
I reckon that Monty still wins at Alamein, but the Brits are left to snap and bite at German flanks until USA has finished the Japanese war.
Beyond that, you speculate.
Cheers
TKerr

]]> By: mathew roberts http://www.historynet.com/what-if-franklin-d-roosevelt-had-disliked-churchill.htm#comment-789883 mathew roberts Mon, 27 Feb 2012 08:00:02 +0000 http://www.historynet.com/?p=13682311#comment-789883 The FDR-Churchill personal relationship was just about as prickly as it could be under the practical circumstances of the war. Churchill certainly believed that FDR had gone as far as he could (Lend-Lease) in support of Britain prior to Pearl Harbor, and he had lasting gratitude for that; but following Pearl Harbor he knew that the U.S. was just as stuck with Britain as the reverse. But there was serious and growing animosity from Churchill over FDR's insistence on dismantling colonial rule (including Britain's colonies) after the War, and especially on his later insistence that the Soviet Union and China be empowered as 2 of the new "Big Four", precisely as a counterweight any post-War colonial ambitions by Britain and France. In fact, the interesting hypothetical here is not "what if they didn't become close friends" -- because they did not -- but rather "what if FDR had had any sort of effective leadership-continuity structure in place when he died" such that his anti-colonial plans and feelings would continue to have a powerful champion in the US government. As it was, the new president Harry Truman was never in a position to understand the geopolitics at issue here, and was quickly enlisted by pro-British (or pro status quo) elements in the State Department. The "special relationship" would be undisturbed... The FDR-Churchill personal relationship was just about as prickly as it could be under the practical circumstances of the war. Churchill certainly believed that FDR had gone as far as he could (Lend-Lease) in support of Britain prior to Pearl Harbor, and he had lasting gratitude for that; but following Pearl Harbor he knew that the U.S. was just as stuck with Britain as the reverse. But there was serious and growing animosity from Churchill over FDR's insistence on dismantling colonial rule (including Britain's colonies) after the War, and especially on his later insistence that the Soviet Union and China be empowered as 2 of the new "Big Four", precisely as a counterweight any post-War colonial ambitions by Britain and France.

In fact, the interesting hypothetical here is not "what if they didn't become close friends" — because they did not — but rather "what if FDR had had any sort of effective leadership-continuity structure in place when he died" such that his anti-colonial plans and feelings would continue to have a powerful champion in the US government. As it was, the new president Harry Truman was never in a position to understand the geopolitics at issue here, and was quickly enlisted by pro-British (or pro status quo) elements in the State Department. The "special relationship" would be undisturbed…

]]> By: zurab abayev http://www.historynet.com/what-if-franklin-d-roosevelt-had-disliked-churchill.htm#comment-291032 zurab abayev Sat, 05 Jun 2010 22:08:38 +0000 http://www.historynet.com/?p=13682311#comment-291032 In fact, there was much more animosity between two leaders than article states. For example, memoirs of Elliot Roosevelt show how much FDR was angry at Brits for crushing Communists in Greece, and how furious was Churchill at FDR for the Sudden below-the-belt "unconditional surrender of Germany" remark in Casablanca; how upset was Churchill on FDR for supporting Stalin at Teheran and how at the same time FDR was mad at Churchill for trying to push USA to apply pressure on Stalin. Churchill was fervent anticommunist, FDR was a socialist who kept the books of Mussolini's right hand man on his table. Yet both were superb politicians, and they never allowed their feelings to undermine their bussiness. In fact, there was much more animosity between two leaders than article states. For example, memoirs of Elliot Roosevelt show how much FDR was angry at Brits for crushing Communists in Greece, and how furious was Churchill at FDR for the Sudden below-the-belt "unconditional surrender of Germany" remark in Casablanca; how upset was Churchill on FDR for supporting Stalin at Teheran and how at the same time FDR was mad at Churchill for trying to push USA to apply pressure on Stalin. Churchill was fervent anticommunist, FDR was a socialist who kept the books of Mussolini's right hand man on his table. Yet both were superb politicians, and they never allowed their feelings to undermine their bussiness.

]]> By: John Beatty http://www.historynet.com/what-if-franklin-d-roosevelt-had-disliked-churchill.htm#comment-289823 John Beatty Wed, 02 Jun 2010 12:02:45 +0000 http://www.historynet.com/?p=13682311#comment-289823 Indeed! But why stop there? Let's speculate about if neither FDR or Churchill would never have been born! WOW! Let's stick to the evidence, not indulge in science fiction. "Counterfactual" history only reveals the desires of the poser, not previously unknown facts. Indeed!

But why stop there? Let's speculate about if neither FDR or Churchill would never have been born! WOW!

Let's stick to the evidence, not indulge in science fiction. "Counterfactual" history only reveals the desires of the poser, not previously unknown facts.

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