In 1937, the Lugou Bridge Incident broke out, and Japan launched a full-scale war of aggression against China, which became a symbol of the outbreak of World War II in Asia. In order to resist Japanese aggression, the Chinese people fought bloody battles while looking for assistance, among which the United States and the Soviet Union have provided some assistance to China, so who should China be grateful for?
When it comes to China's "benefactors" in World War II, I believe that many people will recognize the United States more, and even extremists will think that being ungrateful to the United States is ungrateful. However, under the Western system of international relations, there are only "eternal interests" between countries, so there is nothing to be grateful for, so it is logically problematic to say that China needs to be grateful to the United States! More importantly, dusty historical records have repeatedly shown that we do not need to be grateful to the United States at all, but that the United States has a moral deficit first.
In 1936, Japan and Germany signed the "Pact Against the Comintern", paying attention to the object of the agreement, Britain and the United States were naturally happy to see it, but Japan's "prize" against the Soviet Union was undoubtedly China, in other words, Britain and the United States betrayed China. It was not until Britain and the United States were drawn into the war that they began to face up to China's role.
The first is the United Kingdom
In May 1937, Britain and Japan negotiated secretly, Japan promised not to infringe on British interests in China, Britain encouraged Japan to attack the Soviet Union, and agreed to Japan's invasion of China.
In 1939, Britain and Japan signed the "Aritta-Klaich Agreement", and Britain officially recognized Japan's interests in China, as well as recognized the need for Japan to take special measures to "rectify the order in China", which was the "Far East Munich Conspiracy", and the appeasement of conniving at Japan's invasion of China was actually to sell China's interests to satisfy Japan in exchange for Japan's attack on the Soviet Union.
Therefore, Britain in World War II was almost only "ugly" to China.
This is followed by the United States
From January to July 1937, the United States exported 83% of the year-on-year increase in Japanese materials, and basically iron, oil, ** and other war materials. After the July 7 Incident, the United States continued to export materials to Japan, with an increase of more than 30 percent every year. At the same time, the United States also provides technical services, such as upgrading Japanese shipbuilding technology and helping Japan build an aluminum industry.
In 1939, U.S. Ambassador to Japan Gru: "The United States can be Japan's best friend, if Japan does not cooperate with other countries but only with the United States." ”
As for China, the United States lent to China from 1937 to 1941.3$200 million, loan interest rate 45 percent, China exports tung oil to the United States and so on, which is a good business for the United States, in which China basically cannot buy arms and related materials.
In short, before the Pearl Harbor incident, the United States not only turned a blind eye to Japan's crimes of aggression against China, but also actively helped Japan.
However, the Anglo-American appeasement policy failed, and Japan attacked Britain and the United States one after another, launching the Pearl Harbor Incident against the United States, and the United States had no choice but to end the situation. At this time, China, which has always insisted on the War of Resistance and has been dragging a large number of Japanese troops, is extremely important.
Ironically, the United States provided a total of $40.9 billion in supplies in World War II, including 3.2 billion for France, which had already surrendered, and only 1.3 billion for China (from Tao Wenzhao's "U.S. Policy toward China in Wartime", and another version is $800 million). What's more, 11 of them0.7 billion was in 1945 at the end of the war, so the most difficult period was carried by the Chinese themselves, and the soldiers in the Japanese A division were basically rotated, that is, the combat effectiveness of the A division defeated by the United States later has actually dropped significantly.
It should be noted thatThe US aid to China was in the nature of a lend-lease, and the repayment method agreed upon by China and the United States at that time was called "reciprocal lend-lease," which needed to be repaid, not not not to be repaid. The U.S. Lend-Lease Act provides that "the benefit granted to the United States by the recipient country may be reimbursed in kind or in property, or by any other direct or indirect benefit deemed satisfactory." ”
Therefore, judging from the comparison before and after the Pearl Harbor incident, the United States provided assistance to China in essence for itself, and judging from the US-Japan relations before the Pearl Harbor incident, the United States has no moral meaning to speak of. More importantly, it must be made clear that the United States needs to repay this aid, not selfless aid, or aid that does not need to be repaid.
After the signing of the Sino-Soviet Non-Aggression Pact in August 1937, the Soviet Union began to provide loans and aid to China
First of all, Soviet credit with arms
The Soviet Union had a total of three credit loans, and the actual amount of China's actual use is generally considered by China's historians to be 173176000 US dollars, plus an annual interest rate of 3%, with a total of more than 200 million yuan in principal and interest. Note that the interest rate is much lower than that of the United States5%。
More importantly, the Soviet Union's credit loans could directly purchase arms, and even the arms were given first and then the agreed payment was made, and China repaid them with agricultural and sideline products and mineral products, and the terms were far more favorable than those of Britain and the United States. With these loans, China purchased 1,235 aircraft, 82 tanks, 600 repair shops, 1,550 car trailers, 1,600 artillery pieces, 14,000 machine guns, 31,600 rounds of aerial bombs, and 2 million artillery shells.
Sun Ke once told Gu Weijun that in 1938 he fought for 1600 million rubles loan, but in the international arena it is actually 400 million rubles, due to the cheapness given by the USSR.
Secondly, the Soviet flying regiment with the military advisory group
From the autumn of 1937 to the autumn of 1941, the Soviet Union sent more than 3,000 military advisers and military experts. Many people may despise the advisory group, but in fact it has a great effect, for example, the Soviet Union trained more than 90,000 Chinese soldiers, which played an immeasurable role in the war of resistance. Above, Chuikov of the Soviet Union, General Adviser of the Army.
From 1937 to the beginning of 1942, there were more than 5,000 pilots and auxiliary personnel in China, including more than 2,000 pilots (more than 230 died in the Anti-Japanese War), and their tasks were three: to directly participate in air combat, to train Air Force personnel (more than 10,000 people were trained in total), and to reorganize China's Air Force. It can be said that later the Chinese Air Force was able to fight against the Japanese army, and the Soviet Union really contributed to it.
Due to the signing of the Soviet-Japanese treaty and the outbreak of the Soviet-German war, the Soviet Union's loans and aid to China came to an end. What is certain, however, is that at a time when Britain and the United States are standing by and watching China, and even aiding and abetting abuse, the Soviet Union's assistance to China is extremely important. Even, you can compare it with the United States, who is more preferential and who is more sincere?
Of course, such "sincere" assistance from the Soviet Union to China was also for its own sake. Because the purpose of the Anglo-American appeasement policy was to satisfy Japan's "appetite" with China, and then let Japan attack the Soviet Union, China's survival was very important to the Soviet Union, and as long as China persisted in the War of Resistance and dragged a large number of Japanese troops, then the Soviet Union would be relatively safe.
In short, the purpose of US aid to China and Soviet aid to China is for itself and for the interests of its own country, not for the Chinese people, so there is no question of who China is grateful for.
Finally, there are four more points worth thinking about the topic of this article:
First of all, it is very strange that some ** on the Internet now belittles Soviet aid while raising American aid, is it not called aid in the Soviet Union, but only in the United States? The Soviet Union called it with ulterior motives, and the American one called it selfless?
Second, the norm governing international relations between Europe and the United States is that there are only "eternal interests," so the great change in the United States' attitude toward China before and after the Pearl Harbor incident is essentially for its own sake.
Third, China in World War II, which does not owe any country, should pay for it, contribute when it should contribute, and shed blood, we do not have the slightest moral baggage, and now we don't need to be "grateful" to anyone for this.
Fourth, the tragedy of China in World War II makes people unbearable to look at it directly, and in order to win the aid of other countries, China has to pay a huge price, and it has to look at the faces of others. The only way for this humiliation to never happen again is for China to become strong and able to resist all incoming enemies.