Introduction: At the end of World War II, shortly after Germany surrendered, Stalin could not wait to start preparations for war with Japan, and he showed great initiative and "enthusiasm" for the elimination of the Japanese Kwantung Army in China. Although the Soviet Union and Japan concluded a non-aggression pact, this was nothing more than a useless piece of paper in the face of Stalin's enthusiasm. Why, then, was Stalin so active in eliminating the Japanese Kwantung Army?
German surrender (from the web)
Stalin at the Potsdam Conference
On July 17, 1945, in Potsdam, on the outskirts of Berlin, the heads of state of the United States, Britain, and the Soviet Union, Truman, Churchill, and Stalin met, and one of the important contents of the meeting was the Soviet Union's war against Japan. At the Potsdam Conference, Stalin was very active in the question of the Soviet Union's war with Japan.
World War II Allied Powers Three Giants (from the internet)
During the meeting, Stalin took the initiative to tell Truman and others that the Soviet Union needed to find an excuse to participate in the war against Japan, and that it would be a very good excuse if the Allies invited the Soviet Union to participate in the war against Japan.
Stalin's words pleased Truman, for that was exactly what Truman had hoped. Truman said that the most urgent reason why he personally attended the Potsdam Conference was because he wanted to get Stalin's promise to fight against Japan. Apparently, Stalin's positive attitude made Truman understand that his purpose had been achieved.
Potsdam Conference (from the web)
The fantasy of the Japanese
Even as the Soviet Union was nervously preparing to attack the Japanese army, Japan was also actively engaged in secret contact with the Soviet Union. Japan fantasized about giving the Soviet Union a series of rights and interests to prevent the Soviet Union from sending troops to fight against Japan. In this matter, the main contacts with the Japanese side were the Soviet ambassador to Japan, Malik, but the Soviet Union was willing to maintain contact with Japan for only one purpose, that is, to delay as much as possible and prepare time for the final offensive profits.
Red Army marches into the northeast (from the internet)
The Soviet Union officially declared war on Japan
On August 8, 1945, all the preparations for the Soviet Offensive had been completed, so Molotov officially informed the Japanese Ambassador to the Soviet Union Sato: The Soviet Union has officially declared war on Japan!
From the network
On August 8, 1945, under the cover of nightfall, more than one million Soviet Red Army, under the command of Marshal Malinowski, advanced along the Sino-Soviet border of more than 5,000 kilometers; in the early morning of the 9th, the Soviet Red Army suddenly launched a powerful surprise attack on the Japanese army from multiple directions at the same time. In just a few days, the Japanese army killed more than 80,000 people, hundreds of thousands of people surrendered, and eventually nearly 600,000 Japanese troops were captured.
The atomic bombing of the United States, the devastating blow of the Soviet Red Army, which made Japan finally despair! Japanese Emperor Hirohito publicly announced his surrender on August 15, ending World War II completely.
Red Army (from the Internet)
Stalin's purpose
On September 2, 1945, at the celebration of Japan's surrender and the end of the War in the Far East, Stalin made the following remarks: From 1904 to 1905, russia's defeat in the Russo-Japanese War left us with extremely deep memories and became a major stain on our country. But the stain will eventually be washed away, and our people have been waiting for this day for forty years, and this day has finally arrived!
Japanese Surrender (from the internet)
Stalin's speech made it very clear why the Soviet Union actively destroyed the Japanese Kwantung Army, that is, to avenge the defeat of the Russo-Japanese War and to take the opportunity to psychologically beat the other side to the ground. In terms of results, Stalin undoubtedly achieved his goal.
Defeated Kwantung Army (from the internet)
epilogue
The smoke of that war has long since dissipated in the dust of history. However, we should still remember and reflect on that war, which will make us realize a lot from it, because behind that war, we also lost a lot. What do you think about that?