1939: The Alliance That Never Was

1939: The Alliance That Never Was examines the diplomatic relations between Britain, France, and the Soviet Union in the crucial months leading up to World War II. The book details the complex negotiations and missed opportunities for an anti-Nazi alliance between these powers. Through extensive archival research and primary sources, Carley reconstructs the day-by-day interactions between diplomats and leaders of the three nations during this pivotal period. The narrative tracks both public negotiations and private communications as the potential allies attempted to find common ground against Hitler's Germany. Soviet, French and British documents reveal the internal debates and conflicts within each government regarding the proposed alliance. Military discussions, strategic planning, and political maneuvering are presented through official records and diplomatic correspondence. The book raises questions about the true commitment of Western powers to stopping Nazi aggression, and challenges assumptions about the inevitability of the Nazi-Soviet pact. At its core, this work illustrates how ideological suspicions and diplomatic failures can have catastrophic consequences.

Readers find the book offers detailed research into the failed Anglo-French-Soviet negotiations before WWII, drawing from Soviet and Western archives. Readers appreciate: - Extensive use of primary sources and diplomatic documents - Clear explanation of Soviet diplomatic perspectives - Reveals missteps and missed opportunities by Western powers Common criticisms: - Writing can be dry and academic - Some readers feel it takes an overly pro-Soviet stance - Difficult to follow the many diplomats and officials discussed Ratings: Goodreads: 4.0/5 (31 ratings) Amazon: 4.1/5 (12 ratings) One reader on Goodreads noted: "Important research but reads like a dissertation." An Amazon reviewer wrote: "Shows convincingly how British and French anti-Soviet prejudices helped enable Hitler's early successes." The book receives stronger reviews from academic readers compared to general history enthusiasts, who sometimes struggle with its scholarly tone and detail level.

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🔹 The book reveals that in 1939, the Soviet Union made multiple attempts to form an anti-Hitler alliance with Britain and France, offering to send over a million troops to defend Poland and Romania against Nazi Germany. 🔹 Michael Carley accessed previously classified Soviet archives to write this book, providing new evidence that contradicted many Western assumptions about Soviet diplomatic intentions before WWII. 🔹 The negotiations between the Western powers and the USSR ultimately failed largely due to Poland's refusal to allow Soviet troops to cross its territory, even to fight against Germany. 🔹 The French military actually supported an alliance with the Soviet Union, but British Prime Minister Neville Chamberlain's deep distrust of communism helped derail the potential partnership. 🔹 After the failed negotiations with Britain and France, the USSR signed the Molotov-Ribbentrop Pact with Nazi Germany in August 1939, just days before the invasion of Poland—a decision that the book argues was made out of strategic necessity rather than ideological alignment.