2.4 Flashcards
(15 cards)
Before the War (WWII)…
Nazi Soviet Pact - 1939 - Non-aggression deal
Prepared?
Red Army - purges 1936 removed most officers - WEAK
Economy - Chaos of 3rd year plan made prep. difficult - 1938-41 spending on rearmament 27.5bn - 70.9bn
Spying - best spy network in the world but Stalin didn’t trust them - valuable information ignored
Key Events of WWII
June 1941 - Operation Barbarossa
Sep 1941 - Operation Typhoon
- German troops reached Moscow and Leningrad - attempts to take repelled by Red Army - laid siege to cities
Aug 42-Feb 43 - Battle of Stalingrad
- Battle for Leningrad - 0ver 1.9m killed, successfully repelled German attack
Sep 1942 - Operation Uranus
- Russian counterattack, end of ‘43, Russians forced German out of territory
Jan 1944 - Ten Great Victories
- Russia captured significant territory in Eastern Europe
Apr 1945 - Battle of Berlin
- Russian troops reached Berlin
- Russia conquered Berlin in May
Human cost of the WWII
30m died overall, over 10% of population
Economic Cost of WWII
- Gosplan estimated destruction rid all of progress of 1st/2nd plans
- Scorched Earth Policy adopted by Germans at end of war - destruction of factories
- 32,000 factories and 65,000km of railways destroyed during war
Conscription = loss of experienced workers- Decline on production
- Output of 1942 59% of that of 1940
- Rationing and gov. requisitioned 90% of grain to feed red army
Reasons for Victory
War Economy Home Front Enemy within Military Campaigns allied support
Reasons for Victory
- War Economy
Used to planning
Gosplan - organised relocation of 1523 factories in first month
By 1942 - 56% of national income on war
Armament production doubled 1941-44
Reasons for Victory
- Home Front
Propaganda stressed importance of patriotism
PATRIOTISM - provided reason to fight
CHURCH - war forced Stalin to make alliance
Sergei, leader of Russian Orthodox Church = Stalin was ‘God’s chosen leader’ and war was a ‘holy war’
Stalin closed ‘The Godless’ in 1941 - 1945 414 churches reopened
Promise of heaven = comfort to soldiers
Reasons for Victory
- Enemy Within
NKVD made list of non-Russians in Russia and relocated or murdered
eg. Kalmyks, ethnic minority 130,000 people, deported to Siberia
by 1953; 60% of those deported died
Reasons for Victory
- Military Campaigns
Hitler launcehd war against Russia hwilst still fighting on western front; DIVIDED!
Chose to lay seige to moscow = not take by force. Gave R. Army time to regroup and fight back
June ‘42 - Hislter sent more troops to Russia; instead of capturing Moscow and knowing Russia out of the war, he sent to Stalingrad - Embroiled in Siege again
Reasons for Victory
- Allied Support
GRAND ALLIANCE
- 1942, Br/US launched operation torch - opening a front in north africa - dividing german forces
- 1944 - Br/US reopened western front, dormant since Dunkirk evacuation 1940
LEND LEASE
- Allies access to American war goods at small cost
- 12% of aeroplanes, 10% of tanks used by Russia
- 95% of trains, 66% of Jeeps used to cross Europe
- Food for red army - 17% of calorie intake
Gosplan estimated lend lease = 4% of goods used by Russian army
BUT
economy unable to produce food and soph. transport goods in large numbers
Compensated for deficiencies of Russian economy
Superpower
Geographical Influence
Economy
Military Might
Superpower - Geographical Influence
By 1946, ained a sphere of influence in Eastern Europe, acted as buffer zone against Capitalist Enemies
Established communist regimes across Eastern Europe (Eg. East Germany, Poland etc.)
Satellite States not fully independant - controlled economy and foreign policy
Informal military alliance
Superpower - Economy
4th 5 year plan launched at the end of war
Russia fastest growing economy in the world
1952, industrial production twice that of 1940
Focus of 4th+5th plans was h. industry and rearmament - prepared for future war
Superpower - Military Might
1946 - 3m men - largest army in world
4th 5 yr plan - 7.4bn roubles to defence - 2bn more than spending during WWII
1949 - developed atomic bomb (catch up with US)
1953 - developed hydrogen bomb (US)
After war - developing rockets, missiles etc.
When did Stalin Die
1953
