Chapter 19 (4) Flashcards
Great Patriotic War
1941-1945
-Germans launched operation Barbarossa on the USSR
-Red Army launched a successful counter-offensive
-Soviets finally pushed back the Germans to Berlin in 1945
Operation Barbarossa
21/22 June 1941
Surprised Stalin
Was warned by the British and his intelligence agency
Country was far from prepared for the war
War time leadership
Stalin met with Politburo immediately
Left the public announcements to Molotov
Caused lots of authority changes
Stalin withdrew to his dacha and isn’t seen from or heard of for 10 days
Stalin increasingly left war operations to the General Staff
He relied heavily on Georgi Zhukov
Stavka
Established 23 June 1941
Responsible for all military planning
Consisted of all marshals of the Soviet Union, Chief of General Staff, and heads of various military services
State Defense Committee
Civilian body which exercised absolute authority over all Party, state, and military organisations
Marshal Voroshilov served on it
Small group of five initially
Stalin’s reintroduction
Stalin returned to Moscow (30/6)
Makes first public address (3/7)
Stalin assumes overall military command (20/7)
Stalin’s addresses
Played to the wants of the people
Focused on preserving Russian culture rather than socialism
Crucial in increasing support
Wartime opposition
No outright opposition within the Empire
There was some lack of support for the people
Many ethnic minority countries welcomed the Germans as a way to remove Stalinism
Russian Liberation Movement was formed in Ukraine. Had 50,000 soldiers as a part of the Nazi SS wing
Over 1 million joined Hitlers side but could only have lesser jobs
Terror Tactics
Stalin issued order 227, when Germans threatened Stalingrad in July 1942
Any soldier who fell short or tried to retreat was shot on sight
More than 150,000 were sentenced under this order
Those who brought discipline would have to perform the most dangerous jobs to redeem themselves as a part of the penal battalions
Casualty rates of these groups were 50% plus
‘Blocking units’ were added to the NKVD units
Political Impact
Dissolved the Volga German autonomous republic in August 1941 and sent them to the East
Relied on the deportation of ‘suspect’ ethnic groups
Around 1.5 million had to migrate
Only 2/3 survived the deportation journey
5 million candidate members and 3.6 million new members joined the party
Overall the war strengthened belief in the communist system
Military changes
Ranked badges were reintroduced
Emphasis on political education of troops
Increasing numbers of the military chose to join the party
By 1945, 1/4 of those in the armed forces were communists compared to 3/20 in 1941
1/5 were members of the Komosol by 1945
