3: WW2 Flashcards
Psychological weaknesses
Army feared trying anything new
WW1 memories still strong
People expected to fight former allies suddenly
Economic weaknesses
Food supply significantly reduced due to most investment directed to defence
Military weakness
Purges left top ranks of army bereft of talent (Tukhachevsky) and training became inadequate
Stalin did little to prepare for war, despite knowing that the Soviet-Nazi friendship was temporary
Poor quality and quantity of equipment and most models were outdated
How did Stalin apease senior army officers in the wake of the purges?
He reintroduced special badges of rank
What were the first two key policies of the wartime economy?
Use a scorched earth policy to deprive Nazis of critical farming land
Physically move over 1500 Soviet factories further east (2nd and 3rd plans had already started this)
How did Soviet industrial production compare to German industrial production by 1943?
By 1943 Soviet industrial production was of higher quantity and quality
During the war membership to the party…
Soared
Food production in 1942
1/3 of 1940 level
When was lend-lease introduced?
1941
How much aid in $ did the USA lend Soviet Union?
$11 billion
Lend-lease vehicle supplies to USSR
By 1945, 2/3 of all vehicles in the USSR were from overseas
How much food did the USA send the Soviet Union?
5 million tonnes
Of all foreign aid sent to the Soviet Union, how much was from the USA?
94% of 17.5 million tonnes of supplies
What’s were the Nazis’ territory gains by the end of 1941?
63% of the USSR’s coal, 68% iron, and almost half of the USSR’s railways and arable land
What were used to supervise the economy?
Peoples’ Commissars
(Efficient)
War work mobilisation
In 1941 all undrafted workers were mobilised for war work
What happened to discipline in the army and workplace?
Overtime became obligatory
Absence was seen as desertion and punishable by death
How many deaths suffered by the USSR were caused by starvation?
Over 1/4 of estimated 25 million deaths during the war
What did Stalin do to lift morale?
Reopened churches
Partisan groups fact
Early partisan activity, scattered as it was, provided Soviet propagandists with many stories designed to incite hatred for the Germans while promoting sacrifice for the Russian Motherland.
Zoya Kosmodemyanskaya hanged in 1941 inspired patriotism
What was the war called in the USSR?
The Great Patriotic War
How was playing on people’s nationalism pragmatic?
Stalin knew that people would rather fight for Russia than communism
What was the name of the invasion into the USSR?
Operation Barbarossa
What did Stalin do immediately after the invasion?
Retired to his dacha and was not seen until 10 days later
What demonstrated Stalin’s unpopularity?
The Nazis were frequently welcomed as liberators in part of Belorussia and Ukraine
Russian Liberation Movement was formed to fight alongside the Nazis - at its peak 50,000 troops
How many collaborated with the Nazis?
Over 1 million
What was the ‘Not one step backwards’ order?
Terror policy
Any soldier fleeing shot on sight
Over 150,000 killed under this
Stalin’s speeches proved…
Crucial to morale
Which general proved crucial to repelling advancing Nazis from Moscow?
General Zhukov
What did Stalin do that Hitler did not?
He recognised the need to let his military commanders lead, he accepted advice, and he knew his tactical limitations
What did Stalin do after the war, fearing his authority?
Demoted General Zhukov
What impact did the war have on Stalin’s reputation?
He was seen as a national superhero and any question over his suitability to rule disappeared.
The era of high Stalinism had begun.
How did the Soviet government use this new reputation as a great military power?
To maintain influence in the Baltic states and expand into eastern Europe
How did Stalin treat many returning POWs?
He suspected they had been tainted with western values and many were sent straight to labour camps.
How many people in the western provinces were left with nothing?
Over 25 million
What impact did the war have on soviet citizens’ view on the West?
The isolation of the pre-war years had been shattered.
Lend lease and the experience of soldiers opened the eyes of Soviet citizens to the realities of the West
Which group was virtually wiped out for their support of the Nazis?
The Cossacks
How much of the industry had been destroyed?
70%
Why did the defence budget increase after the war?
To cover the cost of
New soviet satellite states
The Arms Race
Abrupt end of Lend Lease and Stalin’ refusal to accept Marshall Aid
Agriculture destruction by scorched earth policy
1945 harvest was less than 60% of 1940
2/3 farmers had gone
Only 1/3 farms left operational in west
1946 drought exacerbated problems
1946-7 famine, 900,000 killed
Example of patriotism in war effort
Socialist national anthem (The Internationale) replaced with nationalistic song of the Motherland in 1943
Consequence of Stalin’s stubborness in 1941
During the first six months of operation barbarossa, more than 3 million Soviet soldiers were captured or killed
How close did the Nazis get to Moscow and when?
12 miles away
December 1941
