6.2 The Defeat of Germany Flashcards
What was the Strength of the Soviets?
- USSR’s vast geographical size forced German troops to spread out and provided time for the USSR to build a new industrial base
- USSR’s pop. (171 million) was almost 3 times the size of Germany’s. The USSR could easily replace losses
- Vast natural resources which led to the USSR out-producing Germans
- The already established “command economy” was well suited for the switch to total war
- Propaganda and patriotism motivated the armed forces an civilians to endure and fight
What were the weaknesses of the Germans?
- Hitler was unable to achieve the rapid victory he had been hoping for
- Germany lacked self-sufficiency in raw materials and by 1943-44 depended on exploiting economic and human resources
- Hitler sacked his best generals, replacing them with his Yes-men
- The Germans alienated people from occupied countries and provoked partisans and resistances
How did allies contribute to the USSR’s success?
- They were still a persistent threat from the West, preventing Hitler from focusing on the East
- Mass bombings in 1943 dealt huge damage to Germany’s war effort
- Allied secret intelligence undermined Hitler, although Stalin never knew this
- Huge amounts of military and economic support was lended via the Lend-Lease
How was Germany (and Berlin) occupied?
Germany was split into Soviet, American, British and France zones.
Even Though Berlin was in the Soviet Zone, Berlin itself was split into 4 sections too and ruled by the Allied Control Commission.
The led to frequent disputes between the USSR and the Western Allies.
How was the USSR affected by the war?
20 million Soviet citizens were killed. (7.5 in army, 12 million civilians) (1/8 of pop. dead)
Large sections of the USSR had been completely devastated by Germany’s scorched earth policy.
What did the Fourth Five Year Plan focus on (1946-1950)?
After the war, the Gosplan was ordered to launch a new Fourth Five Year Plan, which focused on economic recovery.
1/3rd of its expenditure was to be focused on Ukraine, which had been devastated the most by war.
How did the Fourth Five Year Plan affect industry?
The USSR’s industry initially struggled to adapt to the peacetime conditions in 1945-6 with mining, electricity and steel at 50% of 1940 levels. This was worsened by the sudden ending of the Lend-Lease in August 1945.
By 1950, however, many of the plans targets were reached or exceeded with coal, oil, steel, cement and electricity exceeding 1940 levels.
By 1948, Soviet incomes had reached 1938 levels.
How was agriculture affected by war?
During the war 98,000 collective farms had been destroyed, leading to the loss of:
- 137,000 tractors
- 49,000 combined harvesters
- 7 mil horses
- 17 mil cattle
- 20 mil pigs
- 27 mil sheep
Food production was at 60% of 1940 levels. There was a labour shortage and there was less cultivated land available than before the war.
1946 was the driest year since 1891 which led to poor harvests and famine.
How did the Fourth Five Year Plan affect agriculture?
The recovery in agriculture was slow and patchy with none of the plans targets being met. By the time of Stalin’s death in 1953, levels were for the most part lower than 1940.
