Defeat of the Germans Flashcards
How many people died in Russia in the war?
13% of the population
1/3 were military, the rest were citizens
What German failures allowed for Russia to win the Patriotic war?
Hitler was fighting a 2 front war that he couldn’t maintain
Germany didn’t have the necessary resources to keep fighting in Russia, because its supply lines were stretched too thin.
- The German were ill equipped to stay in the freezing harsh temperatures for long
Hitlers commanders had little battle experience, so were ineffective commanders, so they had bad tactics into Russia.
What happened to factories near the west of Russia?
- 1523 factories were moved east near the Ural mountains so they could still provide for the war effort + not be taken by Germany
How did Stalins speeches allow for Russia to win the Patriotic war?
Stalin motivated the troops to drum up support and morale of the troops
In Moscow he stayed when it was being invaded, and addressed the people in the Red Square on the anniversary of the revolution to give a speech to the gathered soldiers
He kept referring to other well known historical Russians, such as Alexander Nevsky and linking it back to his cult of personality
What was Stalins initial reaction to the war?
He was in denial because he thought he would have more time to prepare, even though he was given 80 warnings of Germany wanting to attack in 8 months, and still didn’t listen
He denied any mobilisation into ranks by the commanders before Operation Barbarossa, which was a huge hit to Russia and was a disaster
How did the military allow for Russia to win the Patriotic war?
- The military was very organised and disciplined, so that the troops could be very effective
- The soldiers were very confident and ruthless in their approach towards the enemy, which could be due to the propaganda and the loyalty to their country.
How did Stalin initially hinder the military successes, and what happened later on?
- At the beginning Stalin didn’t listen to his generals even though he didn’t have much military experience.
- After having mass casualties in 1941 - 2, Stalin started to listen to 3 generals, Vasilevsky, Antonov and Zhukov who were experienced and Russia started to win.
- They helped in the Battle of Stalingrad and Operation Bagration
How did foreign intervention allow for Russia to win the Patriotic war?
- The USA started to help Russia by sending equipment to help with the war effort
- Over ⅓ of Soviet vehicles came from abroad, and were better quality and more durable than Russian-made ones.
- This was useful in stopping a full economic collapse of Russia
- The American aid helped in restoring railways to allow for better communication and transport around Russia
- The urban workers wouldn’t have survived without the Lend Lease program by America because they didn’t have enough food
How did propaganda allow for Russia to win the Patriotic war?
- Propaganda was a tool used to keep the people in line and to be positive about the war
- It was used to maintain morale by encouraging people to join in the war either on the war or home front
- This was in the form of posters or TV, and even when Stalin spoke to he nation, such as on the revolutions anniversary in Red Square 1941
- People were also discouraged from any ‘defeatist talk’ such as suggesting that Russia wasn’t going to win, and would be sent to a gulag.
- It was effective in the military as many were enthusiastic and ruthless, but it was too much as the soldiers thought they could do anything, which led to reports of them pillaging or raping areas
How many women were in factories?
From 1941 - 45 the % of women in factories increased from 41 - around 53% and in light industry 80 - 90% were women
What happened to agriculture during the war?
- Agricultural output decreased in the period, with 1943 having harvesting levels of 38% of 1940
- The rationing system prioritised the soldiers and urban workers, leaving farmers to eat what remained from their crop
- This meant that their diet was mostly lettuce and potato that led to malnutrition and starvation
- Private trade renewed for anything extra and people went from place to place to look for food
- These conditions were harsh but were tolerated by the patriotism of the Russian people
What happened the the USSR politically after WW2?
They became a super power as its economic potential was shown
Communism was seen as a better route than Fascism and an alternative to Capitalism
Russia was scared of the USA and its influence over Europe, and their disagreements on the future of Germany
What happened the Stalins cult of personality after WW2?
It increased and showed him as the war hero of the Great Patriotic War.
However, some people started to question the regime because they liked the lessening of restrictions and censorship that came with the war, for example in the Siege of Leningrad where the citizens were all cut off.
Stalin was paranoid that those who came from abroad would have new ideas, such as take over the government. Stalin had the people that slightly wavered in their loyalty he sent to Siberia. Khuzdev, the main man who was instrumental in defending Leningrad was sent to an isolated post in Odessa, and others were arrested
What happened the size of Russia after WW2?
The Baltic states became Soviet Republics
Soviet Regimes were established in Eastern European countries
How many new factories were made for armament?
3500
