Defeat of the Germans

Question 1

Why was victory against the Germans delayed?

Answer 1

Because of the allies insistence on Germany’s unconditional surrender

Question 2

What did Stalin want to beat the allies in?

Answer 2

The race for Berlin

Question 3

When did the Red Army reach the outskirts of Berlin?

Answer 3

April 1945

Question 4

What drove Stalin in the final defeat of the Germans?

Answer 4

o Political and military motives
o He wished to control as much as possible of Central Europe and Germany, to provide a buffer zone against any future threats to the USSR

Question 5

When and what was the symbol of Soviet victory in the Great Patriotic War?

Answer 5

o The storming of the Reichstag

o 2 May 1945

Question 6

What were the three main reasons for the defeat of the Germans?

Answer 6

o Soviet strengths
o German weaknesses
o Contribution by the Allies

Question 7

What were the Soviet strengths that led to the defeat of the Germans?

Answer 7

o The USSR's vast geographical size
o The population of the USSR 
o The USSR had natural resources
o The Soviet 'command economy' 
o Military leadership

Question 8

How was the USSR’s vast geographical size beneficial?

Answer 8

It made it almost impossible for German to strike a decisive, knock-out blow against it. Overstretched lines of communication for the Germans and new armies and industrial bases build in East beyond Germany’s reach

Question 9

How was the population of the USSR beneficial?

Answer 9

Allowed losses to be replaced in a way that was impossible for the Germans since USSR’s population was three times greater

Question 10

How was the USSR’s natural resources beneficial?

Answer 10

The longer the war went on the stronger Soviet military-industrial power became, especially in 1943 the USSR simply out-produced German war industries

Question 11

How was the USSR’s ‘command economy’ beneficial?

Answer 11

This had been already established before the war and was well-suited to the needs of total war and the mobilisation of workers and resources

Question 12

How was the USSR’s military leadership beneficial?

Answer 12

Bad start, but then leadership became ruthlessly effective. Stalin’s generals became highly competent and propaganda and patriotism motivated the armed forces and civilians to fight to continue

Question 13

What were the German weaknesses that led to their defeat?

Answer 13

o Hitler unable to achieve the quick victory he hoped for
o Had to fight a two-front war from 1941
o Lacked self-sufficiency in raw materials, dwindling resources
o Crucial strategic mistakes, Hitler sacked many of his best generals and replaced them with yes-men
o Alienated people in occupied countries, provoking resistance

Question 14

What were the contribution by the Allies that led to the defeat of Germany?

Answer 14

o Threat to Hitler on the other fronts, stopped him from focusing on war in the East
o Mass bombing campaigns in 1943 inflicted huge damage on Germany’s war effort, weakening their available resources
o Allied secret intelligence undermined Germany’s war effort
o Enormous amounts of vital military and economic aid poured into the USSR

Question 15

What established the Soviet Union as a superpower and how?

Answer 15

o Victory in the war
o Galvanised the USSR and unleashed ints huge economic potential
o War badly weakened other European powers and made the USSR by far the dominant military power on the continent

Question 16

What was Stalin anxious about after Soviet victory?

Answer 16

o The economic power of USA and how it could be used in Europe
o Resurgence of Germany
o His own people

Question 17

How did Stalin demonstrate his fear of his own people?

Answer 17

The ruthless regime in repressing any Soviet citizens who had been outside the USSR during the war

Question 18

What did war bring to the USSR?

Answer 18

Territorial expansion

Question 19

What was the impact of the war on Soviet economy and what was prepared to combat this?

Answer 19

o Devastating
o Huge losses of lives
o Fourth Five Year Plan

Question 20

What happened with industry after the war ended?

Answer 20

o Industrial production switched from military needs to the civilian economy
o Struggled to adjust to peacetime levels
o Electricity, mining, and steel were all down by around half
o Workforce was exhausted

Question 21

What intensified the problems with industry?

Answer 21

Sudden ending of foreign aid through Lend-Lease in 1945

Question 22

What was industry like under the Fourth Five Year plan?

Answer 22

o Considerable industrial recovery

o plans targets equaled or exceeded

Question 23

What were the factors that led to the successes under the Fourth Five Year Plan?

Answer 23

o War reparation
o Central planning
o Committed efforts of Soviet people

Question 24

What were the remaining economic problems?

Answer 24

o Economy overloaded by military expenditure, this went up due to the intensification of the Cold War
o Size of armed forces increased
o Recovery of agriculture was slow and plagued by difficulties

Question 25

The effect of war on agriculture and how was the recovery hindered?

Answer 25

o Collective farms ruined, losses in livestock and food production decreased massively
o Recovery hindered by a severe labour shortage and that there was less land under cultivation
o 1946 was the driest year and the harvest was poor, led to famine in some regions

Question 26

Was there recovery in agriculture?

Answer 26

o yes, but slow and patchy
o Fourth Five Year Plan brought some increases but failed to reach most targets
o Some regions better than others

Question 27

What was one problem holding back reforms in agriculture?

Answer 27

o Stalin himself
o His writings were seen as incontrovertible which discouraged any tendencies toward innovation and change
o After his death successors felt that they had to introduce reforms and concessions to peasant farmers to alleviate agricultural problems