Extra detail: The defeat of the Germans Flashcards
What badly weakened the German war effort?
The effects of mass bombings e.g. Dresden destroyed February 1945
What was the role of women in the Soviet war effort?
More widely enlisted than in any other fighting country
- fought as infantry soldiers
- fought as tank captains at the Battle of Kursk
- skilled workers in munitions factories
- wide range of auxiliary uniformed organisations
How many people fled as a result of the Soviet victory?
12 million refugees, many of them ethnic Germans, fled westwards in 1944-45 as the Red Army advanced in one of the great mass migrations in history
What was Stalin scared of after the war?
- The economic power of the US and how it might be used in Europe
- A resurgence of Germany
- Many of his own people –> ruthless repressions of any citizens who’d been out in the war
How many Soviet citizens died in the armed forces?
7.5 million
How did the size of the armed forces change from 1948 to 1953?
2.8 mill –> 4.9 mill
How did military spending change 1950-52?
18% of total expenditure –> 25%
What was coal production in 1940, 1945 and 1950?
1940: 165.9
1945: 149.3
1950: 261.1
(million tonnes)
What was oil production in 1940, 1945 and 1950?
1940: 31.1
1945: 19.4
1950: 37.9
(million tonnes)
What was steel production in 1940, 1945 and 1950?
1940: 18.3
1945: 12.3
1950: 27.3
(million tonnes)
What was cement production in 1940, 1945 and 1950?
1940: 5.7
1945: 1.8
1950: 10.2
(million tonnes)
What was electricity production in 1940, 1945 and 1950?
1940: 48.3
1945: 43.2
1950: 91.2
(million kW)
How many farm animals were killed/lost during the war?
7 million horses, 17 million cattle, 20 million pigs, 27 million sheep
How much farm machinery was lost during the war?
137,000 tractors, 49,000 combine harvesters
What hindered the prospects of agricultural recovery?
A severe labour shortage and the fact that there was far less land under cultivation than before the war (75% in 1945 compared to 1940)
