SECOND WORLD WAR 1939-45 Flashcards
What was renewed despite wariness between Russia and Germany?
The Treaty of Berlin and diplomatic visits continued.
What ideological stance did the Nazi regime take?
Anti-communist.
Why did a change in relations between Russia and Germany occur by the end of 1933?
Russia became increasingly concerned about indications that Germany intended to expand into other territories.
What did Germany sign in January 1934?
A non-aggression pact with Poland.
When was Russia admitted to the LoN? Why was this a controversial move?
September 1934, as Germany and Japan had recently opted out.
What made Stalin realise that Germany was an increasing challenge to Russian security?
The Anschluss of Austria in 1938.
Why did this perceived threat from Germany increase?
By mounting anti-society feeling in Britain and France due to knowledge of Stalin’s ‘purges’.
What conference in 1938 excluded Russia?
Munich Peace Conference.
How did Stalin justify his policy of dealing firmly with Hitler?
By pointing out that appeasement was not working.
What prompted Britain and France to help Poland?
Hitler’s invasion of the Sudetenland.
When did Germany invade Poland? Why was Russia unable to get involved?
1st September 1939.
Due to the Nazi Soviet pact.
What period is seen as ‘neutrality’ in Russia?
September 1939 to 1941.
Where were Soviet troops sent to?
Eastern Poland with the intention of protecting the Ukraine and Belarus.
What policy did Stalin order in July 1941?
A scorched earth policy to be put in place.
When was Kiev taken and Leningrad encircled?
September 1941.
When was the main attack on Moscow launched?
October 1941.
What did the Germans do in May 1942?
Moved away from Moscow and focused on attempting to take control of the oilfields in Caucasus.
When did the Battle of Stalingrad start?
August 1942.
How many died in the Battle of Stalingrad?
500,000
When was Kiev retaken?
November 1943
When did the siege of Leningrad end? How many died?
Ended in January 1944.
A wide-scale starvation resulted in around 1 million deaths.
When did it seem a German attack on Russia was imminent?
After the German failure at the Battle of Britain.
When did the Germans launch Operation Barbarossa?
22nd June 1941
What were the Germans three main fronts?
German Army Group North - Leningrad.
German Army Group Centre - Moscow.
German Army Group South - Kiev and Rostov-Don.
How long did the siege of Leningrad last? What was the state of rationing?
900 days.
125g of bread per person.
Who staged a counter-offensive in Moscow?
Zukov.
How many Russians were killed total? How many of these were civilians?
Over 27 million.
Two-thirds were civilians.
How many deserters were shot?
13,000
What was Order 270? When was it passed?
Commissars and commanders who left the front were seen as deserters, and their families were deprived of state entitlements.
16th August 1941.
What was order 277? When was it passed?
Order for ‘not a step back’ to defend Soviet territory till the end. Passed 28th July 1942 - low point of war.
What did Russian troops do in the counter-offensive? What did Stalin state about this?
Raped over 2 million women in Berlin.
“What is so awful about his having fun with a woman?”
What was physical and infrastructural damage made worse by?
The fact that during the war many industrial enterprises had to be relocated to the Urals, Volga basin and Central Asia to be protected.
What did the Soviet governments reconstruction programme centre around?
A fourth 5YP with the specific aim of getting the Soviet economy back to growth levels achieved before the war.
How were the terms of the fourth 5YP achieved within three years?
Due to the availability of ‘free’ labour (up to 4 million prisoners of war).
What was the biggest failure of the fourth five year plan?
Stalin’s continuation of ‘gargantuan’ projects.
What did Stalin become the chairman of?
The State Defence Committee, which had absolute control over the lives of Soviet citizens.
What military role did Stalin take on?
Supreme commander of the military, just as NII had in the First World War.
Give three prominent members of the Politburo.
Kaganovich, Khrushchev and Molotov.
How much did Party Membership increase during the war?
From 3.76 million in 1941 to 5.8 million in 1945.
What was a key event that the NKVD played a part in?
The resolution of the Leningrad Affair, which resulted in over 200 supporters of Zhdanov being purged.
What did Stalin join? What did he believe this would do?
The Grand Alliance, believing it would place Russia in a strong bargaining position over making territorial gains.
What did Churchill agree in October 1944?
Russia could maintain its areas as a ‘sphere of influence’.
What did Churchill later state that indicated the start of the Cold War?
Iron curtain had descended across Europe.
What two events worsened relations with the west?
The Berlin Blockade of 1948 and the erection of the Berlin Wall.
