The defeat Of The Germans Flashcards
Defeat
By end of 1944 war turned v Germany -the RA overrun m of Cen Eastern Europe & mills refugees = fleeing west - final defeat = sev months + lots of lives
Vic = huge soviet achievement but relations with west allies = dif + m. sacs = demanded of ppl for post war reconstruction
Defeat 2
Germs fought to til end - allies insisted on non.con surrender = slowed RA but couldn’t stop it early 1945 R = superior in men prod + weapons.
S wanted control as much Central Europe + Germany as possible would = buffer zone v future threat - S= willing to accept huge casualty rates
US Gen. Eisenhower agreed to slow adv so R won “Race To Ber”= to reduce alli casualties + stop confrontation with Sov. Forces
April 1945 Soc reach B=80k R’s+150k Gers lost- S= speed not careful planning
Ger surrender 9 May 1945 H = suicide 30 April+ RA won final battle for Berlin 2 May 1945
Reasons For German Defeat
German Weaknesses
H’s strat= based on rapid vic - once failed all odds= v Ger
Dec 1941 onward = 2 front war
Ger lacked self-suf in raw materials 1943-44=prob resources=dwindling
H made strategic mistakes - replaced exper with yes men
Harsh repression in occupied countries = resistance movements + partisans
Reasons For Defeat
Soviet Strengths
USSRs vast geo size- Ger sup lines=stretched by 1941 end whole new armies+ indust base built in East out of Ger reach
Population size - 171 mil 1941 nearly 3x Ger - could replace troops in way H couldn’t despite his occupied lands
Natural resource - wealth (oil) could out produce Ger war indust sov command econ=estab+ v for total war+ emer Mobil of w’s+ resources
Mil leadership- after bad start S’s. Stavka = ruthlessly effective
Prop + patriation motivated armed forces + civilians to fight+ endure eg 4 mill ppl volunterred for citizen defence 1941
Reasons For German Defeat
Allies Contribution
S’s allies meant H= fighting on 2 fronts = couldn’t focus on East
Mass Brit & US bombing campaigns from 1943= huge damage to war effort
Allied secret intel gained by codebreaking undermined Ger war effort
Enormous amount of mili& econ aid poured into USSR
Results of Victory
USSR = super power - war unleashed econ potential & weakened other euro powers & made R dom mili power- Ger= econ destroyed & likely demili
Com ideology= vindicated- seen to defeat racism+=inc attraction of a ‘socialist road’ to development
S= held up as a saviour - cult of S strengthened
= Massive Terri expand + its ’sphere in influ’- Baltic States=sov repubs
RA occupied many E Euro countries in war & could establish pro sov regime
Caused mass migration - 12 million refugees go West as RA advanced
= devastating costs eg at least 20 mil Soc city= killed+ much of econ destroyed
Cold War tensions started- S feared USA Euro influ+=disagreements over future of Ger
Post War Reconstruction Industry 1
S promised 1945 USSR would= worlds leading indust power by 1960
Gosplan worked on 4th 5YP = launch March 1946=ambitious targets agri&Ind
1/3 of expan to Ukraine=v devastated by war+ = NB for agri& indust
Faced problem adjusting back to peace time conditions
1945 mining prod, elec gen + steel prod = 1/2 1940 levels
Transport infrastructure = disrupted + workforce = exhaust & depleted
End of foreign aid added sig to pressure on industry
Increase investment in military products (24% of total expenditure by 1952) because of Cold War= less in other areas
Post War Reconstruction Industry 2
But recovery under 4th5YP= rapid+successful
Many targets=equalled/exceeded eg = m coal oil steel cement + elec in 1950 than 1940
By 1950 Ukraines indust output= more than b4 war
+ some improve production of consumer goods eg cotton wool fabric sugar = back at pre war production by 1950- shoes clothes & furniture lagged
As early as 1948 average Sov income= back to 1938 levels
Reasons For Rapid Recovery
War reparations = = material Ger to USSR
Ppl= proud of vic & happy to make sacrifices
Centralised planning enforced mass mobility
Rebound effect = rapid rebuild of essens
Post War Reconstruction Agriculture
98000 col fs =ruined 137000 tractors 7 mill horses + 27 mill sheep = lost
Food prod = 60% of 1940 level
Deaths+ injuries = major labour shortage + only 75% of land = cultivated compared to 1940
1946 = driest yr since 1891+=famine- Ukraine& parts of central R 1946-47 1.5 mill died
Agric recovery= slow & patchy
4th 5YP brought some up lift but failed to reach m. Targets
Famine 1946-47 highlighted serious probs
S’s writings blocked reform - farm prod payments = v.low & taxes = up + 1948=ban on selling food grown on private plots
