The defeat of the Germans Flashcards
reasons and results; post-war reconstruction; industry and agriculture
How did the victory in the GPW establish the USSR as a superpower
weakened other European powers
made the USSR the dominant military power in Europe
Germany was under occupation, economically destroyed and likely to be demilitarised
How did the USSR gain territory from the victory in the GPW
previously independent Baltic states, Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania and parts of East Prussia were incorporated into the USSR as republics
The red army had occupied many of the countries of East Central Europe and was in a position to establish pro-soviet regimes
How many people fled the advancing red army
12 million
How did Stalin’s paranoia show after the GPW
anxious about the economic power of the US and how it would be used in Europe
feared resurgence of Germany
ruthless in repressing citizens who had been outside of the USSR during the war
feared and distrusted many of his own people
How many soviet citizens died as a result of the GPW and how many of those were soldiers and civilians
20 million
7.5 million in the armed forces
over 12 million civilians
How many towns and villages were destroyed as a result of the GPW
1700 towns
70,000 villages
What did the German army do as they retreated
destroyed everything
houses, hospitals, factories, schools etc
How many were left homeless as a result of the GPW
25 million
How were families affected by the GPW
millions wounded or disabled had to be looked after by their families
thousands of widows and orphans
How were people in newly annexed territories and repatriated communities treated
many nationalist groups fought guerilla style wars against the Russian government for several years
mass deportations of opponents and members of leading political elites in these countries
forced back into collectives
What did Stalin announce in 1946
the victory in the GPW had demonstrated the vitality of the soviet socialist system and the 1930s model of soviet society was reimposed
What happened to Zhukov
accused of being involved in a plot against Stalin and sent to Odessa
How were returning red army soldiers treated
treated with suspicion as they had seen countries in the West with standards of living much above that of the USSR
What happened to POWs
order 270 had declared them traitors
many condemned to gulags
how many were in gulags after the GPW
2.5 million
when was the fourth FYP announced
1946
How much of the 4th FYPs expenditure was to be spent on Ukraine and why
1/3
been the most devastated by war and was very important for industry and agriculture
How much of the 4th FYPs invested was to be devoted to heavy industry and capital goods
85%
what was the target of the 4th FYP
to exceed to pre-war levels
What did Leningrad workers, students and unemployed people have to do
workers - contribute 30 hours a month extra to the FYP on top of their 8 hour day
Unemployed - 60 hours
students - 10 hours
How did foreign countries help the fourth FYP
huge amounts of material and equipment were transported to the USSR from enemy countries especially the soviet zone of Germany
sometimes whole factories and their workers were shifted to Russia
Soviet incomes by 1948
had climbed back up to the levels of 1938
when was the Dnieper dam operating again
1947
coal and steel production
passed pre-war figures
What happened to consumer goods under the 4th FYP
Industry struggles to adjust to peacetime conditions as production switched from military to civilian
fewer resources were devoted to consumer industries so goods like clothes shoes and furniture were in short supply
improvements in areas such as woollen and cotton goods and sugar
What did military expenditure increase to and why
2.8 mill in 1948 to 4.9 million in 1953 because of the intensification of the cold war
What % of expenditure was spent on the military
25% in 1952
did mining improve in the 4th FYP
no
running at less than half of the 1940
how much electricity was produced in the 4th FYP compared to 1940 levels
52% of 1940 levels
how much steel was produced in the 4th FYP compared to 1940 levels
45% of 1940 level
housing under the 4th FYP
acute housing shortage
transport under the 4th FYP
transport infrastructure was still badly disrupted
how many collective farms stopped functioning due to the GPW
98,000
how many tractors were lost due to the GPW
137,000
how was food production impacted by the GPW
food production was 60% of the 1940 level
How was cultivated land impacted by the GPW
total land under cultivation was 75% of what it had been in 1940
How was agriculture reconstructed after the GPW
reimposition of centralisation
kolkhozes reconstituted and all land returned to them
why was there a labour shortage
the war killed 1/8 of the population and caused massive dislocation
most of the red army had been peasants so farms were short of labour
example of struct central controls on agriculture
directives on sowing and crop selection
crop rotation schemes using particular grasses were enforced often in areas unsuited to them
did agriculture improve much after the GPW
the 4th FYP brought some increase
agriculture remained weak for the rest of the time that Stalin was in power
when was the last famine
1947
there was never another famine after this - demonstrates how agriculture did somewhat improve
what did Stalin write in 1952 and what did this do
Economic problems of socialism in the USSR
discouraged tendencies towards agricultural innovation as Stalin’s views seen as incontrivertible
Why did peasants suffer after the GPW
grain procurement to feed the cities and towns took up to 70% of the yield leaving barely enough for peasants to feed themselves and their animals
payments for produce was very low and barely covered costs
how did the focus on heavy industry after the GPW impact peasants
villages were not allowed electricity from state power stations and were not provided with building materials to rebuild their houses
when were peasants stopped from selling surplus product on the market
1948
