The Defeat of the Germans

Question 1

When did defeat of the Germans seem imminent and why was it delayed?

Answer 1

By late 1944 - German armies were retreating on all fronts but victory was delayed through the Allied insistence on Germany’s unconditional surrender - there was no possibility of an agreed armistice so Germans fought until the end

Question 2

What did Stalin want the Red Army to win before the Americans did?

Answer 2

The ‘race for Berlin’ - as Soviet forces gradually pushed the Germans back, the capital cities of Eastern Central Europe were liberated e.g. Warsaw, Budapest, Prague and Vienna - this was very costly but Stalin repeatedly ordered all-out frontal assaults regardless of casualties

Question 3

By early 1945 what had Germany’s war effort been badly weakened by?

Answer 3

The effects of mass bombing - e.g. Dresden was destroyed in Feb 1945 and in April 1945 the Red Army reached the outskirts of Berlin and a few days later Soviet forces met with American forces at Torgau - this culminated in the final battle for Berlin

Question 4

In the Battle for Berlin what tactics did General Zhukov use?

Answer 4

Ones that meant exceptionally severe losses of men

Question 5

For Stalin what was the final defeat of the Germans driven by?

Answer 5

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

Question 6

What was the symbol of Soviet victory in the Great Patriotic War?

Answer 6

The storming of the German Parliament building (the Reichstag) on 2nd May 1945 `

Question 7

What was the unconditional surrender that the allies wanted?

Answer 7

Allies considered it essential to inflict total defeat and total surrender on ending the Second World War
Stalin also feared the allies might make a separate peace so the insistence on unconditional surrender was partly to reassure him

Question 8

What was the role of the allies in the race for Berlin?

Answer 8

Stalin showed urgency in his desire for the Red Army to push westwards quickly
The Allied Supreme Commander, General Eisenhower, cooperated as he wanted to minimise casualties and avoid clashes with Soviet forces so on 27th March he gave order for allied advances in the West to be slowed down to let the Red Army reach Berlin first

Question 9

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

Answer 9

Soviet strengths
German weaknesses
Contribution by the allies

Question 10

In what two ways did Soviet Strengths help defeat the Germans?

Answer 10

The SU’s vast geographical size made it impossible for Germany to strike a decisive knock out blow against it and G always faced problem of overstretched lines of communication. Size of the USSR enabled whole new armies and a whole new industrial base to be built up in the East, beyond G’s reach
The population of the USSR (171 mil in 1941) was nearly 3x greater than Germany’s (although Hitler could use manpower from occupied countries 1938-41) so the USSR could replace losses in a way that was impossible for the Germans

Question 11

In what three other ways did Soviet Strengths help defeat the Germans?

Answer 11

The USSR had vast natural resources e.g. oil that were unleashed by the war- longer war went on, stronger SU military-industrial power became e.g. 1943 USSR just outproduced German war industries
The Soviet ‘command economy’ - already established before the war was well suited to the needs of total war and the emergency mobilisation of workers and resources
After bad start , military leadership of USSR became ruthlessly effective - Stalin proved himself a capable war leader and his generals were very competent. Propaganda and patriotism motivated armed forces and civilians to fight and endure

Question 12

In what three ways did German weaknesses lead to their defeat?

Answer 12

Hitler was not able to achieve the rapid initial victory he had hoped for
From December 1941, Germany had to fight a 2 front war
Germany lacked self-sufficiency in raw materials. By 1943-44 war production in Germany depended on all-out exploitation of dwindling economic and human resources

Question 13

In what two other ways did German weaknesses lead to their defeat?

Answer 13

Hitler made crucial strategic mistakes and sacked many of his best Generals , replacing them with yes-men
The Germans alienated people in occupied countries, provoking resistance movements and partisans

Question 14

In what two ways did contribution by the allies lead to German defeat?

Answer 14

Stalin’s allies presented a dangerous threat to Hitler on other fronts, preventing him from focusing on the way in the east
Mass bombing campaigns from the British and Americans from 1943 inflicted huge damage on German’s war effort, weakening the resources available to fight on the eastern front

Question 15

In what two other ways did the contribution by the allies lead to German defeat?

Answer 15

Allied secret intelligence, gained by codebreaking, undermined Germany’s war effort at crucial times (though Stalin was never informed about it directly)
Enormous amounts of vital military and economic aid poured into the USSR

Question 16

How did Women in the USSR help Russia’s war effort?

Answer 16

All countries in WW2 enlisted women but the USSR did so to a greater extent.
Women fought as infantry soldiers, as tank captains at the Battle of Kursk, as skilled workers in munitions factories and in a wide range of auxiliary uninformed organisations
After the devastation of Soviet cities, villages etc it was women who held daily life together

Question 17

What were the events for the defeat of the Germans on the Eastern Front in 1945?

Answer 17

17th Jan - Soviet forces entry into Warsaw
13th Feb - Destruction of Dresden by mass allied bombing
25th April - Meeting of Soviet+ US forces
2nd May - storming of the Reichstag - end of Battle of Berlin
8th May - German surrender, end of war in Europe

Question 18

What did the victory in the war establish the SU as?

Answer 18

A superpower - unleashed its huge economic potential, the war badly weakened the other European powers and made the USSR by far the dominant military power on the continent

Question 19

Why did the outcomes for Germany v the outcomes for the USSR help Stalin further?

Answer 19

Germany (the main enemy) was under occupation, economically destroyed and likely to be demilitarised so the war seemed to vindicate Communist ideology offering the ‘road to socialism’ as a replacement for fascism and an alternative system to capitalism so strengthened Stalin’s regime by the glow of victory

Question 20

What else had war brought about for the SU?

Answer 20

Massive territorial expansion - the previously independent Baltic states (Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania) and parts of East Prussia were incorporated into the USSR as Soviet Republics
Beyond the borders of USSR, the Red Army had occupied many of the countries of East Central Europe and was in a position to establish pro-Soviet regimes there

Question 21

What did Soviet victory in the war cause?

Answer 21

One of the great mass migrations in history - 12 million refugees (many of them ethnic Germans), fled westwards 1944-45 as the Red Army advanced

Question 22

Despite Soviet victory why did fears and insecurity remain?

Answer 22

Stalin = anxious about economic power of the US and how it might be used in Europe
Feared a resurgence of Germany
Feared and distrusted many of his own people - the regime was ruthless in repressing any soviet citizens who had been outside USSR during the war (including prisoners of war)
There were already disagreements about the Four-Power occupation of Berlin after the German surrender (r

Question 23

What was the four power occupation of Berlin?

Answer 23

Defeated Germany was divided into 4 occupation zones: Soviet, American, British and French
Even though Berlin was entirely within the Soviet Zone, the city was divided into four zones, ruled by a joint Allied Control Commission but led to recurrent disputed between the USSR and the Western Allies

Question 24

How did the USSR become a new world super power?

Answer 24

Along with the US the USSR had emerged as a superpower by 1945
Before 1941, the SU had been regarded as a lesser military power, vulnerable to foreign aggression
The pressures of war forced the USSR to build up military-industrial strength and to maximise its economic potential
War also greatly weakened other powers

Question 25

At what terrible price had victory in the war been achieved at?

Answer 25

Approximately 20 million Soviet Citizens died - 7.5 million in the armed forces and more than 12 million civilians
Large sections of the USSR were devastated so post-war construction of infrastructure, industry and agriculture presented a massive challenge

Question 26

Between 1941 and 1945 how many did war kill?

Answer 26

One in eight of the Soviet population, causing massive dislocation

Question 27

What did Stalin promise in 1945 and what was Gosplan instructed to do?

Answer 27

Promised that the USSR would be the leading industrial power by 1960
1945 - Gosplan instructed to prepare a new 5 year plan for economic recovery

Question 28

What did the Fourth Five Year Plan set?

Answer 28

Ambitious targets for industry and agriculture
1/3 of the Plan’s expenditure was to be spent on Ukraine, which had been one of the areas most devastated by war, and was a very important region for both industry and agriculture

Question 29

When the war ended what did much of Soviet industrial production have to be switched from / to?

Answer 29

Away from military needs to the Civilian economy

Question 30

In what ways did industry struggle to adjust to peace time conditions in 1945-1946 and what were the problems intensified by?

Answer 30

Mining production was running at less than half of its 1940 level
Electric power was at 52% and steal at 45%
The transport infrastructure was still badly disrupted and the workforce was exhausted after the war efforts
Problems intensified by the sudden ending of foreign aid through Lend-Lease in August 1945

Question 31

Despite difficulties by 1950 was there industrial recovery?

Answer 31

Under 4th 5 year plan - many of the targets were exceeded or doubled
Post-war Soviet economy proved itself to be very resilient and its rapid growth from 1946 reflected a ‘rebound effect’ from a long series of disasters
Long-term growth trends slower than in Western Europe but in the post-war years there was considerable scope for the Soviet economy to improve on its past performance

Question 32

What were the fourth plans successes down to?

Answer 32

Several factors including war reparations, central planning and the committed efforts of the Soviet people

Question 33

What were the impact of war reparations on soviet recovery?

Answer 33

The SU insisted on the fulfilment of war reparations from enemy countries, despite many of them having pro-soviet governments
Huge amounts of materials and equipment transported to USSR (especially from Soviet zone in G)
Sometimes whole factories and their workers shifted - its impact on economic recovery is disputed but not a decisive factor

Question 34

What was Soviet economic recovery like under the fourth plan after ww2 compared to ww1 and civil war?

Answer 34

Far more impressive - alongside necessary rebuilding of heavy industry, there was improved production of consumer goods and steady growth in living standards
As early as 1948 average soviet income had reached 1938 levels
(all over Europe = prosperity in 50’s)

Question 35

Despite successes in the fourth plan, why did this not mean all economic problems in the USSR were solved?

Answer 35

Economy overloaded by military expenditure - went up sharply because of intensification of cold war (18% of total expenditure in 1950 but rose to 25% by 1952 and armed forces rose from 2.8 mil 1948 to 4.9 mil 1953)
Continued to be acute housing shortage
Recovery of agriculture = slow and plagued with issues

Question 36

What were some of the statistics for industrial production under the fourth five year plan?

Answer 36

Coal - 1940= 166, 1945 = 150, 1950 = 261
Steel- 1940=18, 1945= 12, 1950=27
Electricity - 1940=48, 1945=43 1950=91

Question 37

What had happened to the USSR’s agriculture during war?

Answer 37

Devastated - officially- 98,000 collective farms ruined, losses of 137,000 tractors, 17 million cattle, 20 million pigs etc
Food production was 60% of the 1940 level

Question 38

What were the prospects for agricultural recovery hindered by?

Answer 38

Severe labour shortage and by the fact that far less land was under cultivation than before the war (75% of 1940)
1946 was the driest year since 1891 and the harvest was poor causing famine in some regions

Question 39

When and where did the 1946-7 famine begin and what caused it

Answer 39

Began in Ukraine and central Russia and July 1946
Main cause = dislocation caused by war, especially shortage of agricultural labourers and the lack of machinery - intensified by severe drought
Been suggested - Stalin’s policies made the famine worse and grain was exported abroad not used to relieve the famine

Question 40

What were the consequences of the 1946-7 famine?

Answer 40

Thousands died of hunger (not on same scale as Great Famine in 30’s)

Question 41

Was there are recovery in agriculture under the 4th plan?

Answer 41

Yes but it was slow and patchy, brought some increases but failed to reach most of it’s targets
Time of Stalin’s death, agriculture = unsatisfactory but some areas progressing better than others but there was never another USSR famine after 1947

Question 42

What was one problem holding back reform in agriculture?

Answer 42

Stalin - in a book written by Stalin (Economic problems of socialism in the USSR, published 1952), he discouraged tendencies towards innovation and change
His writings seen as indisputable
After his death - his successors felt they had to reform and introduce concessions with peasants farmers to alleviate agriculture problems

Question 43

What were some of the statistic for agriculture under the 4th plan?

Answer 43

Grain- 1940= 96 1947=66 1950=81

Cattle- 1940=28 1947=23 1950=25