The Great Patriotic War and High Stalinism, 1941-1953 Flashcards
When did the ussr join ww2
1941
2 points re the GKO during the war
The GKO, or state defence committee, was given authority over Party and state bodies to oversee military, political and economic affairs, with Stalin as chair
USSR was able to devote 50% of GDP to war, whilst other countries generally capped at 20%
2 points re the stavka during the war
Stavka, the military supreme command, was responsible for land, sea and air operations, composed of politicians chosen by Stalin
Stalin became chairman in August 1941, and unified Stavka and GKO under his authority
Why did the USSR join the war
On 22 June 1941, Nazi army launched Operation Barbarossa, taking Soviets by surprise, just as the Red Army was in transition
What was the Nazi-Soviet Pact
On 23 August 1939 the USSR had signed a 10 year non-aggression pact with Germany, worried that they would have no support if facing the Nazis alone
3 points re the disaster of the war for the USSR
By December 1941, the Red Army had lost 6 million troops as the Germans moved eastward
Germans had 3 armies in USSR, one besieged Leningrad in September, one advanced on Moscow, where Stalin remained and launched a counter-offensive, forcing the Nazis back 150-200km in December
In the spring and summer of 1942, Germans continued south and the fall of Rostov marked the Red’s lowest point
4 points re the triumph of the war for the USSR following the disasters
The struggle for Stalingrad, resisted by Soviet citizens, with 75% falling, was countered by Zhukov’s encircling counter-offensive, trapping the German 6th Army - surrender came on 31 Jan 1943
A third Red Army was emerging by this time, with the predecessors largely destroyed - command and techniques were becoming more effective
At Kursk in July 1943, the Germans were repelled, eliminating the prospect of German victory in the East
In 1944, Operation Bagration drove Nazis from Soviet territory
3 points of Stalin as a poor wartime leader
Vast purge of Red Army officers, starting with Marshal Tukhachevsky, which Stalin launched in 1937 shattered morale and exposed the Red Army to foreign assault
Stalin had met the requirements for commodity deliveries of the Nazi-Soviet Pact, ignoring reports of German troop gatherings, so the USSR was unprepared for attack
Stalin’s inflexible mentality in 1941-42 prevented tactical withdrawals which would have saved thousands when Kiev was under siege. He showed no remorse bout sending million to their deaths
3 points of Stalin as a strong wartime leader
When Moscow offices were evacuated in 1941, he did not retreat and was a rallying force to his men. His speeches in 1941 are compared to those of Churchill, speaking of a ‘patriotic war of all the people’
The ruthless Orders 270 and 227 were distributed to all fighting units to make retreat punishable by death - at battle of stalingrad an estimated 13,500 red troops were shot in this manner
Setbacks of 1942 led to Stalin listening more to his High Command, utilising advice from Zhukov, Vasilevsky and Antonov (whereas Hitler listened to advice less and less)
2 points re propaganda during the war
Soldiers often had pictures of Stalin on their walls, cut out of newspapers
Moscow crisis of 1941 was Stalin’s ‘finest hour’ as he stayed put, addressing the eve of the anniversary of the Revolution rally in Nov and the parade on the Red Square
3 points re treatment of nationalities during the war
2 million minority members were deported for ethnic cleansing
One quarter of deported nationalities died either en route or in first five years in camps and settlements
April 1940 saw 20,000 police and polish elites were executed
3 points re repression during the war
Punishment companies were overseen by the NKVD and more than 430,000 men served, often sent on suicidal missions
Around 3 million men and women became gulag inmates, with about 1/5 eventually reinstated in society
Order 270 and 227 deemed POWs traitors, with over 5 million Soviets stranded in German-occupied areas of Europe
3 industrial impacts of the war
3,500 factories were built, primarily dedicated to armaments - from 1942-43 factories were building guns and vehicles faster than their German counterparts
T-34 tank was given one emergency modification for mass production and managed to outperform and outnumber German Panzers
Yet mass production came at a cost - aircrafts gained reputations as being death traps and mines were prone to random detonation
3 points re the population and agriculture through the war
Living standards fell on average by 2/5ths as raitoning permitted only manual workers and front-line troops a diet not detrimental to their health
By end of the war, 4/5s of collective farmers were women
State procurement of grain was even more ruthless than during the civil war
2 points re lend-lease
1943-44 lend-lease made up 10% of Soviet GDP
Khrush argued that without imported vehicles losses would have been colossal, and without spam the army would not have been fed
