The Great Patriotic War and Stalin's dictatorship 1941-1953 Flashcards
Operation Barbarossa
Hitler began planning in October 1940 - knew Soviet Union was unprepared for war while German forces were experienced and battle-hardened
invasion was originally scheduled for 1st June but Hitler had to help Italian forces in Yugoslavia so pushed back to 22cnd June which cut short the time completion before winter
3 pronged attack - north towards leningrad, central to Moscow and South to Ukraine
aim for military victory, seize control over USSR, eradicate communism, seen as ‘liberators’
Stalinist reaction
did not believe foreign sources when they warned him as dared not to take any steps to provoke Hitler
shrank away from making broadcast and left it to Molotov, did not make one for 2 weeks
appealed to patriotism, religion and unity among nationalities
failed to give leadership i first weeks and prepared to move government away from Moscow
relied too long on inferior commanders who had been promoted for political reasons
showed no urgency in defending Leningrad
the struggle for survival June 1941 - October 1942
soviet armies encircled and defeated - Kiev where 665,000 troops captured, soviet forces expelled from baltic states
Leningrad captured in September
October - soviet leaders offered peace with Germany, Hitler disregarded this
but Soviet weather worsened and forces hardened pushing German forces back to outskirts of Moscow
May 1942 - Germany ready to launch offensive into Causcaus after launch of Case Blue but Hitler became side tracked and diverted forces to Stalingrad - German forces occupied 9/10 of city but Stalins order 227 led to Soviet victory
fall of Rostov in July 1942
turning the tide, October 1942 to August 1943
German defeat at Stalingrad was psychological as well as military
regaining of Rostov
Hitler was running out of men and resources
Hitler’s Operation Citadel in Kursk was halted by Soviet power at Battle of Prokhorovka (T-34 tanks)
began spring board of Soviet counter-attacks
road to Berlin, August 1943- December 1944
war was no longer about desperate attempt of defence but pushing Germany back - reconquered Ukraine and Leningrad was lifted after 900 days
Nov 1943 - Stalin, Roosevelt and Churchill met to discuss allied victory - neither swift or easy
retreating Germans were resilient even after July 1944 bomb plot
April 1945 - red army reached Berlin and Stalin encouraged friendly competition between blocks of army
USSR in the war
1700 towns and 70,000 villages devastated by Soviet scorched earth policies
Leningrad under siege for 900 days - 1500 charged of cannibalism due to rations of 4Oz a day
more than 12 million civilian deaths
Nazi leaders talked about being liberators - welcomed in some parts of Ukraine but did not last as were rapidly alienated and became prisoners of war - few ever returned home
Stalin became increasingly suspicious of national minorities who might be in line with Hitler - Crimean Tatars
impact of war on workers
all production was war based
living standards fell by 2/5
working hours - 77 hour weeks and no holidays
strict labour decrees - absenteeism became punishable by death - 7.5 million convictions
increased resilience and patriotism
strict rationing
impact of war on peasants
land unfarmable due to scorched earth
4/5 farmers were women
loss of live stock - carts had to be pulled by people
1943 worst year - output 38% of 1940
many people lived in holes
starved - received 1/6 the wage of a factory worker
impact pf war on soldiers
2x as likely to be killed than an allied soldier
strong patriotism and fear of enemy, constant propaganda and threats of disciplinary methods
3% of male cohort from 1923 survived ton1945
comradeship crucial for military cohesion and effectiveness
impact of war on partisans
rebels in occupied territory
28,000 killed in anti-partisan Belorussia
Komsomol sent to help activists
important to keep occupied areas in touch with Moscow
by 1942 each partisan unit had an NKVD unit attached
helped reduce collaboration with German and local population
impact of war on women
500,000 in front lines - good with snipers
worked 66 hour weeks
100% nurses were women and 40% of doctors/field surgeons
Leningrad = 75% population were women so suffered hardships
25% of Partisans
but omitted from Great Moscow Victory parade
impact of war on church
reversal of policy from persecuting religious believers
restoration of churches and publication of statements by Orthodox clergy in Russian
priests blessed tanks
Stalin confessed his sins
impact of war on national minorities
past policies of Russification and deportations
used as partisans
ethnic cleansing - massacres of Jews at Babi Yar
25% of all deportees died within 5 years
20,000 Polish elite executed
deported Volga-Germans even though had been part of USSR since 1700s
becamae suspicious of collaboration with Germans
impact of war on Stalin and the party
Stalin became seen as Generalissimo and was flattered by allies, justified ruthless pre war policies
created GKO - state committee for defence which controlled all military, political and economic life (Chairman = Stalin)
Stavka - military command responsible for air, land and see operations (Chairman - Stalin)
Vozhd = all powerful leader
impact of war on NKVD
increased in size
Order 227 = not a step back
430,00 served in penal battalions
order 270 - declared prisoners of war as deserters, only 1 million allowed to return home but these were labelled as ‘socially dangerous’
