The Second World War and after, 1941-53

Question 1

Explain how the Soviet Union survived the German invasion of 1941.

Answer 1

• After the initial invasion, Stalin ordered the retreat of soldiers for the defence of key cities.
• The scorched earth policy meant that the German supply line grew longer.
• Propaganda caused Soviet resistance.
• The extreme Russian weather. The German advance halted as petrol froze and soldiers died of illness or exposure.

Question 2

Outline the effects World War Two had on the USSR.

Answer 2

• Stalin’s reputation was enhanced.
• The Soviet Union became less isolated.
• The Soviet Union became a superpower and extended its influence.
• Industrial production increased by 1944. The industrial production had managed to reach 104% of the 1940 level.
• Agriculture dramatically fell. Grain harvests in 1942 and 1943 were half those of 1940.
• It is estimated that more than twenty million Russians died during the war.
• Stalin moved huge numbers of people from areas such as Georgia and the Baltics to the east.

Question 3

Explain the reasons for the post-war purges.

Answer 3

• Stalin purged and persecuted any groups he suspected of collaborating with the Germans. Soviet soldiers who were POWs were arrested and interrogated by the NKVD. One sixth of these people were released; the others were shot or sent to labour camps.
• By 1947, twenty seven labour camps were built to hold ‘Bandits’. This was the name Stalin used to refer to nationalists in Ukraine and in the Baltic States.
• Stalin targeted intellectuals. In 1953, Stalin began a purge of Jews in the Soviet Union, this was known as the ‘Doctors Plot’.
• Stalin continued to purge members of the Communist Party, especially those who challenged Stalin’s popularity. Leaders in the military were also purged or removed from their posts, such as Zhukov.

Question 4

Outline the key features of Stalin’s government in the years of 1945-53.

Answer 4

• Stalin continued his purges. He purged supposed collaborators, nationalists and those who could challenge his leadership.
• Stalin continued with his policies to modernise Soviet industry. The Fourth Five-Year Plan aimed to restore the Soviet Union to the production levels of 1940. It was very successful, utilizing millions of slave workers. The Fifth Five-Year Plan, which began in 1951, wasn’t successful. Resources were diverted to ambitious building projects which had little value. They could’ve used the resources to build houses to compensate for the housing shortage.

Question 5

Describe the growth of Stalin’s popularity and the legacy he left after his death.

Answer 5

The victory in the Great Patriotic War boosted Stalin’s popularity. Stalin’s health wasn’t good after the war. He never appeared in public and rarely made speeches.

For over twenty-five years Stalin had ruled the Soviet Union. He made it into a superpower. He had also caused the deaths of untold millions, he placed people in gulags, created a one-party dictatorship, had been unable to fix agriculture and had kept the economy under the control of the state.