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iGCSE: USSR 1924-53 > Topic 5: The Second World War and After 1941-53 > Flashcards

Topic 5: The Second World War and After 1941-53 Flashcards

1
Q

When was the Nazi-Soviet Pact signed?

A

23rd August 1939

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2
Q

What did the Nazis and Soviets agree to in the Nazi-Soviet Pact?

A

Poland would be divided between the USSR and Nazi Germany

Nazi Germany would not attack the USSR

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3
Q

What did both Hitler and Stalin know about the Nazi-Soviet Pact?

A

That it was a temporary deal

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4
Q

When did the Nazis invade the USSR?

A

22nd June 1941

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5
Q

Under what operation did the Nazis invade the USSR?

A

Operation Barbarossa

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6
Q

What did Nazi commanders expect of the Soviet forces before the invasion?

A

That Soviet forces were primitive and victory was expected by early Autumn

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7
Q

How many Soviets died between 1941 and 1945 (Civilians included)

A

Estimated 27 million

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8
Q

Why were there Soviet setbacks in 1941?

A
  • Operation Barbarossa was a surprise to the Soviets
  • Stalin had purged the army
  • The Nazis were highly trained
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9
Q

Who had warned Stalin about an invasion of the Nazis?

A

His own spies and Churchill

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10
Q

By Autumn 1941, what had the Nazis destroyed?

A

Most of the Red Army and Soviet Air Force

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11
Q

How many civilians are estimated to have been killed by the siege on Leningrad?

A

800,000

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12
Q

Why had the purges of the Red Army held the Soviets back in 1941?

A

Many experienced officers had been removed from the army
They were hastily released from the gulags after the invasion.

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13
Q

By the end of 1941, how many Red Army soldiers had been captured?

A

Over 3 million

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14
Q

What were the Nazi’s strengths during 1941?

A

They were highly trained, huge, and well equipped

Blitzkrieg

Nazi offensives caused chaos

They blocked the Volga at Stalingrad

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15
Q

What were the short-term reasons for the survival of the USSR?

A

Geography and the weather

Economy

Stalin

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16
Q

What were the long-term reasons for the survival and victory of the USSR?

A

Economy

Stalin

Propaganda

Patriotism

Siege of Leningrad

Nazi Germany’s mistakes

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17
Q

What were the problems of weather for the Nazis during Operation Barbarossa?

A

Heavy rain began in November

In late November the snow came and temperatures fell to -35

The Nazi army was not equipped for this and frostbite became a real issue

Vehicles and weapons stopped working.

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18
Q

Zhukov launched a counter attack with forces from Siberia. Why did the weather not affect them?

A

Siberia is famously a harsh place to live - they were used to the conditions.

They had snowsuits, goggles, sledges, and hardy ponies.

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19
Q

What did Stalin refer to as helping defeat the ill-prepared Nazis?

A

General Winter

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20
Q

During the Five Year Plan, industrial areas were set up in…

A

The Urals and Siberia - this meant war production continued.

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21
Q

What did Stalin order to be moved east?

A

1,500 factories and 16.5m people

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22
Q

What policy did Stalin follow when he ordered factories to be moved?

A

Scorched Earth

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23
Q

How did Stalin appeal to the nationalist spirit during WWII?

A

Calling on citizens to defend the ‘motherland’

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24
Q

What did Stalin refer to the war as?

A

‘The Great Patriotic War’

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25
Q

Stalin decided to stay in Moscow during October 1941. Why did that help?

A

It gave the people confidence and they were willing to stay and fight.

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26
Q

Where were armament factories built?

A

Places like Chelyabinsk in the Urals

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27
Q

What was Chelyabinsk nicknamed?

A

Tankograd because it produced T-34 tanks

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28
Q

Compared to Nazi Germany, how many aircraft had the USSR produced in 1945?

A

In 1945, the USSR produced 20,900 aircraft compared to 7,540 for Germany.

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29
Q

How much of its national income did the Soviet Union spend on the war?

A

Over half

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30
Q

How many days a week did people work during WWII?

A

Seven days a week

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31
Q

How long did factory shifts last during WWII?

A

12-18 hours

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32
Q

Why was Stalin so conscious about keeping food supplies available?

A

He was aware that food shortages had been a major factor in bringing down the Tsar

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33
Q

What did Stalin give that boosted morale?

A

A series of speeches

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34
Q

What did Pravda (newspaper) call Stalin?

A

‘The genius organiser of our victories’

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35
Q

In 1942, Stalin was named as…?

A

Man of the Year by Time Magazine

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36
Q

What did Stain set up and lead?

A

The Soviet High Command (Stavka) and State Defence Committee (GKO)

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37
Q

What title did Stalin give himself?

A

Supreme Commander

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38
Q

Why was Stalin an able and effective leader of the Stavka and GKO?

A

He had a good command of detail

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39
Q

What was Stalin prepared to listen to during WWII?

A

Advice of others

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40
Q

Who was appointed as Deputy Supreme Commander in 1942/

A

General Zhukov

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41
Q

What did General Zhukov do during the war?

A

Defence of Moscow

Liberation of Stalingrad

Final attack on Berlin

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42
Q

Why did Stalin end his persecution on the Orthodox Church?

A

He knew people needed religion to get through the war

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43
Q

What prevented tactical withdrawals during WWII?

A

Stalin’s inflexible mentality

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44
Q

What happened to General Pavlov?

A

General Pavlov who tried to hold the front line in the first week of the war was sentenced to death for ‘cowardice, panic mongering, criminal negligence, and unauthorised retreats’

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45
Q

What was Order 270

A

Virtually banned commanders from surrendering

‘fight to the last’

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46
Q

What was Order 227?

A
  • ‘not a step back’

Established that each front had to create penal battalions to be sent to the most dangerous sections of the front lines with everyone else behind them to shoot if they tried to run away.

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47
Q

How many soldiers were sent for punishment to minefields and other suicide missions during WWII?

A

430,000

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48
Q

Who was liable to arrest if a soldier deserted?

A

The soldier and their families.

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49
Q

Where were potentially disloyal national groups sent?

A

Siberia and Central Asia

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50
Q

Which potentially ‘disloyal’ groups were sent to Siberia and Central Asia

A

Volga Germans, Koreans and Finns

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51
Q

Where did the NKVD enter in 1944?

A

Chechnya

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52
Q

What happened to the population of Chechnya in 1944?

A

Almost all of its population were loaded onto trucks and trains and dispatched to Siberia

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53
Q

How many writers and artists joined the army to report from the front?

A

Over 1,000

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54
Q

How many of the 1,000 artists and writers reporting from the front died during WWII?

A

400

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55
Q

Artists and writer’s work was controlled by what group?

A

The Sovinformburo

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56
Q

What did the Sovinformburo do?

A

They monitored everything given to the soldiers at the front for ideological mistakes

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57
Q

What were the 200 artists in Moscow doing during WWII?

A

Working on propaganda posters to display in Tess windows (a news agency)

58
Q

How had the Second World War brought people together?

A

They saw it as their duty to protect the ‘motherland’
It was an attack on the entirety of the USSR rather than one part

59
Q

By the end of the war, how many Hero Cities were there?

A

7

60
Q

When did the Siege of Leningrad begin?

A

September 1941

61
Q

How many inhabitants were cut off from the rest of Russia under the Siege of Leningrad?

A

3 million

62
Q

How long did the Siege of Leningrad last?

A

900 days

63
Q

What did people eat during the Siege of Leningrad?

A

Dogs, cats, made soup from leather.

People stole bread and some resorted to cannibalism

64
Q

How many people died during the first two months of 1942 in Leningrad?

A

200,000

65
Q

When did the Siege of Leningrad end?

A

January 1944

66
Q

How many people died in the Siege of Leningrad overall?

A

800,000

67
Q

What did Stalin acknowledge about Allied help?

A

It was a ‘coalition of the USSR, Great Britain, and the USA’

68
Q

How did the Lend-Lease programme help the USSR?

A

The Americans supplied the Red Army with 12% of its airplanes, 10% of its tanks, and 2% of its artillery.

It kept the Red Army moving, supplying 95% of its trains and 75% of its jeeps.

Huge quantities of wheat and spam were shipped to the Soviet Union.

69
Q

What did Khrushchev write about spam from the USA?

A

‘without spam, we should not have been able to feed our army.’

70
Q

What was different about the experiences of the Allies compared to the USSR?

A

While the US and Britain fought in North Africa, Italy, and Western Europe together, the USSR fought largely alone.

71
Q

Why did Nazi treatment of Jews, intellectuals and Slavs help mobilise the people

A

The Soviet people were under no illusion as to what would happen to them if the Nazis won.

72
Q

What mistakes did the Nazis make?

A

Delaying Operation Barbarossa.

Being overly ambitious trying to take Leningrad, Moscow, Ukraine, and the Caucuses.

Refusing to let the Sixth Army retreat from Stalingrad

Refusing to turn the Nazi economy over to war production.

73
Q

How many tonnes of bombs were dropped on Stalingrad?

A

More than 1,000

74
Q

Stalin forbade evacuation of who during the Battle of Stalingrad?

A

Anyone, even children.

75
Q

What was the average life expectancy of a Soviet private soldier during the Battle of Stalingrad

A

24 hours

76
Q

What did penal units take part in?

A

Suicide missions to ‘atone’ for their ‘sins’

77
Q

How many Soviet soldiers had died on the Stalingrad front by the end of the battle?

A

1 million

78
Q

How was the Battle of Stalingrad fought?

A

Fighting was often hand to hand combat using knives, sharpened spades, sub machine guns, and hand grenades.

79
Q

Who was Vasily Zaitsev? What was his role in the Battle of Stalingrad?

A

Vasily Zaitsev (sniper) was officially credited with killing 225 enemies in the battle of Stalingrad alone.

80
Q

What did the Nazis refer to Stalingrad as?

A

The Kessel (cauldron) because of the intensity of fighting

81
Q

What was the casualty rate of the Red Army during the Battle of Stalingrad?

A

75%

82
Q

One division of soldiers went into the Battle of Stalingrad at 1,000 men. How many survived?

A

320

83
Q

What was the name of the Soviet counter-attack at the Battle of Stalingrad?

A

Operation Uranus

84
Q

What was Operation Uranus?

A

General Zhukov had secretly gathered 1 million soldiers and used them to attack the weaker Italian, Romanian, and Hungarian troops to the north and south of the city.

This left the Nazi troops alone.

85
Q

When did the Battle of Stalingrad end?

A

January 1943

86
Q

Who surrendered at the Battle of Stalingrad?

A

Von Paulus

Hitler had ordered him not to

87
Q

What was the Battle of Kursk?

A

The Red Army withstood a massive German assault and then counter-attacked.

For two years, Soviet forces pushed the Nazi army back into Germany.

Until May 1945, Soviet forces accepted the Nazi surrender.

88
Q

What were the Soviet casualties at the Battle of Stalingrad?

A

Half a million soldiers died.

An estimated 40,000 died in the first week of German air attacks.

89
Q

What were the Nazi casualties at the Battle of Stalingrad?

A

147,000 dead and 91,000 taken prisoner.

The Sixth Army (the most successful) was destroyed.

Allies (Hungary, Romania, and Italy) were shattered.

90
Q

What did trapped civilians do during the Battle of Stalingrad?

A

10,000 civilians, including 1,000 children, could not escape.

They survived by hiding in cellars of ruined houses and sewers.

91
Q

Why was Stalingrad psychologically a great boost to the Soviets?

A

It was Nazi Germany’s first great defeat

92
Q

What was the saying about the Battle of Stalingrad?

A

You cannot stop an army which has done Stalingrad

93
Q

What did the Nazis order upon their loss of the Battle of Stalingrad?

A

Three days of national mourning

94
Q

Why was the Battle of Stalingrad a turning point?

A

It marked the beginning of the Red Army’s advance into Germany.

95
Q

What did Britain celebrate in February 1943?

A

Red Army Day

96
Q

What was Stalin given by Churchill?

A

A ceremonial sword, made on the orders of King George VI

97
Q

What did Stalin make himself after the Battle of Stalingrad?

A

Marshal of the Soviet Union

98
Q

What was General Zhukov promoted to after the Battle of Stalingrad?

A

Marshal

99
Q

What title was Stalingrad given?

A

Hero City

100
Q

How many deaths are estimated of the armed forces after WWII?

A

8 million

101
Q

How many deaths are estimated of civilians after WWII?

A

17 million

102
Q

How many towns and villages in Western USSR are estimated to have been destroyed by WWII?

A

1,700 towns and 70,000 villages

103
Q

How many people are estimated to have been made homeless because of WWII?

A

25 million

104
Q

By 1945, what percentage of Soviet industrial production had been lost?

A

Almost 70%

105
Q

How did the USSR get materials back from defeated countries?

A

Stripped them of factory materials, machinery, and reparations

106
Q

When was the Fourth Five Year Plan?

A

1946-50

107
Q

During the Fourth Five Year Plan, what percentage of investment was devoted to heavy industry and capital goods?

A

88%

108
Q

What was ignored during the Fourth Five Year Plan?

A

Consumer goods

109
Q

How many extra hours did Leningrad workers have to contribute towards the Fourth Five Year Plan?

A

30 hours a month on top of their 8 hour working day.

110
Q

How many extra hours did non-workers have to contribute towards the Fourth Five Year Plan?

A

60 hours a month

111
Q

How many extra hours did students have to contribute towards the Fourth Five Year Plans

A

10 hours

112
Q

How many prisoners of war were used for the Fourth Five Year Plan?

A

2 million

113
Q

What did 2.5m labour camp inmates have to do to help the Fourth Five Year Plan?

A

Cutting timber, mining gold, and mining uranium for the atom bomb.

114
Q

What were the Soviet population prepared to endure to get the USSR back to pre-war levels?

A

The Soviet population were prepared to endure privation, food rationing, long hours, and low pay.

115
Q

When was the Dnieper Dam producing electricity again?

A

1947

116
Q

What production exceeded pre-war figures shortly after the war had ended?

A

Coal, oil, and steel production

117
Q

What failed to reach pre-war levels shortly after the war had ended?

A

Clothes, shoes, furniture, and other consumer goods.

118
Q

What was first tested in 1949?

A

The Soviet atomic bomb

119
Q

By 1952, had grain production regained pre-war levels?

A

No

120
Q

Why hadn’t grain production regained pre-war levels by 1952?

A

Labour shortages

Machinery had been destroyed

Horses had been killed in large numbers (women were pulling ploughs alone)

Peasants wages were low

Little investment into improving agriculture

121
Q

By 1953, what were a peasant’s wages?

A

Just 1/6 of a factory worker.

122
Q

What was the Fifth Five Year Plan?

A

The Fifth Five Year Plan was announced in 1952 but did not progress far until Stalin’s death in 1953.

123
Q

What did the populations of the gulag do between 1942 and 1947?

A

Tripled
1942: 1.6m
1947: 4.7m

124
Q

How did Stalin purge General Zhukov

A

Accused of being involved in a plot against Stalin and was sent to Odessa where he was out of the way.

125
Q

Why did children not learn about General Zhukov in schools?

A

He was written out of textbooks

126
Q

What happened to the 1.5m Red Army soldiers that had been prisoners of war

A

Order 290 had them declared traitors

About half were condemned to the gulag

127
Q

What happened to Stalin’s son, Yakov?

A

He was captured and Stalin refused offers to exchange him for high ranking Nazis saying ‘I will not trade a Marshal for a Lieutenant.’

He died in Sachsenhausen Concentration Camp in 1943

128
Q

Who had key Politburo jobs in 1945?

A

Molotov, Khrushchev, Zhadanov, Malenkov, and Mikoyan

129
Q

How many leading Party members were arrested and accused of crimes such as corruption and spying after WWII?

A

200

130
Q

How many officials were removed from their positions and exiled from the city?

A

Around 2,000

131
Q

Why was Molotov’s wife arrested?

A

Giving too warm a welcome to the Israeli ambassador

132
Q

Why did Stalin attack the Jewish population?

A

He believed the Jews of the USSR were not patriotic

133
Q

How were Jews targeted after WWII?

A

Jews were sacked from government positions and high positions in industry.

Jewish schools, newspapers, and libraries were closed down.

Jews were thrown out of universities.

It was difficult for Jews to worship freely.

Leading Jews were imprisoned and sometimes executed.

134
Q

Who was Stalin’s personal doctor?

A

Professor Vladimir Vinogradov

135
Q

What advice did Professor Vinogradov give to Stalin?

A

To reduce his work load

136
Q

After Professor Vinogradov told Stalin he should reduce his workload, what did Stalin believe?

A

That Vinogradov was involved in a plot to kill him

137
Q

In 1953, how many (mainly Jewish) doctors were arrested on attempted assassination charges?

A

Over 30

138
Q

What do historians believe Stalin was beginning to do with the Doctor’s Plot?

A

Deport the USSR’s Jewish population

139
Q

Why is it difficult to know how people truly felt about the USSR and Stalin?

A

There were no free elections, press was heavily controlled, opinion polls did not exist, and people were unable to speak freely.

140
Q

Why were doctors reluctant to treat Stalin after his stroke?

A

His own doctor was in prison and they were worried about the consequences if they did something wrong

141
Q

Explain the outpouring of grief after Stalin died

A

People were shocked and wept openly in the streets.

He represented stability in an ever changing world.

Crowds flocked to Moscow to see his body
Some being crushed to death

142
Q

By Stalin’s death, what had the USSR become?

A

An economic and military superpower

iGCSE: USSR 1924-53 (12 decks)

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