War: Great Patriotic war 1941-1945

Question 1

The Great Patriotic War 1941-1945

Summary

Answer 1

1935 the Treaty of Berlin was renewed ensuring Russian German neutrality

stalin says apeasement doesn’t work with Hitler so he’s not invited to Munich peace conference in 1938

Hitler invades chezkaSlovakia in 1938
Britain France promised to help Poland

Germany has a fear of fighting a war on 2 fronts so pressured Russia in August 1939 in signing the Nazi Soviet non aggression pact

this increases Russia’s time prep 4 War

September 1939 Hitler invades Poland

the Russian finish war occurred from November 1939 to March 1940
after 5,000 soviets died fidland gave the USSR border space and allowed them to set up military bases

by summer 1940 Russia had claimed the Baltic states

then troops are sent to the Baltic states to defend Leningrad as well as East Poland to protect Ukraine and Belarus

In December 1940 operation barbarossa was created which deemed it necessary to attack Russia

hitler signed it and it began on the 22nd of June 1941 which is when Russia entered the war

When Russian push Germany back they kept influence over the lands they captured

Churchill eventually in October 1944 said he could keep them under his sphere of influence after the war in thanks to Russia’s cooperation

However Russia was influencing the territories they occupied before this for example the Katyn forest Massacre where the Red Army supposedly executed five thousand Polish offices on the eve of the German invasion

Question 2

The Great Patriotic War 1941-1945

Society?

Answer 2

27 million Russian deaths with civilians ⅔ of this

Order 227 meant if a Russian soldier attempted to flee or dessert they were shot by a second front behind the first

1 mill ppl died in siege of Leningrad and 1.1 mill Battle of Stalingrad

= post-war labour shortages

There were 5 million Prisoners of War taken by Germany of which many switch sides for example 50k Russian civilians against USSR in Battle of Stalingrad

All returning Prisoners of War treated as traitors

Lots of patriotism but also lots of deserters 13k = shot

During Russian counter offensive and March on Berlin the Russians raped two million Women
Stalin Condemned this (Disaproved)

This led to decrease in standing with the allies especially in post war reconstruction talks

Due to the patriotism for the war and support there was little to no strike action unlike the previous one

Because war working hours went back up to 8 hrs from the previous 7 hrs

Question 3

The Great Patriotic War 1941-1945

Politics?

Answer 3

Stalin became the state defence committee chairman + already been the presidium+ supreme commander of the military (relied on experts 4 key decisions though)
= 100% control Soviet citizens + forces

He kept two positions post war head of government ( he took the Premiership from molotov in war) and party secretary

Politbureau remained the same as it was 10 years before the war but party membership was at 3.7 m 1941 = 5.8 m 1945

Military gallantry awarded with party membership

19th party Congress 1952 = first in 13 years, party numbers declined but didn’t affect party function

NKVD

deport national minorities + political prisoners

Was harsh on Balkans, chechens, Karachans and Crimean tartars all were accused of collaborating with Nazis

Post war NKVD purged dissidence in the party and other dissident groups

Question 4

The Great Patriotic War 1941-1945

Nationalities?

Answer 4

The nkvd deported national minorities especially Balklands, Chechians, Karachans and Crimean tartars

• Russia joins Grand Alliance

• want to keep the Frontiers established under the Nazi Soviet pact
– wartime conferences at Tehran (November to December 1943) and Yalta (February 1945) confirmed Russia’s claims

• Poland forced concede most of Ukraine, Belarus and Lithuania to Russia but granted some German territory as compromise

• Stalin allowed influence nature of government in the places = communism expands

– red army pushes Nazis back = occupies eastern European countries as they go such as Czechoslovakia

• October 1944: Churchill says starling could keep these countries under sphere of influence post war
– = buffer zone from West and USSR + base to expand communism to Europe
– Churchill later calls it the iron curtain

• war with Japan = gain kurile Islands plus South sakhalin

• overall due to territorial gains during the war Russia now has 24 million more people to influence

• this also includes East Germany and East Berlin giving them a direct border with the West

• even Yugoslavia is under the influence of communism now (But thats tito’s fault not stalin)

Question 5

The Great Patriotic War 1941-1945

Economy?

Answer 5

• scorched Earth policy = low food production

• lots damage to industrial / rural infrastructure germany/stalin scorched Earth policy = destroy

• industry move to central Asia + urals for protection
– but not most efficient/effective location as cold + need for transport

• post war factories need reconverting to normal production not weapons/munitions so costly
– also labour v due to casualties
– due to command economy = government responsible for eco recovery

• 4th 5yr plan 46-50 = aim: recover eco to pre-war levels
– achieved 3yrs early due to:
– free labour: 4 mill PoW, conscripted labour, Soviet prisoners

– unilateral trade agreements in favour of only Russia

– external financial aid
(from UN + USA land lease (Aid countrys Vital for USA deffence))
+ Brit + Sweed

– Russians committed even long hours with bad conditions just to recover the economy

cuz of quick eco recovery
long term Russia only (-) eco affected by War For short time

esp considering the nationalities it gained, including Poland which had previously contained ⅔ of Russia’s industry in 1917

therefore increasing USSR’s industrial output post-war

Question 6

The Great Patriotic War 1941-1945

Turning Point?

Answer 6

This war was a Turning Point largely in terms of nationalities as due to Churchill’s agreement with Stalin

USSR is able to keep its influence over the territories it’s occupied when pushing back the Nazis

allowing the USSR to gain a large influence onto central Europe and spreading the ideas, influence, economy, and ideology of communism into Europe

gains the USSR more economic support

and has a base for it to expand into Asia

it gives it buffer states for if the west attempted to invade Russia

and it gives them a direct border with the west in terms of Germany and Berlin
– so the ideals of capitalism and communism can be directly compared which could be viewed as both good and bad

And due to the fact the Social and economic changes of the war were incredibly short term

and there weren’t many political changes

it is clear why the changes to the ussr’s nationality was the main turning points and impacts of this war

Question 7

The great Patriotic war 1941-45

Economic failures

Answer 7

• Stalin continues his gigantuan projects
– e.g volga-don canal which is expensive but has Little return on investment

• agriculture = neglected

– lots of small scale ownership of land plots (▼ effective than Collectives) + Collective farms failing
– ppl who got private plot given exorbitant taxes

– collectives = ▼ labour + ▼ Materials = 1947 famine + rural unrest

• k = min of Agg
– Farm amalgamation:
– joins farms together to Bigger farms
– share costs + ▲ production
– failed to have big impact on Agg production tho