WW2 and High Stalinism 1941-53 Flashcards
How many of the Red Army were killed or taken prisoner between June-December 1941?
6 million
What was the Nazi-Soviet pact?
10 year non-aggression pact signed by Germany and Russia in 1939 - also gave Russia right to occupy Poland, Baltic states and Romania in event of war
What % of the Red Army fell as casualties at Stalingrad between September-November 1942?
75%
What arguments are there for Stalin being a strong wartime leader?
Showed strong leadership and was a rallying force in desperate times, didn’t leave Moscow when it was being evacuated, issued ruthless orders, began to listen to High Command more
What arguments are there for Stalin being a weak wartime leader?
Purge of high-ranking Red Army officers in 1937 significantly weakened army and shattered morale, unprepared for initial German invasion, showed no remorse for sending millions to die in battle
What was the GKO?
State Committee for Defence
How much of the USSR’s GDP could it devote to the war effort in comparison to other nations?
50%, in comparison to others which only devoted 20%
How did the image of Stalin in wartime contrast to that of Nicholas II?
Stalin was seen as a brave and all-seeing leader who successfully defeated the Germans in contrast to Nicholas who gambled his power on this and lost
When did Stalin take control of military command?
20 July 1941
How was Stalin recognised after the victory in WW2?
‘The father of the people of the USSR’
How many were deported to gulags as a result of the Nazi-Soviet pact in 1939-40?
1.5 million
What percentage of deported nationalities died in the first five years after deportation?
1/4
How many Soviet citizens were stranded in German-occupied Europe?
Over 5 million
What was Stalin’s policy regarding prisoners of war?
He believed them to be deserters - over 3 million men and women were sentenced to terms in camps
What impact did the German invasion have on industry?
Halved industrial production
How efficient were Soviet factories by winter 1942?
Producing aircraft, tanks, guns and shells faster than German factories
How much did the Russian economy at home rely on women?
4/5 collective farmers were women, 53% of total workforce, 80-90% in light industry
What conditions did Russian workers have to suffer through during the war?
Overworked, underfed, very cold and poorly housed - 8000 female factory workers had to live in holes in the ground in one plant
What was Lend-Lease?
American aid enabling USSR to pay for war supplies
What % of Russia’s GDP was Lend-Lease by 1944?
10%
How many USSR deaths were there in WW2?
27 million, 9 million of which were military and 18 million were civilians
What % of those called up to the military died at war?
30%
How many became homeless as a result of the war?
25 million
How much agricultural output was lost due to the war?
40%
How many towns and villages were destroyed as a result of the war?
2,000 towns and 70,000 villages
How many people became disabled due to the war?
2 million
How many kilometres of railway were destroyed in WW2?
65,000
What were the Red Army’s scorched Earth tactics?
Obliterating towns and villages so the Germans had no useful supplies/communications to occupy
What was the difference in the male and female population by 1946?
74 million men to 96 million women
How many Soviet deaths were there for every Brit or American who died?
85 Soviet deaths for every Brit or American death
What was Stalin’s post-war economic target and how did he set about achieving this?
Target was to exceed pre-war industrial levels - aimed to do this by devoting 85% of investment to heavy industry
What reconstruction policies were put in place in Leningrad (St Petersburg)
Citizens not working had to spend 60 hours a month on reconstruction, workers 30 hours and students 10 hours
How many prisoners of war and inmates of labour camps were used for reconstruction labour?
2 million POWs and 2.5 million inmates of labour camps
What impact did WW2 have on Soviet agriculture?
100,000 collective farms stopped functioning, shortage of labour as most peasant farmers had been drafted to army, shortages of livestock, tractors, horses, fuel and seeds
How many died from starvation and related diseases between 1946-47?
1.5 million
What was the trend of grain production between 1940-52?
96 million tons in 1940, 40 million tons in 1946 and 92 million tons in 1952
How did Stalin treat generals and senior commanders post-war and why did he do this?
Saw them as a threat - Zhukov banished to Urals and many senior commanders executed on falsified treason charges between 1946-48
How did Stalin’s cult of personality increase post-war?
Became god-like figure - ascended beyond Lenin’s disciple and was now seen as equal or even superior
How did Stalin’s behaviour change post-war?
Health deteriorated, became increasingly suspicious of everyone, played ministers off against each other, played party against government
What were the main features of High Stalinism?
Personalised and centralised control, command economy focused on heavy industry, stifling bureaucracy, cult of personality, increased use of terror and secret police, effective propaganda, cultural uniformity
How did Stalin use external circumstances to foster high Stalinism between 1945-53?
Increased legitimacy through war victory, urgent need for reconstruction, Cold War fears
What was the doctors plot?
In Jan 1953 Pravda announced that 13 top doctors conspired with the USA and killed Zhdanov as well as many other high ranking officials
What was public reaction to Stalin’s death?
Genuine grief and sadness, crowds rushed to Moscow to pay respects
What problems did Stalin’s successors face?
Maintained extreme repression, Cold War fears, bureaucratic command economy, Stalin’s cult of personality meant reform would be very difficult
How many were in Gulags upon Stalin’s death in 1953?
2.5 million
What were the priorities of the fourth five year plan (1946-50)?
Rebuild heavy industry and transport in order to catch the USA, revive Ukraine
What were the successes of the fourth five year plan?
USSR stronger than pre-war, industrially second worldwide behind the USA, most heavy industry targets met
What were the failures of the fourth five year plan?
Pre-war problems resurfaced - bottlenecks and shortages of raw materials
What were the priorities of the fifth five year plan (1951-55)?
Initially heavy industry and rearmament, however Malenkov switched the emphasis to consumer goods, housing and services
What were the successes of the fifth five year plan?
National income rose by 71%, some improvement in consumer supplies
What were the failures of the fifth five year plan?
Malenkov’s changes in priorities faced opposition
What were the reasons behind slowing economic growth by 1953?
Managers avoided improving output so targets wouldn’t be raised for the next year, inefficient use of resources meant increased investment, targets favoured heavy industry which didn’t reflect customer demand, central planning was too complex
Who was Zhdanov and what was his role in High Stalinism?
Became Commissar Responsible for imposing Artistic Uniformity in 1946 - created godlike cult of personality for Stalin, tightened censorship, purged musicians, jammed foreign radio broadcasts and banned foreign travel
