A Level History - Russia chapter 22

By when did Soviet victory in the GPW seem imminent?

later 1944

What was German defeat delayed by?

allied insistence on Germany's unconditional surrender

Why did the allied insistence of a German unconditional surrender delay the end of the war?

there was no possibility of an agreed armistice

When did Eisenhower give an order for the allied advance in the West to be slowed down?

27 March 1945

Which cities were liberated as Soviet forces pushed the Germans back? (4)

Warsaw, Budapest, Prague, Vienna

Why did the US allow the USSR to win the Race to Berlin?

to minimise casualties and avoid clashes with the soviet forces

How had Germany's war effort been badly weakened?

mass bombing

When was Dresden bombed by allied forces?

February 1945

When did the Red Army reach the outskirts of Berlin?

April 1945

Where did the Germans meet up with the Americans in the final battle for Berlin?

at Torgau on the Elbe

Who led the Red Army in the battle for Berlin?

Zhukov

How was Stalin's final defeat of the Germans driven by political as well as military motives?

wanted to control as much of Central Europe and Germany as possible

Why did Stalin want to control as much of Central Europe and Germany as possible?

to provide a buffer zone against future threats

What was the symbol of soviet victory in the gpw?

storming of the Reichstag

When was the storming of the Reichstag?

2 May 1945

When did Germany surrender, leading to the end of the war?

8 May 1945

What were the soviet strengths which led to the defeat of the Germans? (5)

geographical size, population, natural resources, command economy, military leadership

How did the USSR's geographical size help them defeat the Germans? (3)

made it impossible for Germany to strike a decisive blow, Germans had overstretched communication lines, new industrial base could be built in the East protected from the German army

How did the USSR's population help them defeat the Germans?

could replace losses, Germany couldn't to the same extent

What was the population of the USSR in 1941?

171 million

How big was the population of the USSR in comparison to Germany?

three times the size

How did the USSR's natural resources help them defeat the Germans?

they could outproduce the German war industries

In which year was the USSR particularly ahead of Germany in terms of war production?

1943

How did the USSR's command economy help them defeat the Germans?

was well suited to the needs to total war and emergency mobilisation of workers and resources

How did the USSR's military leadership help them defeat the Germans? (3)

Stalin was a capable war leader, his generals became very competent, propaganda and patriotism motivated armed forces and civilians

How did women help with the soviet war effort? (5)

fought as infantry soldiers, were tank captains in battle of Kursk, were skilled workers in munitions factories, were in auxiliary uniformed organisations and held daily life together

What were the German weaknesses which contributed to their loss of the war? (5)

Hitler couldn't achieve the rapid victory he wanted, had to fight a two-front war, lacked self-sufficiency in raw materials, Hitler sacked many of his best generals, Germans alienated people in occupied countries

From which year did Germany have to fight a two-front war?

1941

Who did Hitler replace his best generals with?

yes-men (would just agree with everything)

What problem was caused by the Germans alienating the people in occupied countries?

provoked resistance movements and partisans

How did the allies contribute to soviet victory? (4)

prevented him from focusing on war in the east, mass bombing weakened resources for fighting on the eastern front, allied secret intelligence undermined Germany's war effort at key times, supplied huge amounts of vital military and economic aid

What was the USSR established as due to victory in the gpw?

a superpower

When did the USSR emerge as a superpower?

1945

How did the war make the USSR into a superpower by 1945?

unleashed huge economic potential of USSR, allowed USSR to build up military-industrial strength, badly weakened other powers, big territorial expansion

What was the state of Germany after the gpw?

economically destroyed, likely to be demilitarised

Which states were incorporated into the USSR after the gpw? (4)

Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania, parts of East Prussia

What was the Red army prepared to do in Eastern European countries outside the USSR after the gpw?

establish pro-soviet regimes

How many refugees fled westwards as the Red army advanced in 1944 and 1945?

12 million

When did the advance of the Red Army caused 12 million refugees to flee westwards? (2)

1944 and 1945

What was the majority group of the 12 million refugees who fled as the Red army advanced?

ethnic Germans

What were Stalin's fears and insecurities despite the success of the USSR in the gpw and its emergence as a superpower? (3)

worried about the economic power of the USA, distrusted many of his own people, was clear an overall peace settlement in Europe would be very difficult

Which of his own people did Stalin especially distrust after the gpw?

citizens who had been outside the USSR during the war

Why was it clear that an overall peace settlement in Europe would be very difficult?

there were already disagreements about the four-power occupation of Berlin

How many soviet citizens died overall in the gpw?

20 million

How many soviet troops died in the gpw?

7.5 million

How many soviet civilians died in the gpw?

12 million

How much of the population died between 1941 and 1945?

1/8

When was Gosplan instructed to prepare the fourth FYP for economic recovery?

August 1945

What was in the fourth FYP? (2)

ambitious targets for industry and agriculture, 1/3 of expenditure would be spent on Ukraine

How much of the expenditure of the FYP4 would be spent on Ukraine?

1/3

Why would so much of the FYP4's expenditure be on Ukraine? (2)

was one of the areas most devastated by war, was a very important region for industry and agriculture

What was the main problem for industry after the gpw?

struggled to adjust to peacetime conditions

After the gpw, at what percentage of the 1940 level was mining production running?

less than 50%

After the gpw, at what percentage of the 1940 level was electric production running?

52%

After the gpw, at what percentage of the 1940 level was steel production running?

45%

What was the effect of the war on transport infrastructure?

was badly disrupted

What was the effect of the war on the workforce?

were exhausted

When did Lend-Lease end?

August 1945

How successful was the FYP4?

many of the targets were equalled or exceeded

Why was the FYP4 successful? (3)

war reparations, central planning, effort of the soviet people

From which year (after the end of the gpw) was there a rapid growth in the economy?

1946

What did the USSR gain in terms of war reparations? (3)

equipment, materials and sometimes whole factories with their workers

What area of the economy was improved during the FYP4?

consumer goods

When (after the gpw) did soviet incomes return to 1938 levels?

1948

What were the problems of industry after the gpw despite some of the recovery? (2)

economy was overloaded by military expenditure, still an acute shortage of housing

What was the size of the armed forces in 1948?

2.8 million

What was the size of the armed forces in 1953?

4.9 million

What percentage of total expenditure was spent on the military in 1950?

18%

What percentage of total expenditure was spent on the military in 1952?

25%

How many collective farms were ruined during the gpw?

98,000

How many tractors were lost during the gpw?

137,000

How many combine harvesters were lost during the gpw?

49,000

How many horses were killed during the gpw?

7 million horses

How many cattle were killed during the gpw?

17 million

How many pigs were killed during the gpw?

20 million

How many sheep were killed during the gpw?

27 million

Why were agricultural prospects of recovery after the gpw hindered? (2)

severe labour shortage, far less land was under cultivation than before the war

In 1945, what percentage of the 1940 level of land was being cultivated?

75%

Which was the driest year since 1891?

1946

What effect did the dryness of 1946 have on agriculture? (2)

harvest was poor, there was famine in some regions

What was the impact of the FYP4 on agriculture?

brought some increases but most of the targets were not met

Which year was the last in which there was a famine in the USSR?

1947

When did Stalin publish 'Economic Problems of Socialism in the USSR'?

1952

What did Stalin's book say about the economy?

discouraged any tendencies towards innovation and change

What did Stalin's successors do in terms of agriculture?

introduced reforms and concessions to peasant farmers to alleviate the problems