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

how did Stalin’s war leadership cause Soviet setbacks from 1941-42?

• over 3 million Red Army soldiers had been captured

• German forces were in control of 45% of the Soviet population

• Iron and Soviet steel production, both of which were vital for war weapons had dropped by 60%

• the country’s best agricultural land, which produced around 40% of its grain was in Germans hands

how did the 1930s purges of the armed forces harm the Soviet response to German invasion?

• majority of the army’s senior officers were shot, including 3/5 marshals and 14/16 commanders

• ½ of the armies junior officers were lost

• all the admirals of the navy

• all except 1 senior commander

• many were hastily released from the Gulags after the invasion

how important were the strengths of the German Army in causing initial soviet setbacks in 1941-42?

• the german army was huge, highly trained and well equipped

• it was confident after having conquered most of Europe

• the Germas had developed a new military tactic called Blitzkreig

• this involved using tank forces, massive air power and highly trained troops in co-ordinated, fast-moving assaults

• there was little effective defence against this

how important was Stalin’s leadership in ensuring the survival of the Soviet Union?

• he set up and lead a soviet high command known as STAVKA to ensure important military decisions could be taken quickly

• he also established and lead the state defence committee which ran the economy. they met everyday of the war

• production problems were identified and measures taken to solve them

• Stalin’s command of detail made him an able leader of both organisations

• he was prepared to listen to other peoples advice

• he promoted able officers and gave them considerable freedom to run the battlefield

how important was the response of the Soviet people and their war production in ensuring the survival of the USSR?

• they put up resistance to the germans

• by the war’s end, 7 cities had been titled ‘hero city’ - Leningrad being the most famous

• Leningrad was surrounded and cut off from the rest of the USSR by German forces. it lasted 900 days

• instead of storming the city, Hitler starved it into defeat

• around 800,000 people died

• there was a general understanding that Nazi Germany was a uniquely terrible enemy and needed to be defeated

to what extent did the mistakes of the Germans enable the Soviet Union to survive?

• launched their invasion before defeating Britain which meant they had do fight 2 wars and divide their resources

• start date of Operation Barbarossa delayed by 5 weeks which gave German army less less time to advance in ideal conditions

• advance was slowed and eventually stopped by winter, as the German army was not properly equipped for cold weather, with frostbite becoming a major issue. vehicles and weapons stopped working

• overruled generals

• army became overstretched as they attempted to mantain control over Leningrad, Moscow, Ukraine and the Caucasus

• didn’t let the Sixth army retreat from Stalingrad when asked (they were captured by Stalin)

• did not fully turn the economy over to war production

how important was Stalin’s leadership in enabling the German invasion to be driven back and win ww2?

• following the invasion, around 1,500 factories in the west of the soviet union were taken apart on Stalin’s orders and moved to safety in the east. some 16.5 million people went with them. anything of value that couldn’t be moved was destroyed

• stalin helped to motivate the nation. he cleverly appealed to people’s nationalist spirit by called them t defend ‘the motherland’. little reference was made to saving communism or the soviet union. stalin realised most people wouldn’t give their lives for a political ideology

• in october, stalin took the decision to stay in Moscow when German forces were approaching. this bold act gave the soviet people confidence

how important was the war economy in enabling the german invasion to be driven back and win ww2?

• over half the national income of the Soviet union was spent on war

• huge armaments factories were developed in the east of the country, safe from German attack

• people worked 7 days a week for the entire length of the war. factory shifts lasted 12-18 hours

• women were used to fill the labour shortage caused by the employment of men into the armed forces

• the huge gulag population performed essential work

to what extent did American help enable the soviet union to drive back the german invasion and win ww2?

• America supplied the red army with:

  • 12% of airplanes

  • 10% of tanks

  • 2% of artilery

  • 95% of trains

  • 75% of jeeps

  • huge quantities of wheat and spam

why was the Battle of Stalingrad fought?

• it was a key objective of the German 1942 summer campaign

• Hitler promised a quick victory over the USSR

• the failure to win a clear victory meant Germany now faced a long war of attrition, it needed resources in vast quantities, especially oil

• the capture would equally deprive the soviet war machine of it’s main oil supply, damaging it’s ability to fight

what happened over the course of the battle of Stalingrad?

• the German advance South was initially successful

• air raids turned the city to ruins

• the elite sixth army started their assault

• the defending red army, outnumbered almost 2-1 was determined to fight

• many red army counter attacks were launched at night to deprive Germans of sleep and damage morale

• 75% casualty rate

what was the significance of the battle of Stalingrad?

• the price of victory for the soviet’s was heavy. ½ a million soldiers died - more than the british lost in the whole war

• most civilians were evacuated by authorities, when they returned the city was a bombed out wreck

• some 10,000 civilians were unable to escape and were trapped through the fighting. they survived by hiding in cellars and sewers

• German losses were 147,000 dead and 91,000 taken prisoner. the Sixth army had been destroyed

• germany’s great first defeat and proved they could be beaten

• public mood in germany after was very depressed and fearful, Nazi authorities ordered 3 days of mourning

• stalin made himself marshal of the USSR

• boosted the prestige of the USSR and Stalin around the world

why was the battle of Stalingrad a key turning point?

marked the beginning of the Red Army’s slow advance that would remove the Germans from the USSR

what efforts went into rebuilding the Soviet economy after the war?

• by 1945, almost 70% of Soviet industrial production had been lost whilst some of the finest showpiece projects were in ruins

• the 4th 5YP was launched to try to rebuilt the country

• 88% of investment went into heavy industry and armaments production

• the rest went into food production and consumer goods

how did industry perform after the war?

• the soviet economy became the fastest growing one in the world

• mines, factories and vital road and rail links were all quickly rebuilt

• by the close of the plan, coal, oil and steel production had all gone above pre-war figures

how did agriculture perform after the war?

• weakest part of the economy

• grain harvests had nearly halved during war and recovery came very slowly

• labour shortage - many men killed in the war or moved to towns so farming carried out by women, children and elderly

• not enough machinery on farms and horses to pull ploughs were dead so women had to pull them

• peasants had little reason to work on farms due to low wages

• on Stalin’s death, wages were just 1/6 of the average factory worker

• the state put very little investment into improving agriculture. it received a small portion of money poured into industry

why did Stalin recommence the purges?

• stalin once again became increasingly paranoid

• he was threats and plots everywhere

• purges to uncover potential enemies

• members of the military, communist party and national minorities were targetted

• gulag population went from 1.6 million in 1942 to 4.7 million in 1947

what was the effect of the post-war purges on the military?

• 1.5 million soviet prisoners returning from camps were treated as traitors for allowing themselves to be captured

• heroes of war were also victims

• stalin thought the popular and independent minded leaders were a potential threat

• he didn’t want anyone else taking credit for the USSR’s victory

what was the effect of the post-war purges on national minorities?

• terror was used to bring rebels into line

• nationalists in Ukraine and the Baltic states took up arms and fought for independence

• soviet sources reported the red army loosing 20,000 men

• stalin responded with mass deportations

• by 1950 - 300,000 ukranians and 400,000 lithuanians, latvians and estonians

• in estonia, 3% of the population was seized in a week in march 1949

what was the effect of the post-war purges on members of the Leningrad communist party?

• stalin believed that officials in the LCP had become too popular and independent after the war

• he arrested 200 of the LCP’s leading members

• they were accused of crimes like corruption or spying for Britain

• about 2,000 more officials were removed and exiled loosing homes and property

what was the effect of the post-war purges on Jews?

• jews were sacked from positions of responsibility in the government and industry

• jewish schools, newspapers and libraries closed down

• thrown out of universities

• it was made difficult for them to worship

• leading jews were imprisoned and sometimes exiled

what was the effect of the post-war purges on doctors?

• stalin became convinced people were trying to kill him

• in 1953, over 30 top doctors (mostly jews) were arrested on charges of trying to assassinate soviet leaders

• this number grew to hundreds as the investigation spread

how popular was Stalin at the end of his time in power, and why is it difficult to know?

• propaganda encouraged people to see him as a ‘god-like’ figure in the cult of personality

• there was no way of knowing whether he was liked as all methods to find out were banned

• he was probably both respected and feared - many were grateful to him after the war but were also terrified

• after his death, there was criticism but this could be for political reasons

how strong was the soviet union when Stalin died in 1953?

• had started as an isolated country recovering from ww1

• became an economic an military superpower

• along with the USA, they dominated international affairs

what was the impact of Stalin’s period in power on the Soviet union?

• a powerful centrally planned economy was created, prioritising heavy industry

• consumer industries were not developed

• agriculture was dominated by inefficient collective farms

• the state made sure everyone had work

• terror was used to control the population, people lived in fear

• millions imprisoned in the gulag

• many saw him as a god like figure

• huge amounts of power

• traditional values in education

• national groups lost independence

• ordinary people felt apart of the project

• all forms of media strictly controlled

• society unequal, party officials enjoyed priviledges

• peasants suffered from poor living and working conditions

• individual lives did not matter and state allowed millions to die through the famine

• USSR now a world superpower, armed with nuclear weapons and in control of east europe.