1941-64, The Stalinist dictatorship and reaction

Operation Barbarossa

June 1941, German attack on the USSR

Where did the Germans attack in Operation Barbarossa?

Leningrad, Moscow and Kiev

How big was Operation Barbarossa?

The largest invasion force in history as 3m soldiers entered the USSR at 3am, with air cover and resources

Was Operation Barbarossa successful?

Initially yes, as soviet forces were in chaos, but they failed to capture Moscow

Why did they fail to capture Moscow?

Due to increased soviet resistance and the onset of winter

Warning signs of invasion: Britain

The British government had warned of an imminent attack

Warning signs of invasion: German forces

There had been a buildup of German forces near the Soviet border

Despite this, how did Stalin react to it?

He was socked and confused, ordering someone to contact Hitler

Battle of Stalingrad

1943, Stalingrad was attacked but the Soviets rebuffed it

What was happening in the war by summer 1943?

The Soviets were driving the Germans back, reaching Berlin in 1945

However, how did Stalin treat many of his officers?

He had purged many in 1937-9, and more in the first few weeks of war due to ‘cowardice’

How did Stalin take action at the start of the war?

He met the Politburo to order that the Luftwaffe be destroyed and forces annihilated

However, who made the public announcements?

Molotov through street loudspeakers, perhaps as Stalin couldn’t bring himself to do it

Stavka

Supreme military command, responsible for all military planning

4 days after the creation of Stavka, what did Stalin do?

He retreated to his country Dacha and wasn’t present in public for 10 days, causing confusion

What did the Politburo create in his absence?

GKO

GKO

State defence committee, civilian body for organisation

How much influence did the GKO have?

It exercised absolute authority over all party, state, military and other organisations

What else did the GKO direct?

The wartime economy

How big was the GKO?

It had only 5 members, but 8 from 1942

Why did Stalin eventually return to Moscow?

He was visited by Politburo members

Once returned, what did Stalin reassume authority over?

Government, Stavka and the GKO

How did this help the wartime effort?

GKO members could now attend Stavka meetings, boosting coordination

What did Stalin assume control over in July?

Overall military command as Supreme War Leader, so he held all political and military authority

What did Stalin appeal to in his rallying speeches?

His people’s patriotic instincts, rather than the threat to socialism

Therefore the people…

Fought for Russia, not Communism

How was this effective?

It took a step towards uniting the nation and those opposed to his policies

How did Stalin demonstrate his ongoing commitment to socialism?

The Red Square parade to commemorate the revolution went ahead in October, despite approaching Germans

Why was the war opening especially disastrous?

Stalin refused to let troops retreat in the name of socialist principle

However, how did he evolve across the war?

He increasingly relinquished war authority to general staff, although leaders who showed incompetence were still removed

Who did Stalin rely on particularly?

Georgi Zhukov

Georgi Zhukov

Civil war veteran who organised the defence of Stalingrad and the final assault on Germany

Were all Russians supportive during the war?

No, so the NKVD continued its vigilance

What had Hitler hoped in the invasion?

That the invasion would spark an anti Stalinist revolt

Despite Hitler’s disappointment, what did German soldiers receive?

A welcome from national minorities, as liberators after the harsh Stalinist regime

What did many in these areas become?

Collaborationists

Russian Liberation Movement

Led by Vlasov in Ukraine, a division of the Waffen-SS

How many soldiers did the Russian Liberation Movement have?

50,000 at its peak

Who else joined Hitler’s ranks?

Over a million, including Cossacks, but as Slavs they could only do lesser jobs

Why did this actually limit the German army?

Their racial prejudice prevented them from capitalising on support

What was Nazi policy in these areas?

To kill 75% of Belorussians and condemn the rest to slavery

What did this produce?

Partisan groups, including ones run by Jews against the Germans

What did winning the war involve for most Soviets?

Pre-war terror tactics for the army and civilians

What was issued when the Germans were approaching Stalingrad in 1942?

Order 227, ‘Not One Step Backwards’

Order 227

Any soldier falling behind or retreating was to be shot on sight

How many died under this order?

More than 150,000

What else were created for ‘cowards’?

Penal battalions who had to do the most dangerous jobs to redeem themselves, e.g. clearing minefields

What else were established to prevent defeat?

’Blocking units’ equipped with weaponry to prevent desertion or retreat

What did Stalin worry about the Empire?

It’s multi national nature was seen as a potential threat to state security

Therefore, what did Stalin act to prevent?

Political disintegration

What did he do to the Volga German autonomous republic?

He dissolved it and sent its people- even party members- to the east

What happened to other ‘suspect’ ethnic groups?

They were deported away from their homelands- around 1.5m in total, including Crimean Tartars

How were these people treated?

Brutally- only 2/3 survived the journey to the east

How had Stalin placated army officers during the war?

He downgraded the role of political commissars in units and brought back special rank badges

What was the point of this?

To incentivise them to win the war

What else did Stalin emphasise for troops?

Political education, so many ended up joining the party

How many people joined the party during the war?

Over 5m candidate members and 3.5m new members

Out of these, how many were from the army and navy?

4m candidate members and 2.5m new members

How many of those in the army were communists?

A quarter by 1945

How had this evolved from 1941?

In 1941, only 15% of army members were affiliated, but in 1945 they made up half of membership

Overall, what did the war strengthen belief in?

The communist system

Although nationalism over socialism was emphasised, what did Stalin declare in 1945?

That the war had shown the superiority and resilience of the socialist system

It was a victory of communism over fascism…

So it was hailed as a vindication of both Stalin and his system

How had Hitler planned to take advantage of Russia’s resources?

He wanted to seize Russian farmland and industry

Did he achieve this vision?

In 1941 German territory occupied 58% of soviet steel and 41% of its arable land

How did the Soviets ensure economic survival?

They planned a wartime economy

Scorched earth policy

Many soldiers and civilians destroyed anything useful to the enemy before retreating back

What happened to some factories?

1523 were transplanted with workers to the east towards the end of 1941

How else was the east useful?

Industrial areas built in 5 year plans were capitalised on, to raise military production

Why was establishing a wartime economy easier for the USSR than for western allies?

They already had a centralised, planned economy

How was the population used?

It was harnessed for war, with rigid labour controls increasing production and allowing quick changes to occur

How did the military share of the budget change?

By the end of 1942, it had risen from 29 to 57% of national expenditure

Within this, what was most spending focused on?

Giant heavy industrial complexes in the Urals

How did industrial output compare to Germany’s in 1943?

It exceeded theirs, and soviet weaponry was of a much higher quality

Examples of soviet weaponry

T-34 tank and Katysusha rocket launcher

What, however, took longer to solve?

Food shortages, as the 1942 grain harvest was a third of that of 1940

How was survival ensured?

Strict rationing and quotas on collective farms

How were incentives still kept?

To maintain morale, peasants were allowed to keep private plots and sell their produce

Who was farm output maintained by?

Women, elder.y men and children

What was the Russian economy helped considerably by?

Foreign aid, although this was never advertised to the people

What was advertised to the people instead?

They were made to believe that their efforts were ignored by the west

What did the UK and USA provide?

Essential war materials lacked by the USSR, like lorries, tyres and telephones

How much in total did the West send to the USSR?

17.5m tonnes of equipment, vehicles, industrial supplies and food

How many vehicles in the USSR had been imported by the end of the war?

65%

What did the announcement of war see in the population?

Recruitment stations flooded with volunteers to fight- 120,000 in Moscow alone

What did some believe about signing up?

That they were following the legacy of the Civil war; others fought for their community, particularly in big cities

What did this serve to do for society?

It reunited it, providing unity lacking in the 30s

What was brought in in December 1941 for workers?

Undrafted men and women aged 16-45 had to devote themselves to the war effort

Which sects of workers did this involve?

White collar workers, pensioners and students

What was the working day increased to?

12 hours

What became the norm for many workers?

Sleeping in their factories

How did discipline return in factories?

Many were under martial law, with sever punishments for lateness or absenteeism

What was unauthorised absence from work seen as?

Desertion, punishable by death

What aided the acceptance of such measures?

The harsh conditions of the 1930s, boosting resilience

How did this extend to the army, and indeed beyond?

If a soldier was in captivity, his family’s military ration cards were confiscated

How did Stalin view the lives of Red Army soldiers?

As expendable in the interests of victory- the average soviet soldier daily death rate was twice that of the allies

What did these male losses impact?

The ability of their families at home to survive

What did the Soviet population suffer from in this era?

Food shortages, as over a quarter of total deaths during the war were by starvation

What were the flaws of the ration system?

It favoured the military, had tiny allowances and was only given to those working

What else where there shortages in?

Housing and fuel, causing health problems