STALIN’S CONTROL & REPRESSION DURING WAR

What title was Stalin accorded during the war?

He was the all-powerful leader – the Vozhd – and accorded the title ‘Generalissimo’.

What measures were in line with Stalin's determination to eliminate 'fifth column' activity?

The measures were all in line with the way Stalin dealt with huge categories of Soviet citizens in the terror before the war and his determination to take pre-emptive steps to eliminate any ‘fifth column’ activity.

What happened to people in territory taken as a result of the Nazi-Soviet Pact in 1939–40?

1.5 million people were uprooted and deported to the gulags and exile villages in Kazakhstan and Siberia because they were considered potentially hostile.

What happened in April 1940 in territory taken as a result of the Nazi-Soviet Pact?

In April 1940 more than 20,000 officers, police and members of the Polish elite were shot and buried in mass pits at Katyn and elsewhere.

Why did Stalin carry out mass arrests and deportations in the newly acquired territories?

Stalin was determined to hold on to the territory and eliminated any potential opposition in advance.

What happened to the Volga Germans in 1941?

The Volga Germans were deported in 1941 – although there were no grounds for regarding them as Nazi spies. Settled for centuries and thoroughly Russified in their allegiance, the 600,000 people even included the families of men serving in the Red Army.

What was used as a pretext to punish entire nations in 1943 and 1944?

Exaggerated reports that some members of the population had collaborated with the Germans were used as a pretext to punish entire nations.