Soviet Union (USSR)

Background

• Communist State: Led by Joseph Stalin (dictator since mid-1920s).

• Industrialization & Purges:
  

  • Stalin’s Five-Year Plans rapidly built industry but caused famine and suffering.

  • Great Purges weakened the Red Army by removing experienced officers.

• Pre-War Diplomacy:
  

  • 1939: Nazi-Soviet Non-Aggression Pact (Molotov-Ribbentrop Pact).

  • Secret protocol divided Eastern Europe into spheres of influence.

  • USSR occupied eastern Poland, Baltic States, and parts of Finland.

USSR in WWII

• Operation Barbarossa (June 1941):
  

  • Hitler invaded USSR, breaking the pact.

  • Initial German advances captured huge territory, besieged Leningrad, and reached Moscow.

• Scorched Earth Policy: Soviets destroyed resources as they retreated.

• Turning Point Battles:
  

  • Battle of Moscow (1941): First major German setback.

  • Stalingrad (1942–1943): Brutal urban battle; Soviet victory marked turning point on Eastern Front.

  • Kursk (1943): Largest tank battle in history; Soviet victory pushed Germans back.

Contribution to Allied Victory

• Eastern Front: USSR bore the brunt of the fighting against Germany.
  

  • Estimated 27 million Soviet deaths (military and civilian).

  • Inflicted majority of German military casualties in the war.

• Soviet Advance (1944–1945):
  

  • Pushed westward, liberating Eastern Europe.

  • Captured Berlin in April–May 1945.

Home Front

• Mobilization: Massive relocation of factories east of the Urals to keep production safe.

• Women in War: Served as snipers, pilots (“Night Witches”), and factory workers.

• Propaganda: Emphasized defense of “Mother Russia” and patriotic duty.

Legacy

• Victory: USSR emerged as a global superpower alongside the U.S.

• Division of Europe: Red Army occupation of Eastern Europe set stage for the Cold War.

• Human Cost: USSR suffered the heaviest casualties of any nation in WWII.