• Russia suffered defeats 1941 and 1942 greater than in any way in it’s history…. But were victorious in 1944 and 1945!

• By May 1945, Red Army had planted Red Flag in the centre of Berlin!!!

• Hitler always intended to invade Russia… by mid 1941 – German army well prepared for war V Russia and appeared invincible!!!

• Hitler launched Operation Barbarossa – an all out attack on the Soviet Union.

• Sept 1941 – Operation Typhoon = launched to capture Moscow…. People of Moscow panicked and rioted…. Law and order broke down…

• June 1942 – Operation Blue launched – aimed to capture city of Stalingrad…. (Hitler believed it would deprive Russian war effort of a vital industrial base)…. Plus would be a propaganda victory… it held Stalin’s name!!!!

• Aug 1941 began – 6 month battle of Stalingrad… bloodiest in human history!

• Appalling losses suffered by Russian people in 1941 and 1942 were the result in large part of Stalin’s mismanagement of the Russian military.

1. He refused to believe the precise intelligence from British intelligence about the timing of the attack…

2. Stalin’s purges of the army had significantly weakened the military.

3. Ignored the advice of leading Red army generals

• War planning was chaotic, confused and limited by the purges… telling Stalin what he wanted to hear avoided being purged!!!

COUNTER ATTACK:

• Stalin determined not to lose Moscow, Stalingrad etc… Soviet Slogan ‘not a step back’

OPERATION URANUS

= Soviet Counter Offensive – launched Sept 1942

• Defence of Stalingrad alone cost 1.1 million Red Army lives (800,000 Gers)

• By Feb 1943, Germans driven from Stalingrad

• By Dec 1943 – 2/3s of the German occupied territory had been recaptured.

• By early Jan 1945 – Red army had entered German territory.. Russians sought revenge, numerous counts of rape, murder etc.

• By April 1945, some 4000 Red army tanks, 23,000 artillery, 4000 aeroplanes reached the outskirts of Berlin.

• May 1945 – Germany surrendered to the Western Allies and USSR

• Exact number dead disputed… at least 10% of Russian population died 1941-1945.

• Roughly 20 million Russian citizens died as a result of the conflict

• Including numbers in Gulags/war related injuries – takes it up to 30 million.

• War caused social upheaval –

• Eg 85 million Russians (45% of pop) – under German control for much of the war.

• 20 million Russians fled West at end of war, in order to escape communist repression.

• Some population movements were ordered by Stalin… eg approx 130,000 Kalmyks forced to move… cause of brutal treatment and Siberia’s harsh conditions – 60% of them died the following years.

Working through the war..

• Working conditions poor before war

• In Agr, deteriorated further in war

Eg production of tractors ceased as factories taken over for production of tanks/aircrafts

…. So result = fields plowed by hand.

• Workers expected to work a 7 day week – factory shifts 12 to 18 hours

• Factory workers on top of that expected to work additional night shifts

• First day off in 4 years – was 9 May 1945

• Discipline in factories tightened during war – if 20min late/caught stealing – handed over to military and tried for their crimes.

• Workers who changed jobs without appropriate authorisation faced 5-8 yrs

Women at war• Argued women bore the brunt of war effort• Expected to work in factories and fields

while caring for their families.• Had to cope with continual

hunger/shortages• Women made up majority of workforce

during war• Women often frequently performed tasks

that were usually performed by animals/machines….. Eg ploughs

Family at war• War affected all groups in society• Young people 14-17 generally drafted into ‘labour

reserve schools’ – a form of vocational training in preparation for war work.

• Families disrupted eg Senior party members sent to regional factories/collectives in order to organise production. As worked away from home for a period of time, common for them to start a second family!! At end of War, many desserted their so called family to return home.

• Soviet authorities said the war set back the economy by 10 years

• Western economist argue that WW2 effectively wiped out the economic progress made during the First two Five Year Plans

Production and consumption

• By 1942 Ger forces had gained control of 1/3 of Russia’s industry and Agriculture

• At the same time, Russian labour was being conscripted into the armed forces.

= led to a significant downturn in economic production during the war

• 1942 – Ind producing only 59% of its 1940 output.

• Grain production also affected – production in 1942 = 36% of 1940s

• In spite of tremendous hard work, production still lagged behind pre war.

• Living standards significantly diminished

• Workers sustained by meagre rations while gov too 90% of produce from collectives.

• Places under siege even worse – blockades of supplies… had ‘blockade bread’ – made of sawdust

• Citizens were also sustained by eating birds, rats, their pets and in extreme cases – by resorting to cannibalism.

• June 1941 – Sovnarkom – decreed that workers should destroy or sabotage all industrial equipment that were likely to fall in German hands.

• Estimated ¼ of Russia’s pre-war industrial equipment was destroyed between 1941-1945.

• Overall it is believed that 70,000 villages, 32,000 factories and 65,000 km of railway were destroyed as a result of the war.

IN CONCLUSION:

• Soviet victory May 1945 – represented a heroic achievement for Stalin and Russia

• Many in the west believed that Russia would be overrun by Germans by end of 1942.

• Fact they survived… and were victorious… was miraculous!

• But the miracle came at great cost… Russia, her people, economy… shattered.

• Stalin has pushed his people to the limit.

• Winning – meant Stalin was the master of an emerging super power.

Historian Robert Service said…

That the people for him were mere cogs in the machinery of state, and not individuals. The state took precedence over society.

• Foundations of Russia’s victory in WW2 laid in 1930s (when Russia industrialised)

• SPAM – role in WW2 often overlooked• SPAM – canned meat product (launched

1930s)• ‘without Spam’.. ‘we should not have been

able to feed our army’… Khrushchev, Soviet leader.

• American assistance, particularly the provision of foodstuffs such as SPAM…. Ensured allied victory.

Russia’s war economy

• Soviet prep for WW2 was imperfect… but they entered better prepared than BR of FR…. Cause of Econ progress in first two 5 year plans.

• Soviet economy favourable to Nazi economy

GOSPLAN AT WAR

• Soviet economy used similar methods to fight the war as it had under 5 yr plans.

• Were however some innovations… eg early days of war, Stalin initiated policy of relocating industry to the east in order to stop it falling into enemy’s hands.

• By 1942 – 56% of Russia’s national income was devoted to the war (much higher figure than in Br, Fr, Ger, USA)

• Production of armaments almost doubled 1941-1944 = remarkable achievement considering for the entire period, a great deal of Russian territory and industry was in German hands.

NAZI WAR ECONOMY• In theory had been preparing for war since

1933…. But their economy lacked direction.

• Senior Nazis has lots of competing priorities which hampered the effective preparation for war.

• Mistakes made by Nazi leaders with economy eg Goering… by 1943 – Hitler reckoned that the German economy was 4 years behind schedule.

GERMAN TACTICAL MISTAKES

• At first looked unstoppable…. But as Hitler’s confidence grew, so his ability to guide the war effectively proved to be inadequate……

1. Launching a war against Russia whilst still fighting Britain was over-ambitious

Eg Operation Barbarossa – launched later than anticipated.. Unable to reach Moscow before first snows of winter, unprepared for harsh conditions.

2. Hitler decided to lay seige to Leningrad and Moscow rather than taking them by force….. Prolonged war…. Gave Russian forces time to regroup.

3. Hitler overstretched German army and meant that Hitler was unable to conquer Russia’s capital

The Home front

• Essential factor in Soviet war victory = effective mobilisation of russian people on home front.

• Socialism would not motivate people to fight, therefore Stalin turned to traditional nationalism and Russian Orthodox church to motivate people…… he knew…..

• People were ‘fighting for their homeland, not for the communists’

Great Patriotic War

• People had little reason to fight to preserve Soviet system.

• Stalin did not appeal to Russian people in the name of socialism.. Rather people were called to defend the ‘motherland’

• War was named ‘the great patriotic war’

• Germans seen as foreign enemy rather than an ideological one.

• Stalin’s appeal to patriotism stirred people

• WW2 = shows endurance and resistance of Russian people.

Eg citizens of Leningrad endured a siege for 900 days, but never surrendered in spite of starvation, exhaustion and severe winters.

City was awarded ‘hero city’ by Stalin in recognition of it’s valour.

Turning to the church

• Many looked to the church for guidance

• Since 1917, Communists had been hostile to the church… however this changed with the onset of war.

• Russian Orthodox Church’s most senior figure – granted an official residence in Moscow by Stalin.. He stated Stalin was ‘God’s chosen leader’