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Summary Key Facts on the Defeat of the Germans
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Key facts on the Defeat of the Germans.
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The defeat of the Germans: reasons and results; post-war reconstruction; industry and agriculture-Stalin wanted to use the Red Army to gain as much control of Europe as he could to prevent any further USSR
attacks with a buffer zone
-The US agreed to allow the USSR to win the ‘race to Berlin’
-At least 20 million Soviet citizens were killed (13% of population)
-Lend-lease was crucial in the balance of overall resources and gave the Red Army vital mobility. As well as this,
USSR’s ‘command economy’, geared towards rapid armaments, out produced Germany
-Siege of Leningrad included reports of cannibalism and lack of electricity at times. Stalin had a policy of fighting for a
living city than a ‘dead’ city’, this contributed to retaining soviet morale
-The USSR was able to raise huge armies despite 10 million deaths in the armed forces
-The USSR’s vast geographical size meant that German supply lines were stretched too far by the end of 1941. It also
meant that the USSR were able to build entire new industrial bases in the Urals in the East, out of Germany’s reach
-The USSR’s huge population size of about 171 million in 1941 was around 3x the size of Germany’s. This meant that
the Soviets could turnover forces in a capacity that Germany couldn’t
-Strong military leadership, with Stalin’s Stavka, became ruthlessly effective. This Strengthened ‘Cult of Stalin’
-Propaganda and patriotism motivated the armed forced and encouraged the citizens endurance. For instance, 4
million people volunteered for citizens’ defence in 1941
-Mass bombing campaigns by the British and Americans inflicted huge damages of Germany’s war effort. As well as
this, Hitler replacing experienced generals with sycophantic ‘yes men’
-Natural resource wealth, such as oil, meant that by 1942, the USSR could out produce German war industries as
they lacked self-sufficiency
-Hitler’s strategy was based upon securing a rapid victory which led to strategic mistakes, such as making a move to
take Kiev rather than Moscow when they had the opportunity. This led to Operation Barbarossa lasting longer than
anticipated, leaving German troops unequipped and unprepared for the harsh Russian winter.-At the start of the
Patriotic war, the Red Army had been devastated by the late 1930’s purges and there was a lack of efficiency and
morale. Most of the army relied upon horse carriages.
-Ukraine was more receptive to German troops and at the start of the war, Germany took up to 300,000 Soviet
prisoners. Luftwaffe domination of air
-The USSR had 20,000 to the 6,000 Nazi tanks. Additionally, the USSR had developed the T24 tank which was more
efficient than the German Panzers.
-Von Kippentrop (German foreign minister) wrote a brief memoir outlining the reasons for Nazi failure, he claimed it
was due to the unexpected ‘power of resistance’ of the Red Army; the vast supply of American weaponry; German
strategic errors
-By the end of the war, the USSR had 2.8 million well-equipped troops and occupation of Eastern Germany and Berlin
-The USSR had become of the 5 permanent members of the UN security council (as opposed to not being allowed in
the League of Nations after WW1)
-25 million people homeless, 1700 towns destroyed, 70,000 villages destroyed. This meant 98,000 collective farms
were ruined and food production was 60% of 1940 level. This led to famine in 1947 which killed 1.5 million, although
this was the last one.
-Industry struggled to adjust to peacetime conditions in 1945 and 1946, mining production, steel and electricity was
running at ½ the 1940 level, transport infrastructure was badly damaged and the sudden ending of Lend-Lease in
1945 meant a shock to the soviet economy. The Post war industrial period reflected a ‘rebound effect’ from long term
disasters
-The Forth Five-Year Plan in 1950 led to industrial recovery where many of the plan's targets were exceeded due to
war reparations (with entire factories being moved from Germany to Russia), central planning and the commitment of
Soviet citizens. As well as this, there was improved production of consumer goods and steady growth in living
standards although there was a housing shortage.
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