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Flashcards - Russia Themes 3 War and Revolution
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AQA A-level history Russia
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Huge human cost - >27mill Russians killed, w civiliansconstituting 2/3 of the total.
o 1mill died @ the siege of Leningrad
o 1.1mill died @ Stalingrad
o This led to a shortage of labour post WWII.
Impact of War & Revolution
During WWII, many Russians switched sides. Stalin
WWII viewed them as traitors & were treated harshly if they
Social Impact returned.
Deserters were also seen as traitors & shot – 13000
[8] were killed.
When challenged abt Russian troops raping 2mill
women, Stalin brushed it aside as ‘having fun’.
Stalin’s treatment of deserters, non-Russians, & women
increased tension during conferences w the Allies.
a)
Structure of gov – remained stable as Stalin maintained absolute control over the
military & internal affairs, although he did listen to advisers. The Politburo also
remained roughly the same.
Party membership – despite high casualty numbers, membership increased from
3.76mill (1941) to 5.8mill (1945). Much of this was b/c military personnel were
rewarded w party membership.
Impact of War & Revolution The NKVD – v active during WWII in policing prisons & deporting national
minorities.
WWII Ideology – the USSR was already well established by 1939 so they didn’t become
more totalitarian b/c of the war, esp compared to other countries.
b)
a) Political Impact [4] By joining the Big Three / Grand Alliance, Stalin believed he placed the USSR in a v
strong bargaining position.
b) Impact on foreign policy [5] In the Tehran (Nov-Dec 1943) & Yalta (Feb 1945) conferences, Stalin made his
desire for a sphere of influence clear. After WWII was won, the Western powers
complied.
Many in the West viewed the Russian territorial gain as the start of soviet
expansion.
The creation of satellite states resulted in an ‘Iron Curtain’ (TM Churchill).
Issues over Germany (& esp Berlin) created tensions, which were illustrated in the
Berlin Blockade (1948) & the erection of the Berlin Wall.
German shelling, battles, & Stalin’s scorched earth policy damaged
industrial & rural infrastructure (incl factories, dams, etc).
Relocation of industrial enterprises to the Urals, Volga basin, &
Central Asia for protection made organisation inefficient.
Converting factories from munitions production back to their original
function was costly.
Impact of War & Revolution The USSR’s reconstruction programme (a 4th 5yr plan) aimed to
WWII return economic growth to pre-war levels. The plan was achieved
after 3yrs b/c:
Economic Impact o Availability of free labour (4mill prisoners of war)
o Unilateral trade agreements
[11] o Financial aid from the UN, USA (lend-lease), GB, & Sweden.
o Ordinary Russian ppl worked excessively hard.
Problems:
o Many of his ‘gargantuan’ projects failed to produce
economic return (e.g. the Volga-Don Canal).
o Agriculture was neglected, leading to the 1947 famine.
Huge human cost - >27mill Russians killed, w civilians
constituting 2/3 of the total.
o 1mill died @ the siege of Leningrad
o 1.1mill died @ Stalingrad
o This led to a shortage of labour post WWII.
The Impact of Wars & Revolutions
During WWII, many Russians switched sides. Stalin
WWII viewed them as traitors & were treated harshly if they
Social impact returned.
Deserters were also seen as traitors & shot – 13000
[8] were killed.
When challenged abt Russian troops raping 2mill
women, Stalin brushed it aside as ‘having fun’.
Stalin’s treatment of deserters, non-Russians, & women
increased tension during conferences w the Allies.
, Structure of gov – remained stable as Stalin
maintained absolute control over the military &
internal affairs, although he did listen to advisers.
The Politburo also remained roughly the same.
The Impact of Wars & Revolutions Party membership – despite high casualty numbers,
membership increased from 3.76mill (1941) to
WWII
5.8mill (1945). Much of this was b/c military
Political impact personnel were rewarded w party membership.
[4] The NKVD – v active during WWII in policing prisons
& deporting national minorities.
Ideology – the USSR was already well established by
1939 so they didn’t become more totalitarian b/c of
the war, esp compared to other countries.
a)
1933 - Hitler’s accension to power – the Treaty of Berlin was renewed so
German-Russian diplomatic relations continued, despite there being a conflict
in ideologies.
Aug 1939 – Nazi Soviet Pact – Russia & Germany agreed to stay neutral if
either was the victim of ‘belligerent action by a 3rd power’.
Molotov & von Ribbentrop signed a secret agreement that placed Lithuania,
The Impact of Wars & Revolutions
west Poland, & Latvia under USSR influence.
1 Sep 1939 – Germany invaded Poland, leading to Britain & France declaring
WWII b)
war. WWII had started.
a) Origins [4] Jul 41 – in response to Operation Barbarossa (German invasion of Russia),
Stalin ordered a scorched earth policy. This failed to stop the German
b) Key events [4]
advance.
Oct 41 – the main attack on Moscow was launched but German forces
struggled to cope w the severe winter.
Aug 42 – the Battle of Stalingrad began. By Feb 43, German forces at
Stalingrad had surrendered. Even so, there were 1.1 mill soviet casualties & ½
mill deaths.
Jun 44 – the full Russian counter-offensive was launched, with Russian forces
capturing Warsaw, Vienna, and eventually Berlin (May 45).
German shelling, battles, & Stalin’s scorched earth policy damaged
industrial & rural infrastructure (incl factories, dams, etc).
Relocation of industrial enterprises to the Urals, Volga basin, &
Central Asia for protection made organisation inefficient.
Converting factories from munitions production back to their original
function was costly.
The Impact of Wars & Revolutions The USSR’s reconstruction programme (a 4th 5yr plan) aimed to
WWII return economic growth to pre-war levels. The plan was achieved
after 3yrs b/c:
Economic impact o Availability of free labour (4mill prisoners of war)
o Unilateral trade agreements
[11] o Financial aid from the UN, USA (lend-lease), GB, & Sweden.
o Ordinary Russian ppl worked excessively hard.
Problems:
o Many of his ‘gargantuan’ projects failed to produce
economic return (e.g. the Volga-Don Canal).
Agriculture was neglected, leading to the 1947 famine.
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