The Great Patriotic War - Reasons and Results of Victory
How did the Western Allies help the Russian war effor?
- Mass bombing from the US and Britain inflicted damage on the German war effort, lessening resources for the eastern front - Allied intelligence and code breaking undermined Germany - Military aid
What were the results of victory in terms of post war migration?
12 million refugees, many of their Germans, fled westwards 1944-5, ahead of, or to get away from, the Red Army
How many Soviets were killed during the war?
20 million, although it could be as high as 27 million. 8 million in the armed forces, and 12 million civilians. 1 in 8 of total population
When do the Soviets win the Race to Berlin?
April 1945, as the Americans slow to stop more deaths as they cross Germans
Why was the German war effort weakened in early 1945?
Because of mass bombing from both sides, such as in Dresden in February
What was it likely the Soviet war economy would have failed without?
Economic aid that poured in from Lend Lease
What were the results of victory in terms of the USSR's position in the world?
Established them as a superpower, after previously being seen as a second rate military power, while other countries were comparatively weakened. Became the dominant military power in Europe, and their victory offered socialism as a replacement for fascism
How much could Hitler concentrate on the USSR?
From December 1941 the Germans faced a two front war, so the allies stopped Hitler focusing primarily on the Eastern front
Why was the German economic structure a reason for victory?
Germany was not self sufficient, and 1943-4 saw Germany experience dwindling economic and human resources
What were the results of victory in terms of Stalin's treatment of his own people?
He feared and distrusted his own people, and repressed anyone who had been outside the USSR during the war, sending them to POW camps or using them as unpaid labour in rebuilding Germany.
Why was Stalin's defeat of the Germans at such a fast pace politically motivated?
He wanted to control as much of central and eastern Europe as possible, to create a buffer zone against Germany and the West.
What happened to the German war effort psychologically?
Hitler had not been able to win a quick victory, and the war had turned into the psychological long war the Germans wanted to avoid
What were the results of victory in terms of the cost of victory?
Post war agricultural, industrial and infrastructural reconstruction was desperately needed.
What were the results of victory in terms of threat of insecurity in the USSR?
Stalin anxious about American economic power in Europe. He feared a resurgent Germany. The allies also disagreed over four power occupation of Berlin.
How did German occupation of Europe aid Soviet victory?
The Germans alienated the peoples they occupied, which provoked resistance they had to deal with, and made these people more willing to help the approaching Soviets
Why was the Soviet economic structure a reason for victory?
The Soviet war economy was well suited to total war and mobilization, because of its 'command' structure.
How did the size of the USSR lead to Soviet victory? 3 reasons
The USSR was so large Germany could not strike a decisive final blow Germans frequently had to overstretch lines of communication A whole new industrial base and armies were built in the East, out of reach of the Germans
How did the size of the population of the USSR lead to victory?
The population of the USSR was 171 million in 1941, three times the size of Germany's so they could more easily replace troops
How did the Soviets win the Battle of Berlin?
With Zhukov's tactics that led to exceptionally high losses, on 2nd May with the storming of the Reichstag
What were the results of victory in terms of territorial expansion?
the previously independent Baltic and parts of East Prussia became SSRs. At the end of the war there were 8 million Red Army troops in Eastern Europe.
