Russia: The Impact of WWII Flashcards
Operation Barbarossa
22 June 1941
Why did the germans launch Barbarossa?
Because at the time it seemed to be a solid tactical strategy.
How much of the Russian population did the Germans control in 1941?
40%
How many soviet soldiers died by nov 1941
3 million
How did the USSR Survive the initial German successes?
The patriotism of the Russian people
General Zhukov
Russian Winter
German Mistakes
Hitler was leading the army
Attacked Russian people
Unable to replace lost tanks and supplies
Unprepared for Russian winter
Soviet Strengths
Reorganisation of the soviet army modernisation of soviet military equipment Help from the USA + UK Stalin's leadership (General Zhukov) Soviet armaments production
Battle of Stalingrad
November 1942- February 1943
How many soviet troop vs nazi troops at Stalingrad
500,000 vs 200,000
How many Russians did the war kill?
20 million 10% of pre war population
Scorched Earth Policy
To stop the germans gaining anything in their advance, the Russians razed the land in their retreat.
How many homes were demolished in the war?
4.7 million. 25 million were left homeless.
4th Five Year Plan
1946
Emphasis on heavy industry and transport system.
As much was being produced in 1950 as was in 1950 (it worked)
How did people’s lives change after the war?
Stalin didn’t want people drawing comparisons to the west.
Weren’t allowed to marry foreigners
Soldiers couldn’t talk about what they had seen
Propaganda talked of terrible conditions in the west
Russian things were glorified.
When was the Leningrad Soviet Purged?
1948
