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The defeat of the Germans - Coggle Diagram
The defeat of the Germans
reasons for the defeat of the Germans
German weaknesses
Hitler's leadership
he had hoped for a rapid initial victory but had failed to secure this
he made crucial strategic mistakes and got rid of many of his best generals to replace them with yes-men - centralised power only to himself
Germany was not self-sufficient for its own raw materials - had to exploit dwindling natural resources for war productions
Germany was fighting a war on two fronts by 1941
Contribution by the Allies
mass bombings by UK and USA inflicted much damage on Germany and the war effort - weakened resources available for fight on the eastern front
military and economic aid for the USSR from the allies eg. Lend-Lease in 1941
Germany was fighting the Allies on other fronts which prevented Hitler focusing on the front with the USSR, giving them an advantage
Soviet strengths
Stalin's leadership
propaganda to motivate the armed forces and civilians to fight - aided the people's resilience, presented himself as a father figure
key decisions and policies eg. chose to reach out to the Allies for support, delegated power, order 270 - no surrender, you're shot if you retreat, scortched earth policy
decided to remain in Moscow as troops approached in 1941 rather than fleeing - key decision that helped reduce panic
counter - initially he was a poor leader - paralysed defense, very indecisive
command economy
established before the war through the 5 year plans
well-suited to war - easily able to mobilise workers and resources eg. Kyiv tractor stations transformed to produce t34 tanks
geography of the USSR
sheer size of the country meant it was hard for Germany to land a proper blow, German communications were overstretched and USSR could build a new army and industrial base in the East, out of reach of the Germans
USSR had access to vast natural resources eg. natural oil, allowing USSR war industry to out-produce German war industries
size of the population - 171 million in 1941 - USSR could replace losses in man power in a way Germany simply couldn't
results of the victory
established the USSR as a Superpower
other superpowers severely weakened
pressure from the war forced the USSR to build up its military and economic strength
territorial expansions
Baltic States, Estonia, Lithuania and Latvia were incorporated into the USSR as Soviet states
Red Army occupation in Western European countries put them in the position to set up pro-soviet regimes
instability
Stalin feared US interventions in Europe after the war as the US was a great economic power
Four-Power occuptation of Berlin caused many disputes between the Allies
20 million Soviet citizens died - 1 in 8 of the population, 7.5 million in the armed forces, large areas of the country were devastated
post-war reconstruction
industry
industry switched back to civilian economy and away from military production after the war ended
production had dropped during the war - eg. coal dropped from 165.9 million tonnes in 1940 to 149.3 million tonnes in 1945, tractors dropped from 66.2 thousand in 1940 to 14.7 thousand in 1945 (tractor factories converted to produce tanks in the war)
4th 5 year plan introduced by Gosplan
production increased significantly due to the 4th 5 year plan - coal went up to 261.1 million tonnes in 1950 and tractors up to 242.5 thousand in 1950, electricity roughly doubles in this time - exceeded pre-war levels - shows impressive, successful recovery
war reparations (gained much equipment and materials), central planning and the commitment of the soviet people all contributed to the rate of growth
increased production in consumer goods and steady increase in standard of living
isues still faced
still had incredibly high military expenditure - 18% of total in 1950 and 25% of total in 1952 (Cold War)
housing shortage
agriculture
agricultural recovery was much slower for many reasons
labour shortage - 20 million people died in the war
98,000 collective farms lost, 137,000 tractors lost
not Stalin's priority - he prioritised industry
food production was at 60% of 1940 level
25% of harvestable land lost
1946 was a very dry year and caused famine in some areas - 3 million people died
4th 5 year plan brought some increases but failed to meet most of its targets
context of the war
Phase 2 -
Phase 3 -
Phase 1 -