War Preparations (to 1941)

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  • Created by: NHow02
  • Created on: 23-03-19 11:14

Effect of Terror (-1941)

Army Purges:

- Nearly 50% of officer corps executed or imprisoned (although a quarter were reinstated in the mid 1940's)

-  90% of generals killed in purges (new comissioned officers were inexperienced)

- pace of the purges slowed down by 1938 after Yezhov and Trotsky were eliminated

- Emergency Decree, 1st December 1934:

     1. Executions were carried out immediately

     2. No defence or prosecution lawyers were allowed at trial

Invasion:

- Russians were told not to provoke the German's as Stalin did not blieve Hitler would attack

- panzers were able to cover 500 miles in 3 weeks (only 60 miles from objectives by mid-July)

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Nazi-Soviet Pact 1939 (-1941)

Strengths:

- two year gap to consolidate economic changes (3rd Five Year Plan (1938-42) focused on rearmament + spending on armaments doubled between 1938-40)

- significant territorial gains in Poland and the Baltic States

Weaknesses:

- Stalin paid Germany promptly in gold and raw materials

- Stalin miscalculated the strength of Germany after fall of France in 1940

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Stalin's Leadership (-1941)

Strengths:

- Stalin learned from his mistakes (allowed General Zhukov more flexibilty and therefore managaged to push the German's back 100 miles in December)

Weaknesses:

- unwillingness to accept he had been outmanoeuvered by Hitler (paranoia meant he didn't believe foreign intelligence of the oncoming invasion)

- Stalin was effectively paralysed for the first 3 weeks of the invasion (Stalin's first public address since the invasion on 3 July 1941)

- refused strategic withdrawal from Kiev, leading to the deaths of 50,000 troops

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