The making of a super power--- the USSR and the world (The Fuhrer & the Vozhd--The Nazi Soviet Pact)

1933: Hitler beciomes Chancellor 

1936-1937: Anti-Comintern Pact  (Italy, Japan & Germany)

Stalin's response:

• Reforming the military
• International espionage (spying)
• Economic preparation

1935:

• Military discipline in the Red Army tightened
• Reintroduces Tsarist system of strict discipline between officers and men
• 1937-1938:
• Red Army extensively purged. Loss of military experience & skill 35,000 killed

Large network of spires: Communist sypathisers (UK, USA, France & German Gov. ) willing to give info

Stalin did not trust information (paranoid) info never analysed

1930's: Russia's intelligence resources focused on the hunt for Trotsky

• Rearmament  essential for 3rd five-year plan
• 1st= 266 million r 2nd= 2,080 million r 3rd= 4,200 million r spent on military
• Purges led to chaos in Gov. departments
• Administrators hed to work from draft. Little detail or organisation
• No agreed budget for military spending

1936:  6 new aircraft & 24 new explosives factory's

1942: X2  as many tanks produced than in 1938

Although during 1936-1919 german production was larger and quicker than Russia, by 1940 Russia were producing more armarment than germany and by 1941 almost double

At least 10% of Russian population died

Estimated 20million citizens died (over 30million including Gulags & war-injury victims)

• Caused social upheaval
• 85million Russian's [48%] under German control
• 20million fled/ escaped communist repression
• Kalmyk's (130,000) removed & replaced by Russian citizens
• 60% of Kalmyk's died from harsh treatment in just 1 year

Poor working conditions 

Agriculture & tractors ceased

Factories turned to tank & plane production

Field's ploughed by hand & workers expected to work 7 days a week 12-18 hours a day

First day off in 4 years was on 9th May 1945

Discipline tightened (20+ mins late or looted, sent to military for punishment)

• Women expected to work in fatories & look after family
• Had to deal with continual shortages & hunger
• Women made majority of work force (Shadrinsk [place in Russia] female pop. 75%)
• Sometimes women yoked to ploughs as no tractors or animals avaliable

Young people 14-17 years drafted to 'Labour Reserve Schools' vocational training for war work

Senior party members (Moscow & Leningrad) sent to collective farms or regional factories

Often started second family as away for years (deserted 2nd family after war)

WW2 sent economy back 10 years (progress destroyed)

Germany gained control of 5% of Russia's industry

Russian labour being conscripted into army

Only 59% in 1942 ogf what production was in 1940

But by 1944 rose to 79%

1942 grain production 36% of what it was in 1940 but improved to 64%

• Living standards significantly diminished
• Gov. took 90% of production by farms
• Lived off 'Blackade Bread' (mostly sawdust)
• Birds, rats, pets & even cannibalism at one oint 
• No electricity

June 1941: Sabotage industrial equipment to stop Germans. ---------1/4 destroyed

Those occupied bt germany 2/3 destroyed

Germans burnt crops to hinder Russia as well as factories & machinery

Blew up bridges & slaughtered cattle 'Scorch earth policy'

Believed 70,000 villages, 32,000 factories & 65,000km railway destroyed by war

Although there was huge carnage and death, and the economy failed, it was a huge victory for those who survived (it was a blessing) and production did survive. 

Due to horrific conditions, it toughened Russians further however, people did become rather fed up with Communism.

Nevertheless, Stalin did become a super power which went from East Asia to Berlin