Stalin, Political Authority + Opposition

• Nazi Germany invaded the Soviet Union on 22 June 1941. Stalin was taken by surprise.
• Stalin's government were unprepared for war because many senior officers were purged in the 1930s.
• 1,200 Soviet aircrafts were destroyed in the first 24 hours of the war.
• A million Russian troops were killed after 3 weeks of war. 20 million people were living under German rule.
• The danger posed to Stalin's regime was that it might collapse in defeat. The fear was that it would mirror the fall of Tsarism.
• The Soviet Union was ruthless once it was roused to war because it was a highly centralised regime.
• An advantage of Stalin's regime in wartime was that it was a highly effective government. The State Defence Committee conducted the war.
• Stalin was in charge of military command. He left generals alone to sort out military campaigns.
• Stalin addressed "brothers and sisters" in his first wartime speech. Stalin appealed to the "motherland".
• Stalin appeal to Russian nationalism over loyalty. The war became known as the "Great Patriotic War" in Russia.
• Hitler hoped that non-Russian national minorities would rise up against Stalin's regime. Ukrainians and Baltics were 2 examples.
• Thousands of national minorities collaborated with German forces after suffering. Stalin responded to this by transferring a million minority people out of fear of disloyalty.
• Ukrainians, Germans and Chechens were national minorities that Stalin transferred East.
• The Stalinist procedure of purges continued in wartime. Terror was also exploited in wartime.
• Stalin ordered that deserters and "cowards" were to be shot after Stalingrad was on the verge of defeat in 1942. 13,000 people died as a result of these "crimes".
• Prisoners of war came under suspicion for "crimes" in 1945. They were feared to be disloyal because they had become tainted by Western values in captivity.
• Many prisoners of war were transferred to Soviet labour camps.
• Stalin addressed the grievances of army officers by reducing the role of political commissars attached to army units. He restored the special badges of rank.
• Vast numbers of the armed forces were encouraged the join the Communist Party. Half the members were from the army or navy by the end of the war.
• Nationalism was emphasised in wartime propaganda. Stalin claimed Russia's victory in war was a victory for communism over fascism.
• The idea of a "People's war" was played down. The "Great Patriotic War" was hailed as a victory.
• D. Volkogonov stated that Stalin "ruled like an absolute monarch" during wartime.