defeat of germans

• By the end of 1944, the tide of war had turned decisively against Germany. The Red Army had overrun much of East Central Europe and millions of refugees were fleeing to the west
• Victory over Germany was a huge Soviet achievement, but the rewards of victory did not come quickly or painlessly. Abroad, relations with the Western Allies were difficult. Within the USSR, more sacrifices were demanded of the people to carry through post-war reconstruction
• The Germans fought to the bitter end, partly because the Allies insisted on an unconditional surrender. This slowed the Red Army's advance but could not stop it
• By early 1945, the USSR had a huge superiority in men, weapons and war production
• Stalin wanted the Red Army to gain control of as much of Central Europe and Germany as possible by the end of the war and was willing to accept huge casualty rates in the Red Army in order to advance westwards as fast as possible
• US General Eisenhower agreed to slow the Allies' advance into Germany from the west to allow the USSR to win the race to Berlin'. This was partly to reduce Allied casualties and partly to prevent a confrontation with Soviet forces
• In April 1945, the Red Army reached Berlin. The final battle for Berlin saw huge losses on both sides (80,000 Soviets and 150,000 German). This was partly because Stalin insisted on speed rather than careful planning
• Germany surrendered unconditionally to the USSR on 9 May 1945. Hitler had committed suicide on 30 April, and the Red Army won the final battle for Berlin on 2 May 1945
• Reasons for the defeat of the Germans


  • German weaknesses
  • Soviet strengths
  • The contribution by the Allies
• The USSR became a superpower as a result of its victory in the Great Patriotic War
• USSR

  • Three times the size of Germany
  • Could replace losses in a way that was impossible for the Germans
• Natural resource wealth (such as oil)


  • From 1942 the USSR could out-produce German war industries
• Soviet 'command economy'


  • Well-suited to total war and the emergency mobilisation of workers and resources
• Military leadership


  • After a bad start, Stalin's Stavka (military command) became ruthlessly effective
• Propaganda and patriotism


  • Motivated the armed forces and civilians to fight and endure - 4 million people volunteered for citizens' defence in 1941
• Post-war reconstruction: industry


  1. Stalin promised in 1945 that the USSR would be the world's leading industrial power by 1960

  2. Gosplan worked on a fourth Five Year Plan in 1945, launching it in March 1946

  3. Reconstruction of Ukraine was a particular focus, as it was an important industrial and agricultural region that had been devastated by the war
• Soviet industry faced major problems in adjusting back to peacetime conditions


  • In 1945, mining production, electricity generation and steel production were around half of 1940 levels
  • The transport infrastructure was badly disrupted
  • The workforce was exhausted and depleted by wartime sacrifices
  • The end of foreign aid added significantly to pressures on industry
  • A high investment in military production (25 per cent of total expenditure by 1952) as a result of the Cold War meant less investment in other areas
• Industrial recovery under the fourth Five Year Plan was rapid and successful:

  • targets were met or exceeded - more steel, coal, oil, cement and electricity in 1950 compared to 1940
  • 1950 Ukrainian industrial output higher than pre-war
  • improved production of consumer goods - 1950 cotton and wool fabrics and sugar
  • by 1948, incomes were back to 1938 levels
• Reasons for the rapid recovery


  • War reparations transferred masses of material from Germany to the USSR
  • The people were proud of the USSR's victory and willing to make further sacrifices
  • Central planning was able to enforce the mass mobilisation of people and resources
  • A rebound effect - recovery from a low base enabled rapid rebuilding of essential services
• Post-war reconstruction: agriculture


  1. Large numbers of farms had been destroyed in the war

  2. 196,000 collective farms were ruined according to official statistics

  3. Large quantities of farm machinery had been destroyed and livestock numbers were also seriously depleted

  4. Food production in 1945 was at 60 per cent of 1940 levels

  5. Deaths and injuries from the war meant a major shortage of farming labour

  6. 1946 was also the driest year since 1891, and famine hit parts of Ukraine and central Russia in 1946-47, killing an estimated 1.5 million people
• While other parts of the economy recovered quickly, agriculture's recovery was slow and patchy:

  • fourth FYP failed to reach most targets
  • 1946-47 famine
  • Stalin's writings on Soviet economy (Economic Problems of Socialism in USSR) blocked agricultural reform - low payments for farm products, increased taxes, 1948 ban on selling kolkhoznik-grown food
• why did Stalin want to gain as much control in Central Europe and Germany?


  he wanted a buffer zone against any future threats to the USSR
• Reasons for German defeat - German weaknesses

  • Hitler's strategy was based on securing a rapid victory - this failed
  • December 1941, they fought a two-front war - Germany lacked self-sufficiency in raw materials.
  • 1943-44, resources became a problem.
  • Hitler made crucial strategic mistakes - replaced experienced generals with 'yes men', harsh German repression in occupied countries increased resistance movements and partisans
• Reasons for German defeat - Soviet Strengths

  • vast geographical and population size - 171 million in 1941, three times the size of Germany's,
  • natural resource wealth - oil
  • command economy
  • military leadership
  • propaganda and patriotism motivated the armed forces and civilians to fight and endure
• Reasons for German defeat - Contribution by Allies

  • Stalin's allies meant Hitler was fighting on two fronts.
  • 1943 mass bombing campaigns by the British and Americans inflicted huge damage on Germany's war effort.
  • allied secret intelligence, gained by code-breaking, undermined Germany's war effort at crucial times.
  • enormous amounts of vital military and economic aid poured into the USSR - US Lend-Lease scheme