RUSSIA
in World War II
By: Phil, Jason, Andrew, Matt
Leader: Joseph Stalin
Member of Communist party
Ruled with Totalitarian dictatorship
Made church an instrument of the State
Purged officer corps of the Red Army as a result of paranoia
Made several bad decisions in the early war, but came out with a win in the end
Motivations for War
Germany invades June 22, 1941
Red Army fights back and invades Germany April 1945
Stalin suspects that the land occupied by Western Allies during the war will be given
back
He wants to capture as much land as possible
Geography
Germany invades almost to Moscow before the harsh Russian winter slows the
advance enough for the Red Army to stop it
In the later stages of the war, Russia pushes the Germans back to Berlin
Impact of WWII
KIA/MIA: 7,600,000
POW: 5,200,000
POW that died in captivity: 2,600,000
Total Dead: 10,600,000
Led to the Cold War
Timeline
1939
Soviet and Mongolian troops defeat the Japanese at Nomonhan after the Japanese
encroach on Soviet territory by expanding northward in China.
Adolf Hitler and Joseph Stalin sign the Nazi-Soviet nonaggression pact,
dividing Poland between Germany and the Soviet Union and securing a temporary
peace for the Soviets. The pact also places the Baltic states in the Soviet
sphere of influence.
The Russo-Finnish War begins on November 30, 1939, an immediate result of the
Nazi-Soviet nonaggression pact.
On December 14, the Soviet Union is expelled from the League of Nations because
of its aggression against Finland. The Russo-Finnish War also reveals numerous
defects in the Soviet military system that are to become an important argument
for Nazi Party leaders in making the decision to implement Operation
Barbarossa.
1940
The Russo-Finnish War ends on March 12, and the Soviet Union sets up a puppet
government in Finland.
The Soviet Union occupies Estonia, Latvia, and Lithuania.
Leon Trotsky is attacked in Mexico by a Stalinist agent on August 20, 1940 and
dies the following day.
1941
Aware that a German invasion of the Soviet Union is imminent, Nazi leader
Rudolph Hess travels alone to Scotland on a peace mission on May 10. Hess
demands German autonomy in Europe in exchange for respect for the solidarity of
the British Empire. Adolf Hitler believes Hess is insane and quickly disowns
him.
Operation Barbarossa begins on June 22, and Soviet foreign minister Viacheslav
Molotov delivers his speech on the German invasion of the Soviet Union.
British and Soviet forces invade Iran in order to undermine the neutrality of
Reza Khan and bring the country's resources and transport infrastructure into
the allied war effort. Reza Khan is deposed as shah of Iran, and his son, Shah
Mohammad Reza Pahlavi, assumes leadership on September 17.
1942
The German Sixth Army, under Gen. Friedrich von Paulus, and a panzer division
begin the Battle of Stalingrad by attacking the city on August 19.
Aleksander Vasilevskii begins a Russian counterattack at Stalingrad on November
19.
In December, Enrico Fermi produces a controlled nuclear chain reaction using
plutonium at the University of Chicago. Fermi's findings prove that a nuclear
weapon is possible.
1943
German general Friedrich von Paulus surrenders to the Soviets on January 30.
The Battle of Kursk begins on July 5. The Battle of Kursk is the largest tank
battle in history and is considered the decisive turning point of the war on
the Eastern Front. The German defeat marks the first time a German summer
offensive is stopped. The Soviets subsequently occupy Romania and Bulgaria but
are unable to operate on the strategic offensive for the rest of the war.
The Tehran Conference is held between November 28 and December 1. The first
meeting held between major Allied leaders during World War II leads to little
political agreement and no solutions but discusses war policy and the future
division of Europe by the Allies. The Allies agree on an invasion of Europe
from the west.
1944
The Soviet Union captures Crimea, Minsk, and Brest-Litovsk.
On December 16, Germany launches a counteroffensive against advancing Allied
troops on the Belgian-German border. The 10-day battle, known as the Battle of
the Bulge, results in a major defeat for the German Army, opening the door for
an invasion of Germany.
1945
The leaders of Great Britain, the Soviet Union, and the United States meet to
decide the fate of postwar Germany and resolve various other issues at the
Yalta Conference from February 4 to 11. The compromises fail to completely
satisfy any of the participants but lead to the Allied occupation of Germany,
the establishment of the United Nations, and the rise of the iron curtain.
The Soviets invade Czechoslovakia and Hungary.
The Soviets take Vienna and rendezvous with U.S. forces at the Elbe River.
Karl Renner is picked by Joseph Stalin on April 27 to lead the provisional
government of Austria.
The remaining German forces surrender unconditionally to the Allies on May 8,
and the Allies occupy Germany and Austria.
Truman, Winston Churchill, and Joseph Stalin meet in the Potsdam Conference
from July 17 to August 2, the final wartime conference between the Allies.
Churchill is replaced on July 28 by newly elected prime minister Clement
Attlee, and the Potsdam Conference Agreement leads to the cold war spheres of
influence and the division of Germany.
On August 6, American B-29 bomber the Enola Gay drops an atomic bomb on
Hiroshima, Japan. The Hiroshima bombing brings World War II to an end and
signifies the dawn of the nuclear age.
On August 8, representatives from Great Britain, France, the United States, and
the Soviet Union sign the London Agreement, establishing the International
Military Tribunal to try those suspected of war crimes during World War II. The
agreement leads to the Nuremberg Trials of 1945-1946.