STALIN’S RUSSIA & OPERATION BARBAROSSA

Section 7:

Communism (Bolshevism)

Political ideology of Russia Created by Karl Marx True definition: “The idea of a free society

with no division or alienation, where mankind is free from oppression and scarcity. A communist society would have no governments, countries, or class divisions.”

Becomes mainstream in 1917 after the Russian Revolution

Leader: Vladimir Lenin

Joseph Stalin

Born Josif Djugashvili “Stalin” was a nickname that meant “steel” Learns to read and write while studying in

a Catholic monastery Gets into trouble and is banished to Siberia

(northern Russia) but he returns in time to help with the Communist Revolution

Becomes Secretary General of Bolshevik Party under Lenin, but splits with him shortly before his death

Stalin Takes Over

Becomes party leader after Lenin’s death in 1924

Becomes infamous for going through great lengths to eliminate his enemies

Becomes the most powerful and feared person in world history

Stalin Becomes Soviet Premiere Serves from 1925-1953 Wins power struggle over opponent

Leon Trotsky Becomes a paranoiac (severe paranoia) Murders millions during the Great

Purge of 1937-1938 Brings Russia into the industrial age The total cost of his policies in human

lives up until 1937: 22 million

The Five-Year Plans

Stalin would create a series of five-year plans throughout his reign, each having its own goal of achieving something

Example: First plan (1928-1933): Strengthen the

economy by establishing different social classes and eliminating the farming class known as “kulaks” Millions of farmers were brutally murdered

during this time period, as well as any political enemies. Others were terrorized, tortured, and sent to labor camps

Gulags

Labor camps very similar to Nazi concentration camps set up all over Russia

Starved and worked prisoners to death Quote on sanitary conditions:

“Among the prisoners there are some so ragged and lice ridden that they pose a sanitary danger to the rest. These prisoners have deteriorated to the point of losing any resemblance to human beings. Lacking food . . . they collect refuse and, according to some prisoners, eat rats and dogs.”

Leon Trotsky

Political opponent of Stalin 1929: Fled to Turkey and later Mexico to escape Stalin Stalin was so paranoid that he was plotting against him,

that he ordered Trotsky assassinated in 1940…11 years after he left

Murdered by undercover secret police agent Ramon Mercader with an ice pick at his home office

Mercader’s quote: “I laid my raincoat on the table in such a way as to be able to

remove the ice axe which was in the pocket. I decided not to miss the wonderful opportunity that presented itself. The moment Trotsky began reading the article, he gave me my chance; I took out the ice axe from the raincoat, gripped it in my hand and, with my eyes closed, dealt him a terrible blow on the head.”

Stalin’s Secret Police

“People’s Ministry of Internal Affairs” created in 1934

Abbreviated NKVD Secret Police Force of Stalin

Can be compared to Hitler’s Gestapo Specialized in murder, kidnapping,

assassinations, executions, and interrogation

The Great Purge (1937-1938) 400,000 Communist Party members

arrested and put on trial for disloyalty Called the “Moscow Trials”– those arrested

did not stand a chance of being found Not Guilty

Purge of the Army: 3 of 5 field marshals, 13 of 15 army

commanders, 8 of 9 navy admirals, 50 of 57 corps commanders, 154 out of 186 division commanders, and all the army commissars

376,000 people murdered in 1938 alone

Results of Stalin’s Reforms Collectivization:

Private and individual farms “collected” to work to serve the Government as one

Establishment of Gulags for forced labor to build infrastructure (roads, highways, train tracks, etc)

All those who opposed Stalin have been, or will be, killed

OPERATION BARBAROSSA

Before the Invasion

Russo-Finnish War, fought between Russia and Finland

Known as the “Winter War” because it lasted only one winter (Nov. 1939- March. 1940)

Russia invades Finland with more than 900,000 soldiers, while Finland has only 350,000

Stalin wanted to expand Russia’s territories

Result

An embarrassing defeat for Russia Suffers 323,000 casualties while Finland

has only 70,000 The Russian Army, though mighty in

strength, is now viewed as incompetent by Hitler He seizes the moment and plans an

invasion of Russia

Pre-Invasion Plans

Jan.- Mar. 1941: Germany brings Hungary, Bulgaria, and Romania into the Tri-Partite Pact, which makes them members of the Axis Powers

Mar.- May 1941: Air war and bombing over Britain is phased down

Apr.- May 1941: Germany invades Yugoslavia and Greece to create a foothold in the south along the Balkan Mountains -This delays the attack for several weeks.

Invasion begins in June 1941

The Operation

Finland joins Germany for the attack Phase 1:

Invasion broken down into three drives: Northern drive: would push toward

Leningrad (present-day St. Petersburg) Central drive: would push toward Minsk, a

key railroad center of Russia Southern drive: would push toward Brody

Early success

The Germans had defeated the Russians in each of the three drives, but it also moved them deeper into Russia and farther away from their supply lines and their main objective, which was to take Moscow

Delays further attacks by 11 weeks Battles of Smolensk, Kiev, and

Leningrad Became sieges that turned into victories,

but still delayed a push toward Moscow

Directive 33

Postpones drive on Moscow and moves Panzer forces from the central drive to aid the northern and southern drives

Germany is only 220 miles from Moscow at the time of the shift

German generals are puzzled by the order

Operation Typhoon

The plan to capture Moscow by a double-envelopment

Begins in September of 1941 (What’s wrong with this?)

Results

The October rains come and the mud becomes so bad it stops the Germans in their tracks

Then came the bitter Russian winter for which the German military was unprepared

Defeated at the Battle of Moscow by Russian General Georgy Zhukov who stops the attack and saves Moscow

Reasons for Failure

Germany cannot adapt to Russia’s poor system of roads and narrow bridges

Russian weather Russian equipment and supply lines

are superior German army would suffer 1,000,000

casualties in the Operation. 95% of all German casualties in the

entire war were suffered fighting battles in Russia

History Repeats Itself

German Generals made comparisons to Napoleon’s defeat: “They remembered what happened to

Napoleon's Army. Most of them began to re-read Caulaincourt's grim account of 1812. That had a weighty influence at this critical time in 1941. I can still see Gen. Von Kluge trudging through the mud from his sleeping quarters to his office and standing before the map with Caulaincourt's book in his hand.”- Gen. Blumentritt