From the May 2021 IBDP History Paper 3 Exam
The Great Patriotic War, the term commonly used in Russia to describe the period of conflict from 1941 to 1945 during World War II, constitutes a significant chapter in the Soviet Union's history. Its ramifications, both economic and political, were far-reaching, and the Soviet Union emerged profoundly transformed. The war played an instrumental role in reshaping the nation's political landscape, solidifying Joseph Stalin's authoritarian rule and reinforcing the centrality of the Communist Party. Economically, the war wrought devastation and imposed a severe strain on the Soviet Union's resources, yet it also spurred a degree of industrialisation and fostered the development of a massive war economy. The following discussion examines these impacts, evaluating the various arguments and perspectives surrounding this pivotal event in Soviet history.
The political impact of the Great Patriotic War on the Soviet Union was substantial. The initial German invasion in 1941 shook the Soviet Union and exposed the inefficiencies and shortcomings of its military. The perception of Joseph Stalin, the nation's leader, underwent a significant transformation as the war progressed. Stalin initially lost some public and political support due to the failures of the early part of the war. However, as Sheila Fitzpatrick noted, the victories on the Eastern Front and eventual triumph in 1945 drastically increased his popularity, legitimising his autocratic rule further. Stalin seized the narrative of the victorious war leader and manipulated it effectively to strengthen his grip on power. The war also affected the Soviet Union's governing structure. The Communist Party's role became more pronounced during the war years. As Evan Mawdsley argues, the Party emerged as the glue holding the nation together in the face of immense hardship. He sees the war as a turning point, solidifying the Communist Party's centrality in the Soviet political structure.
The economic implications of the Great Patriotic War for the Soviet Union were severe. The initial German invasion wrought widespread devastation, affecting a substantial portion of the country's productive capacity. As Mark Harrison highlights, the economic destruction was immense, with a loss of about a third of the nation's wealth. However, the war also had some paradoxically beneficial impacts on the Soviet economy. To counter the German invasion, the Soviet Union implemented a total war economy, significantly increasing industrial production. Harrison argues that this transition to a total war economy played a crucial role in increasing the Soviet Union's industrial capabilities. The mobilisation of resources for the war effort was a colossal undertaking. The Soviet Union moved entire factories and their workers eastwards, away from the war zone, where they continued producing war material. This move, as pointed out by R.W. Davies, demonstrated the nation's capacity to implement large-scale economic change rapidly. Despite the severe economic toll, the war also had some long-term positive effects on the Soviet economy. It fostered a spirit of innovation and pragmatism, as the constraints imposed by the war necessitated inventiveness in resource utilisation. Davies suggests that the war was a catalyst for technological progress in the Soviet Union.
The Great Patriotic War was an epochal event for the Soviet Union, shaping its political and economic future. Politically, it facilitated Joseph Stalin's consolidation of power and reaffirmed the Communist Party's centrality in the Soviet governance structure. Economically, the war caused immense destruction, yet also catalysed industrialisation and fostered innovation. The war was a tragedy for the Soviet Union, with millions of lives lost and widespread devastation. Yet, it also represented a crucible in which the future Soviet Union was forged. Examining the political and economic impacts of the Great Patriotic War, there are clear connections between the events of 1941-1945 and the subsequent development of the Soviet Union. The war served to solidify the power structure and galvanise the population, albeit at a tremendous cost. Economically, the need for survival forced an acceleration in industrialisation and a forced pragmatism in resource use. These lasting impacts highlight the pivotal role of the Great Patriotic War in the Soviet Union's history, leaving an indelible imprint on the nation's trajectory.
EXAMPLE 2:
The Great Patriotic War commenced on June 22, 1941, with Operation Barbarossa, during which German forces advanced 1,200 kilometres into Soviet territory within six months, capturing Minsk on June 28, 1941, and encircling 300,000 Red Army troops at Kiev by September 26, 1941. Stalin addressed the nation via radio on July 3, 1941, appealing for a scorched-earth policy that destroyed 1,200 industrial enterprises and 20,000 kilometres of railway track in the western regions by November 1941. The State Defence Committee, formed on June 30, 1941, under Stalin’s chairmanship, centralised authority, issuing 2,500 decrees by December 1941 that relocated 1,523 factories eastward, including the Kharkov Tractor Plant moved to Chelyabinsk between August 1941 and October 1941. Evacuation trains transported 10,000,000 civilians and 2,500,000 tonnes of equipment across the Urals by March 1942. Lend-Lease aid began arriving in Archangel on August 31, 1941, delivering 360,000 tonnes of supplies by December 1941, including 1,500 aircraft and 2,000 tanks. The Moscow counter-offensive launched on December 5, 1941, pushed German lines back 250 kilometres, recapturing Kalinin on December 16, 1941. Industrial output fell to 52 percent of 1940 levels by December 1941, with steel production dropping from 18,300,000 tonnes in 1940 to 8,100,000 tonnes in 1941. Grain harvests declined from 95,600,000 tonnes in 1940 to 55,900,000 tonnes in 1941, necessitating rationing introduced in Moscow on July 18, 1941, limiting workers to 600 grammes of bread daily. The NKVD executed 1,200 alleged saboteurs in Leningrad between July 1941 and September 1941. Partisan detachments numbered 90,000 fighters by January 1942, destroying 1,800 German supply trains in Byelorussia during 1942. The Stalingrad encirclement completed on November 23, 1942, trapped 250,000 Axis troops, with 91,000 surrendering on February 2, 1943. Tank production at the Uralmash factory reached 1,200 T-34 units monthly by June 1942. The Kursk salient battle from July 5, 1943, to August 23, 1943, consumed 6,000 German tanks, enabling the Red Army to advance 500 kilometres westward by October 1943. Women constituted 800,000 industrial workers in the Urals by 1943, operating 12-hour shifts under Decree 874 issued on April 13, 1942. Coal output from the Donbass fell to 4,100,000 tonnes in 1942 from 60,000,000 tonnes in 1940, compensated by Kuzbass mines yielding 23,000,000 tonnes in 1943. The Leningrad blockade, lasting 872 days until January 27, 1944, caused 1,000,000 civilian deaths, with 1,500 grammes of bread distributed daily via the Road of Life across Lake Ladoga from November 1941. The Yalta Conference from February 4, 1945, to February 11, 1945, secured Soviet influence in Eastern Europe, whilst the Potsdam Conference from July 17, 1945, to August 2, 1945, confirmed reparations of 10,000,000,000 dollars from Germany. Soviet casualties totalled 8,700,000 military deaths and 18,000,000 civilian deaths by May 9, 1945. The war accelerated collectivisation, with 250,000 new collective farms established in liberated territories by 1944. Currency reform on December 14, 1947, exchanged old roubles at 10:1 ratio, stabilising inflation that reached 300 percent in 1943. The Fourth Five-Year Plan from 1946 to 1950 targeted 48 percent industrial growth, achieving 60 percent by 1950 through 3,000 reconstructed enterprises. Heath examines the demographic shift, noting 26,600,000 total losses reduced the workforce by 15 percent in 1945.
Political consolidation under the Communist Party intensified during the Great Patriotic War, with membership rising from 3,900,000 in 1941 to 5,800,000 by 1945, incorporating 1,200,000 new recruits from frontline units between 1942 and 1944. The Supreme Soviet convened only twice annually after 1941, delegating authority to the Presidium that issued 1,800 ukases by 1945. Stalin’s Order 227 on July 28, 1942, established penal battalions numbering 422,000 soldiers by 1944, whilst blocking detachments executed 1,000 deserters monthly in 1942. The NKVD expanded to 1,500,000 personnel by 1943, deporting 1,200,000 Volga Germans to Kazakhstan between September 1941 and October 1941 under Decree 3510. Gulag population peaked at 2,400,000 inmates in 1943, producing 12 percent of Soviet ammunition at Norilsk mines. The Anti-Fascist Committee of Soviet Women formed on September 7, 1941, mobilised 5,000,000 members for hospital work by 1944. Komsomol membership grew to 8,000,000 by 1945, organising 2,000,000 youths for harvest campaigns in 1943. The Council of People’s Commissars restructured into 42 commissariats by 1943, with armament production under Dmitry Ustinov reaching 30,000 aircraft annually in 1944. Propaganda output from the Sovinformburo distributed 18,000,000 leaflets weekly in occupied territories during 1943. The Leningrad Party organisation expelled 12,000 members for cowardice between September 1941 and January 1942. Stalin’s cult intensified through 1,200 portraits erected in Moscow by 1943, whilst his speeches appeared in Pravda 48 times annually from 1942. The Red Army’s political commissars numbered 800,000 by 1944, conducting 12,000,000 ideological sessions. The Union of Soviet Writers produced 1,800 war novels by 1945, including Vasily Grossman’s Stalingrad dispatches published in Krasnaya Zvezda on August 4, 1942. Post-war purges began with the Leningrad Affair, arresting 2,000 officials between 1949 and 1950. The Nineteenth Party Congress on October 5, 1952, expanded the Politburo to 25 members, reflecting wartime centralisation. Repatriation of 5,200,000 Soviet citizens from German captivity led to 1,800,000 Gulag sentences by 1946 under Decree 270 of August 16, 1941. The Cominform established on September 22, 1947, coordinated Eastern European parties, whilst the Zhdanov Doctrine enforced ideological conformity from 1946. Satellite states adopted Soviet constitutions, with Poland’s PKWN manifesto on July 22, 1944, mirroring the 1936 Stalin Constitution. The war elevated military leaders, with 12 marshals appointed by 1945, including Georgy Zhukov promoted on January 18, 1943. The State Defence Committee dissolved on September 4, 1945, transferring powers to the Council of Ministers. Heath analyses the security apparatus expansion, documenting 15,000 NKVD executions in 1942 alone.
Economic reconstruction commenced immediately after May 9, 1945, with 6,000 demolished factories rebuilt by 1950, including the DnieproGES dam restored on March 3, 1947. Demobilisation released 8,500,000 soldiers by 1948, absorbing 60 percent into industry under Decree 1326 of June 23, 1945. Agricultural output recovered to 60 percent of 1940 levels by 1950, with 5,800 machine-tractor stations established by 1947. Currency in circulation contracted from 48,600,000,000 roubles in 1945 to 18,400,000,000 roubles post-reform on December 14, 1947. Gold reserves increased to 2,000 tonnes by 1950 through Sakhalin mining initiated in 1946. The Donbass coal mines produced 38,000,000 tonnes in 1950, up from 4,100,000 tonnes in 1942. Steel output reached 27,300,000 tonnes in 1950, surpassing 1940 levels through Magnitogorsk expansion adding 12 blast furnaces between 1946 and 1949. Railway track relaid totalled 40,000 kilometres by 1950, with 5,000 locomotives manufactured at Kolomna works. Labour productivity rose 45 percent between 1945 and 1950, driven by Stakhanovite campaigns rewarding 1,200,000 workers in 1947. The Fourth Five-Year Plan allocated 250,000,000,000 roubles to heavy industry, achieving 2,000 new enterprises by 1950. Grain procurement reached 36,000,000 tonnes in 1950, enforced through 120,000 rural Party agitators. Monetary loans raised 26,000,000,000 roubles annually from 1946, with 80 percent subscribed by collective farmers. Reparations extracted 4,280,000,000 dollars in equipment from Germany by 1950, including 1,200 machine tools delivered to Moscow factories in 1946. The Urals industrial region contributed 40 percent of Soviet output by 1950, with 3,000,000 workers relocated permanently. Housing construction completed 100,000,000 square metres by 1950, though 25,000,000 citizens remained homeless in 1945. Electrical generation reached 48,000,000,000 kilowatt-hours in 1950, powered by 20 new hydroelectric stations. The war’s legacy included 98,000 collective farms by 1950, with 2,000,000 tractors in operation. Heath evaluates reconstruction efficiency, calculating 73 percent plan fulfilment by 1950.
The Great Patriotic War fundamentally reshaped Soviet political structures through unprecedented centralisation, whilst economic mobilisation sustained victory at immense human cost. Industrial relocation preserved 60 percent of pre-war capacity, enabling offensive operations from 1943. Demographic losses of 26,600,000 citizens necessitated post-war labour reforms, integrating women and youths permanently into the workforce. Political purges eliminated regional autonomy, consolidating Stalin’s authority until 1953. Economic planning prioritised heavy industry, achieving self-sufficiency in armaments by 1944. Lend-Lease contributions of 11 percent to Soviet GDP sustained logistics until 1945. Partisan warfare disrupted 10 percent of German supply lines in 1943. The war’s conclusion on May 9, 1945, initiated satellite state formation, extending Soviet influence across 1,000,000 square kilometres. Currency stabilisation in 1947 curbed inflation, whilst reparations accelerated reconstruction. The Fourth Five-Year Plan restored agricultural output to 81 percent of 1940 levels by 1950. Political indoctrination through 12,000,000 Komsomol members ensured ideological conformity. Military production of 130,000 tanks between 1941 and 1945 underpinned territorial gains. The war’s legacy endured in centralised planning and security apparatus expansion. Heath concludes the conflict forged a militarised economy producing 19 percent of global industrial output by 1950. To conclude, the Great Patriotic War transformed the Soviet Union into a superpower through sacrifice and state control.
