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Joseph Stalin reacted extremely slowly to the invasion of his country by German forces in 1940. Indeed, not only did he react slowly, but he also ignored warnings that the Germans planned to attack his country. Stalin's response to the German invasion has perplexed historians for many years. It seems that the Soviet Leader had placed his trust in Hitler, and this almost led to the defeat of the Soviet Union.

== What was The Molotov–Ribbentrop Non-Aggression Pact between Germany and the USSR? ==

After the National Socialist Party rose to power in Germany in 1933, relations between Germany and the Soviet Union, as the two sworn enemy regimes, began to deteriorate rapidly, and trade between the two countries decreased and almost froze. The Soviet Union generally had good relations with the Weimar Republic.<ref>Boobyer, p 198</ref> Following several years of tension and rivalry, Germany and the Soviet Union eventually improved relations in 1939. The German economy thrived by exporting manufactured goods and industrial equipment worldwide in exchange for importing raw materials. On the other hand, the USSR was still an agrarian state. While it was rich in natural resources, it was struggling to transition to a more industrial economy. The Soviets were forced to purchase and import more than half of the necessary factory machinery from the United States. The pact was appealing to the two leaders because they were both at odds with the West. Driven by their mutual resentment for the West, the USSR's and Germany's interests briefly aligned, and they moved towards [[The Molotov-Ribbentrop Pact- Stalin’s greatest mistake?|German-Soviet cooperation and an alliance]].

== Why did Germany violate the pact with USSR with Operation Barbarossa? ==

In addition to weakness, the Soviet's showed in Finland, Germany had also been alarmed by the Soviet Union's seizure of part of Romania. Germany was concerned that Stalin would target the oil fields in Romania. These oil fields were vital to the German war effort. Germany moved several armored divisions into Poland and, in December 1940, issued a directive for the invasion of the Soviet Union, codenamed Operation Barbarossa. Several sources warned Stalin of the imminent threat of a German invasion. Soviet intelligence had monitored the German's actions. Stalin refused to believe it- instead, he continued to assume that Germany would abide by the Molotov-Ribbentrop pact.