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__NOTOC__[[File: Stalin and Ribbentrop.jpg|thumbnail|230px|left|Stalin and Ribbentrop after signing pact 1939.]]Joseph Vissarionovich Stalin ruled over reacted extremely slowly to the Soviet Union between 1920 and 1953 acting as a supreme leader invasion of his country by German forces in 1940. Indeed, not only did he react slowly, but he also ignored warnings that the USSRGermans planned to attack his country. Holding Stalin's response to the post of Nazi invasion has perplexed historians for many years. It seems that the General Secretary of Soviet Leader had placed his trust in Hitler and this almost led to the Central Committee of the Communist Party defeat of the Soviet Union, he . The article will show that Stalin's response to Hitler's invasion was effectively slow and disorganized especially in the dictator first days of the statewar. Stalin introduced his own highly centralized command economy, launching a period of industrialization 's response was so slow and collectivization that resulted in ineffective because he had made the rapid transformation fatal mistake of the USSR from an agrarian society into an industrial global powertrusting Hitler. Between 1934 and 1939 However, Stalin mercilessly carried out a series was to take charge of massive political extra-judicial executions, known as the Great Purge, of major Communist Party situation and he made changes to his military and government rival figures as well as many Red Army high commanders without any proper trials - all convicted of treason or considered a threat. These “enemies of diplomatic policy that at first slowed the working class” were imprisioned, exiled, sent to forced labor camps or executed, without due processGerman advance and then stopped it before Moscow in December 1941.
==Reaching the Molotov–Ribbentrop Non-Aggression Pact between the USSR and NAZI Germany and their initial warming economic relationsBackground==After [[How Joseph Stalin became the leader of the Nazis rose to power in Germany in 1933, relations between Germany and Soviet Union|Joseph Vissarionovich Stalin]] ruled over the Soviet Union, between 1920 and 1953 acting as the two sworn enemy regimes, began to deteriorate rapidly, and trade between supreme leader of the two countries decreased and almost frozeUSSR. Following several years Holding the post of the General Secretary of the Central Committee of the Communist Party of high tension and rivalry, Nazi Germany and the Soviet Union eventually began to improve relations in 1939, he was effectively the dictator of the state. German Stalin introduced his own highly centralized command economy thrived at , launching a fast pace by exporting manufactured goods period of industrialization and industrial equipment collectivization that resulted in exchange for importing raw materials. In turn, the rapid transformation of the USSR being from an agrarian statesociety into an industrial global power. Between 1934 and 1939 Stalin mercilessly carried out a series of massive political extra-judicial executions, known as the Great Purge, of major Communist Party and government rival figures as well as many Red Army high commanders without any proper trials - all convicted of alleged treason or considered a threat. These “enemies of the working class” were imprisoned, exiled, rich in natural resourcessent to forced labor camps or executed, was struggling with transition towards industrializationwithout due process. The Soviets had In the meantime, Germany revitalized under Adolf Hitler’s leadership, worked to purchase and import more than half revise the post-World War I organizational structure of the necessary factory machinery from Europe, imposed by the United States, England, and France. It occurred that both Hitler and Stalin and seemed to be natural enemies. [[The Nazi triumph: how did Adolf Hitler, therefore, were at odds with become the West. Driven by their mutual resentment for Fuehrer of Germany?|Adolf Hitler]] loathed the West, each for his own reasons Communists and interests under Stalin publicly denounced the circumstances, Communist USSR Nazis. The two regimes were ideological enemies and NAZI Germany it seemed to have much in common and be close to reaching many observers that a Germanwar between the two was inevitable at some stage. <ref>Boobbyer, Phillip <i>[https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0415182980/ref=as_li_tl?ie=UTF8&camp=1789&creative=9325&creativeASIN=0415182980&linkCode=as2&tag=dailyh0c-Soviet cooperation via a natural alliance20&linkId=be2a9195cf0017e9147f778e95d45fbe The Stalin Era]</i> (Routledge, London, 2000),p. 178</ref>
After the Soviet Union's negotiations feel apart with Britain and France, Stalin turned to Germany. As a result, on the 23rd of August 1939, the Soviet Union entered into a non-aggression pact with Nazi Germany. The pact, known as [http://dailyhistory.org/The_Molotov-Ribbentrop_Pact-_Stalin%E2%80%99s_greatest_mistake%3F Molotov–Ribbentrop Pact], was named after the USSR and Nazis foreign affairs political figures at the time. This Hitler allayed fears of a two front war in Europe. Moreover, Stalin and Hitler signed numerous secret protocols dividing the entire territory of Eastern Europe into Soviet and Nazi spheres of influence. The Soviets would recover eastern Poland, formerly part of Imperial Russia. The Germans also supported the USSR's claims on Bessarabia (eastern part of Romania) and agreed to define Eastern Europe's Baltic (Poland, Latvia, Estonia, Finland, Lithuania) and Balkan states as belonging to the Soviet “sphere of interest.” Furthermore, after signing the pact, the countries rapidly expanded their economic relationship by entering into a commercial agreement whereby the Soviet Union sent critical raw materials and ingredients to Germany in exchange for weapons, military technology, civilian and manufacturing machinery. Thereafter, Germany received significant amounts of petroleum, grain, rubber and manganese, all necessary for its future war efforts. ==Germany' Violation of the Molotov–Ribbentrop Pact and World War II: former allies eventually turn against each other==[[File:Bundesarchiv_Bild_146-1974-099-19,_Russland,_Angriff_auf_ein_Dorf.jpg|thumbnail|left|300px|German Troops in the Soviet Union in 1941]]The two dictators signed secret protocols dividing central Europe between Stalin and Hitler, efectively it effectively let both the USSR and the NAZIS to invade freely countries listed within their “spheres of influence”. However, the agreement between Germany and the Soviet Union could was not be sustainable for long and did in fact settle ultimately set the stage for the start Eastern Front of the World War II.Still, the initial improving relations with Germany meant that the Soviet Union could expand its territory in Eastern Europe unmolested into places such as the Baltic States. Stalin believed that his understanding with Hitler would last and he became complacent.<ref> Montefiore, Simon Sebag. ''[https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/1400076781/ref=as_li_tl?ie=UTF8&camp=1789&creative=9325&creativeASIN=1400076781&linkCode=as2&tag=dailyh0c-20&linkId=eb9848bd0a98d402c5a3cab783e1108d Stalin: The Court of the Red Tsar]''. (London: Weidenfeld & Nicolson, 2003), p. 117</ref>
On 1 September 1939, within days of signing the pact and the secret protocols, Hitler invaded Poland, now confident that the Soviets would not oppose him. In response, Britain and France declared war on Germany. A couple of weeks later, the Soviet Union invaded Poland from the east to grab its share. In 1940, the USSR followed up by occupying Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania and the Romanian province of Bessarabia. Britain and France protested but with their forces already at war against Germany, they could not afford fighting to fight Stalin as well. Indeed, initially, the The Molotov–Ribbentrop Pact intially worked quite well and showed how similar the two states goals really were. Unfortunately, But this peace it did not last for long. Once the Soviets seized a generous portion of Eastern Europe, they also tried to invade Finland. Despite being tremendously outnumbered and outgunned, the Finns improvised a defense and made the best of the terrain and the ferocious winter weather. At the same time, the German army conquered France without suffering appreciable losses and the British withdrew from the continent. The Germans were astonished at how badly the Soviets performed in fighting with the Finns. This struggle encouraged Germany to attack the USSR. Germany determined that they could defeat Stalin in a rapid campaign ([[How Did the German Military Develop Blitzkrieg?|Blitzkrieg]]) before turning their sights to Brits in the west. <ref>The pact between Hitler and Stalin that paved the way for World War II was signed 75 years ago - http://www.pri.org/stories/2014-08-21/pact-between-hitler-and-stalin-paved-way-world-war-ii-was-signed-75-years-ago</ref> ==Operation Barbarossa== [[File:Barb_2.jpg|thumbnail|325px|left|German soldier in front of BT-7 Panzer tank in Ukraine in 1941]]In addition to weakness the Soviet's showed in Finland, Hitler had also been alarmed by the Soviet Union's seizure of part of Romania. He was concerned that Stalin would target the oil fields in Romania. These oil fields are vital to the German war effort. Hitler moved divisions into Poland and in December 1940 issued a directive for the invasion of the Soviet Union, codenamed Operation Barbarossa. Stalin was warned by several sources of the imminent threat of a Nazi invasion. The Germans actions had been monitored by Soviet Intelligence. Stalin refused to believe it- instead, he continued to assume that Hitler would abide by the Molotov-Ribbentrop pact. In the early morning of 22 June 1941, Hitler officially violated the Molotov–Ribbentrop Pact and invaded the Soviet Union.<ref> Montefiore, p. 245</ref> Historians claim that Stalin was stunned by the invasion and refused to accept the news was true. The Soviet leader had also ignored all warnings from the US, British governments and even his own intelligence officers. Economic and diplomatic relations between the USSR and Germany rapidly deteriorated and were abruptly terminated. The Soviets were not prepared for a war against Germany. The Red Army troops were scattered and dispersed among several fronts. Furthermore, Stalin’s purges of army officers in the 1930s had crippled the Soviet military machine. During the early days of the war the Red Army lacked trustworthy and skillful generals and suffered several disastrous losses. The Red Army ultimately allowed Nazi troops to almost reach the Kremlin gates. <ref>Joseph Stalin and World War II - http://www.history.com/topics/joseph-stalin</ref> The German assault on the Soviet Union was wildly successful. During he early weeks of Operation Barbarossa, Germany averaged gains of 50 miles a day. This rapid advance was abetted by the lack of direction from Stalin. For some time, the Red Army languished without any direction from Stalin.<ref> Montefiore, p. 245</ref> ==Theories on Stalin's Inactivity==There are several theories on why Stalin should have reacted so slowly to the invasion. Some have speculated that Stalin was so shocked by the invasion and the betrayal by Hitler that he went into a state of shock. Some believe that such was his despair that Stalin retreated away from the world unable to face the magnitude of his mistake and the consequences of his error in trusting Hitler. He had assumed that Hitler would abide by the terms of the non-aggression pact of 1939. Some historians have even suggested that Stalin suffered some kind of nervous breakdown. Another, less popular theory is that Stalin deliberately withdrew from the scene, to avoid being ousted from power. When he saw that no one was about to challenge his authority he decided to take control of the situation. <ref>Bellamy, Chris, <i>[https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0375724710/ref=as_li_tl?ie=UTF8&camp=1789&creative=9325&creativeASIN=0375724710&linkCode=as2&tag=dailyh0c-20&linkId=4af9160f8751b9120921c7982235532a Absolute War: Soviet Russia in the Second World War]</i>. New York: Alfred A. Knopf & Random House.2007), p. 53</ref> ==Stalin leads the fightback==However, within weeks Stalin manage to recover from the shock and called for reinforcements. Although German troops had made huge advances into the heartlands of the Soviet Union and the rest of the government had been evacuated from Moscow, Stalin remained in the Kremlin and begun to take control of the country’s ailing military infrastructure. As German troops approached the Soviet capital of Moscow, Stalin directed a devastating defensive policy, destroying any supplies or infrastructure that might benefit the enemy. Fresh competent USSR military commanders loyal to Stalin were allowed to take control of important strategic positions and military divisions. <ref>Bellamy, p. 117</ref> This scorched earth tactic was to deny the Germans key supplies. This was particularly the case as the German supply lines had become extended and the men at the front did not receive the supplies that they needed. The policy of destroying the infrastructure and anything else that could be utilized by the Germans caused immense suffering on the Soviet civilian population, however, it slowed down the German advance. Stalin's policy contributed to the failure of the German army to take Moscow in the early winter of 1941.<ref>Bellamy, p.112</ref> ==Stalin reorganizes the Army==After some weeks of inactivity, the Supreme Soviet leader personally took control of the situation. Stalin dominated the army and he had placed men in key positions not based upon their ability but based on their personal allegiance to him. The supreme Soviet leader was very afraid that if he gave too much independence to the army, that the Generals would remove him from power. After the invasion of the Soviet and the poor leadership shown by many Generals, he adopted a new policy he promoted men of ability to positions of authority in the armed forces, such as Zhukov. This greatly improved the leadership of the Red Army and allowed it to be more effective against the Nazi armies. Stalin also reorganized the Soviet Army's High Command. He established the Stavka, this provided the Red Army with the leadership it needed in the life or death struggle with the Germans. Stalin supervised Stavka closely, but he also gave his Generals more authority.<ref>"Stalin's Role in WWII" - http://yesterday.uktv.co.uk/warzone/article/stalins-role-wwii/</ref> Stalin also sought to raise the fighting morale of the troops. He well knew that many ordinary Soviet citizens were still Russian nationalists at heart and venerated the Orthodox Church. In order to improve the morale of the army and their loyalty, he promoted Russian nationalism, even though as a Communist he was ideologically opposed to nationalism. Furthermore, he stopped persecuting the Orthodox Church. These measures made Stalin popular with the army and raised the morale of the troops. This stiffened their resistance to the invasion of the Russian 'Motherland.'<ref> Zhukov, Georgiĭ Konstantinovich & Harrison E., Salisbury, <i>[https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0356029239/ref=as_li_tl?ie=UTF8&camp=1789&creative=9325&creativeASIN=0356029239&linkCode=as2&tag=dailyh0c-20&linkId=422ccd38a753dde5fbe26d0486b12cb8 Marshal Zhukov's Greatest Battles]</i> (New York: Harper & Row, 1969), p. 116</ref>