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==Background==
[[How Joseph Stalin became the leader of the Soviet Union|Joseph Vissarionovich Stalin ]] ruled over the Soviet Union between 1920 and 1953 acting as the supreme leader of the USSR. Holding the post of the General Secretary of the Central Committee of the Communist Party of the Soviet Union, he was effectively the dictator of the state. Stalin introduced his own highly centralized command economy, launching a period of industrialization and collectivization that resulted in the rapid transformation of the USSR from an agrarian society 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, sent to forced labor camps or executed, without due process.In the meantime, Germany revitalized under Adolf Hitler’s leadership, worked to revise the post-World War I organizational structure of Europe, imposed by the United States, England, and France. Hitler and Stalin seemed to be natural enemies. [[The Nazi triumph: how did Adolf Hitler become the Fuehrer of Germany?|Adolf Hitler ]] loathed the Communists and Stalin publically publicly denounced the Nazis. The two regimes were ideological enemies and it seemed to many observers that a war 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-20&linkId=be2a9195cf0017e9147f778e95d45fbe The Stalin Era ]</i> (Routledge, London, 2000),p. 178</ref>.
==Reaching the The Molotov–Ribbentrop Non-Aggression Pact between the USSR and NAZI Germany and their initial warming economic relations==[[File: Molotov.jpg|thumbnail|300px|left|Ribbentrop and Molotov in Berlin, 1940]]After the Nazis 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 had generally good relations with the Weimar Republic.<ref> Boobyer, p 198</ref>. Following several years of tension and rivalry, Nazi Germany, and the Soviet Union eventually began to improve relations in 1939. German economy thrived at a fast pace by exporting manufactured goods and industrial equipment around the world in exchange for importing raw materials. In turnOn the other hand, the USSR being was still an agrarian state, . While it was rich in natural resources, it was struggling with the to transition towards industrializationto an more industrial economy. The Soviets had were forced to purchase and import more than half of the necessary factory machinery from the United States. It occurred that The pact was appealing to both Stalin and Hitler, therefore, because they were both at odds with the West. Driven by their mutual resentment for the West, each for his own reasons and interests under the circumstances, Communist USSR and Nazi Germany seemed to have much in common interests briefly aligned and be close to reaching a they moved towards [[The Molotov-Ribbentrop Pact- Stalin’s greatest mistake?|German-Soviet cooperation via a natural and an alliance]].
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 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 the fighting with the Finns. This struggle encouraged them that Germany to attack the USSR and Stalin were already weakened by the war affairs and thus Hitler . Germany determined that they could, in turn, defeat Stalin in a rapid campaign ([[How Did the German Military Develop Blitzkrieg?|Blitzkrieg]]) even before finishing off the withdrawn 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.
==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, in order to see if anyone tried to oust him 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>
==Alliance with the West==
As the German invasion of Russia progressed. Stalin contacted Western diplomats requesting two agreements. He aimed at reaching a mutual assistance/aid pact and a recognition that after the war the Soviet Union would gain the territories in countries that it would take war actions against Hitler on the Eastern front. [[How did Winston Churchill become Prime Minister of the United Kingdom in World War Two?|Winston Churchill]] was very willing to have an alliance with Stalin. Even though He was an ardent anti-communist and he personally disliked Stalin. He agreed to support the Soviets in their battle with the Germans. Churchill pithy states when criticized for allying Britain with the Soviets 'I would become the devils' ally if Hitler invaded Hell'. Stalin's diplomatic moves in the aftermath of Operation Barbarossa was shrewd. It allowed him to receive the support of first the British and later the Americans.<ref> BeevorBelamy, p. 34</ref>. the British began to supply the Soviets with arms and other supplies, via Iran and the Antartic. Stalin's diplomatic response to the invasion of his country was to become the ally of his ideological rivals, the western democracies.<ref>Stalin's Role in WWII - http://yesterday.uktv.co.uk/warzone/article/stalins-role-wwii/</ref>.
==Conclusion==
Stalin made a potentially fatal mistake in trusting Hitler and when the German's invaded he seemed to have been in a state of shock. This meant that his response to the invasion was slow and this allowed the Germans to make great inroads into his country until the Communists seemed on the verge of defeat. Stalin soon took charge and adopted new tactics. Crucially he reorganized the army, raised its morale and entered into a new alliance with the west. These decisions proved crucial and delayed, and eventually stopped the German advance and in the long run, Stalin was able to defeat the Nazi army.
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==Related DailyHistory.org Articles==
*[[What were the goals of the Axis powers and the Soviet Union during World War Two?]]
*[[How Did the German Military Develop Blitzkrieg?]]
*[[Why did Operation Market Garden in 1944 fail?]]
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*[[The Nazi triumph: how did Adolf Hitler become the Fuehrer of Germany?]]
*[[Why was France defeated in 1940?]]
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==References==
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