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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. To improve the army's morale and 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>
====Alliance Why did Churchill align with the West==Stalin? == As the German invasion of Russia progressed. Stalin contacted Western diplomats requesting two agreements. He aimed at reaching a mutual assistance/aid pact and 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 ally with Stalin. Even though He was an ardent anti-communist and personally disliked Stalin. He agreed to support the Soviets in their battle with the Germans. When criticized for aligning with Stalin, Churchill stated he "would become the devils" ally." 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> Belamy, p. 34</ref> The British began to supply the Soviets with arms and supplies via Iran and the Antarctic. Stalin's diplomatic response to his country's invasion 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>
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