Great Patriotic War 1941-1945

Document. From Directive No. 21 of the Fuhrer's headquarters. Plan "Barbarossa" December 18, 1940 The German armed forces must be ready to defeat Soviet Russia in a short campaign before the war against England is over. (Option "Barbarossa".) The ground forces must use for this purpose all the formations at their disposal, with the exception of those necessary to protect the occupied territories from any surprises.<...>The order for the strategic deployment of the armed forces against the Soviet Union, if necessary, I will issue eight weeks before the scheduled date for the start of the operation. Preparations requiring a longer time, if they have not begun, should begin now and be completed by 15.5.41. Decisive importance should be attached to ensuring that our intentions to attack are not recognized.<...>I. The General Plan The main body of the Russian ground forces stationed in Western Russia is to be destroyed in bold operations by means of a deep, rapid advance of tank wedges. "The retreat of the combat-ready enemy troops into the wide expanses of Russian territory must be prevented. Through rapid pursuit, a line must be reached from which the Russian air force will not be able to carry out raids on the imperial territory of Germany. The ultimate goal of the operation is to create a barrier against in Asiatic Russia along the general line Volga - Arkhangelsk. Thus, if necessary, the last industrial region remaining in the Russians in the Urals can be paralyzed with the help of aircraft. In the course of these operations, the Russian Baltic Fleet will quickly lose its bases and find itself thus unable to continue the fight Effective action by the Russian Air Force must be prevented by our powerful strikes at the very beginning of the operation.<...>Top secret! Only for command: The strategy of Nazi Germany in the war against the USSR.

Document. From the memoirs of G.K. Zhukov about the initial stage of the war The failures and heavy losses suffered at the beginning of the war complicated the course of the struggle. Troops with fights retreated into the interior of the country. The State Defense Committee, the Central Committee of our Party and local Party organizations took the necessary measures to explain to the people the forced circumstances of the temporary retreat.<...>Having entered our land, the enemy soon felt not only the hatred of the Soviet people for the Nazi occupiers - he suffered tangible losses by those who went underground. In those days, the Soviet command had no choice but to go on the defensive on the entire strategic front. There were neither forces nor means for conducting offensive, especially large-scale operations. It was necessary to create large strategic reserves of troops, to arm them well in order to wrest the initiative from the enemy with superior force and go over to offensive actions, to begin the expulsion of enemy forces from the Soviet Union. All this was done, but later. Our troops switched to strategic defense in the process of a forced withdrawal. We had to act in unfavorable operational-tactical groupings, with a lack of forces and means for a deep defense, and especially its backbone - anti-tank defense. It is impossible not to mention the weakness of the anti-aircraft weapons of our air defense and the lack of adequate air cover from the air. Air supremacy in the initial period of the war was on the side of the enemy, which significantly undermined the stability of our army. Zhukov G.K. Memories and reflections. pp. 280-281.

Document. FROM THE MEMORIES OF A.M. VASILEVSKY ON THE DEVELOPMENT OF THE PLAN OF THE SOVIET COUNTEROFFENSIVE TROOPS NEAR STALINGRAD In mid-October, the German command in the Stalingrad region was forced to issue order No. 1 on the transition to the defensive. The troops were instructed "by all means to hold the achieved lines, to repel any attempts by the enemy to break through them and thereby create the preconditions for the continuation of our offensive in 1943"<...>The enemy again fatally miscalculated. Our Armed Forces, despite the losses suffered, by the autumn of 1942 had grown considerably stronger. By this time, thanks to the titanic activity of the Communist Party and the enormous efforts of the home front workers, a well-coordinated, rapidly growing military economy had been created. The production of T-34 tanks, aircraft of new designs, guns, especially anti-tank and anti-aircraft guns, rocket artillery and automatic weapons increased. On this material basis, the organizational structure of the troops was improved. It became possible already in the winter of 1942/43 to begin large-scale offensive operations. The headquarters of the Supreme High Command was well aware that thanks to the stamina and stubbornness of the heroes of the Volga stronghold, the 6th and 4th German tank armies were concentrated on a narrow sector of the front, directly in the city area, and their flanks were covered by Romanian troops. It was also known that the huge losses that the enemy continued to bear in the hope of still capturing the city, and especially the fact that he did not have any impressive reserves here, further limited his defensive capabilities. This suggested a decision: to organize and conduct a counter-offensive, and one that would not only radically change the situation in the area, but also lead to the collapse of the still active southern wing of the enemy front. This decision was made in mid-September after an exchange of views between I.V. Stalin, G.K. Zhukov and me. The essence of the strategic plan was to deliver powerful concentric blows on the flanks of the protracted battles for the city of the enemy group, and then surround and destroy its main forces - the 6th and 4th German tank armies. Prior to the start of the counteroffensive, it was considered necessary to pay close attention to the defense inside the city in order to exhaust and bleed the enemy as much as possible on its ruins and in no case prevent him from advancing along the Volga to the north, towards Kamyshin... Vasilevsky A.M. The work of a lifetime. pp. 242-243.

What explains the need to adopt such an order of the People's Commissar of Defense of the USSR in the summer of 1942? NOT ONE STEP BACK! FROM THE ORDER OF THE PEOPLE'S COMMISSIONER OF DEFENSE OF THE UNION OF THE SSR No. 227. JULY 28, 1942 The enemy throws more and more new forces to the front and, regardless of heavy losses for him, climbs forward, rushes into the depths of the Soviet Union, captures new areas, devastates and devastates our cities and villages, rapes, robs and kills the Soviet population. The fighting is going on in the Voronezh region, on the Don, in the south at the gates of the North Caucasus. The German invaders are rushing towards Stalingrad, towards the Volga and want to seize the Kuban, the North Caucasus with their oil and grain wealth at any cost. The enemy has already captured Voroshilovgrad, Starobelsk, Rossosh, Kupyansk, Valuiki, Novocherkassk, Rostov-on-Don, half of Voronezh. Part of the troops of the Southern Front, following the alarmists, left Rostov and Novocherkassk without serious resistance and without an order from Moscow, covering their banners with disgrace ... After their winter retreat under the pressure of the Red Army, when discipline was shaken in the German troops, the Germans took some harsh measures with good results. They formed more than 100 penal companies from fighters who were guilty of violating discipline through cowardice or instability, put them in dangerous sectors of the front and ordered them to atone for their sins with blood. They formed, further, about a dozen penal battalions from commanders who were guilty of violating discipline through cowardice or instability, deprived them of orders, placed them on even more dangerous sectors of the front and ordered them to atone for their sins. Finally, they formed special barrier detachments, placed them behind unstable divisions and ordered them to shoot alarmists on the spot in case of attempts to leave their positions without permission and in case of an attempt to surrender ... Should we not learn from our enemies in this matter, as did our ancestors learn from their enemies in the past and then gain a victory over them? I think it should. The Supreme High Command of the Red Army orders: 1. The Military Councils of the fronts, and above all the commanders of the fronts: a) unconditionally eliminate the retreating moods in the troops and with an iron fist suppress propaganda that we can and should supposedly retreat further to the east, that such a retreat will not there will be alleged harm; b) unconditionally remove from their posts and send them to Headquarters to bring to court martial the commanders of the armies who allowed the unauthorized withdrawal of troops from their positions without an order from the front command; c) to form within the front from one to three (depending on the situation) penal battalions (800 people each), where to send medium and senior commanders and relevant political workers of all branches of the military who are guilty of violating discipline due to cowardice or instability, and put them on more difficult sections of the front, in order to give them the opportunity to atone for their crimes against the Motherland with blood. .. 2. To the Military Councils of the armies and, above all, to the commanders of the armies: ... b) form within the army 3-5 well-armed barrage detachments (up to 200 people each), place them in the immediate rear of unstable divisions and oblige them in case of panic and the disorderly withdrawal of parts of the division to shoot alarmists and cowards on the spot and thereby help the honest fighters of the divisions to fulfill their duty to the Motherland; c) to form within the army from five to ten (depending on the situation) penal companies (from 150 to 200 people each), where to send ordinary soldiers and junior commanders who are guilty of violating discipline due to cowardice or instability, and put them in difficult areas armies, to give them the opportunity to atone for their crimes against the Motherland with blood ... Read the order in all companies, squadrons, batteries, squadrons, teams, headquarters. Military history magazine. - 1988. - No. 8. - S. 73-75.

What fragments in the document show the true reasons for the defeat of the German armies near Moscow? What do you see as these reasons? FROM THE DIARY OF THE COMMANDER OF THE CENTER ARMY GROUP, GENERAL FIELD MARSHAL F. VON BOCK. December 7, 1941 A terrible day. The right wing of the 3rd Panzer Group began to retreat at night. Enemy penetrations in the north of this panzer group are unpleasant. On the right flank of the 9th Army, the enemy also significantly expanded his breakthrough ... In the zone of the 4th Army, the enemy also began to behave more restlessly, namely against the 4th Panzer Group ... The tank army fails at Mikhailov, who, carrying considerable losses in technology, we have to surrender. Otherwise, the withdrawal of the tank army is proceeding according to plan. The 2nd Army, despite all the warnings, makes its way further to the east, gets involved in bloody battles with a strong enemy. Freezing starts. In a staggeringly short time, the Russian has again brought the defeated divisions to their feet, thrown new ones into the threatened sectors of the front - from Siberia, Iran and the Caucasus, and seeks to replace its lost artillery with a multitude of rocket guns. There are 24 (mostly understaffed) more divisions in front of the front of the army groups today than on November 15th. In contrast, the strength of the German divisions, as a result of continuous fighting and the onset of a harsh winter, has decreased by more than half; the combat effectiveness of tank troops became even less. The losses of officers and non-commissioned officers are frighteningly high and at the present time can be replenished less than losses in the rank and file. World War II: two views. - M., 1990. - S. 168, 169.

The heroism and courage of Soviet soldiers shown during the battles of the Great Patriotic War deserve eternal memory. The wisdom of military leaders, which has become one of the most important components of the common victory, does not cease to amaze even today.

Over the long years of the war, so many battles took place that even some historians disagree on the interpretation of the meaning of certain battles. And yet, the largest battles, which have a significant impact on the further course of hostilities, are known to almost every person. It is these battles that will be discussed in our article.

Name of the battle	Commanders who took part in the battle	Outcome of the battle
	Aviation Major Ionov A.P., Aviation Major General Kutsevalov T.F., F.I. Kuznetsov, V.F. Tributs.	Despite the stubborn struggle of the Soviet soldiers, the operation ended on July 9 after the Germans broke through the defenses in the area of ​​the Velikaya River. This military operation smoothly turned into a struggle for the Leningrad region.
	G.K. Zhukov, I.S. Konev, M.F. Lukin, P.A. Kurochkin, K.K. Rokossovsky	This battle is considered one of the bloodiest in the history of the Second World War. At the cost of millions of losses of the Soviet army, it was possible to delay the advance of Hitler's army on Moscow.
	Popov M.M., Frolov V.A., Voroshilov K.E., Zhukov G.K., Meretskov K.A.	After the blockade of Leningrad began, local residents and military leaders had to fight fierce battles for several years. As a result, the blockade was lifted, the city was liberated. However, Leningrad itself was subjected to horrific destruction, and the death toll of local residents exceeded several hundred thousand.
	I.V. Stalin, G.K. Zhukov, A.M. Vasilevsky, S.M. Budyonny, A.A. Vlasov.	Despite huge losses, the Soviet troops managed to win. The Germans were thrown back 150-200 kilometers back, and the Soviet troops managed to liberate the Tula, Ryazan and Moscow regions.
	I.S. Konev, G.K. Zhukov.	The Germans managed to push back another 200 kilometers. Soviet troops completed the liberation of the Tula and Moscow regions, liberated some areas of the Smolensk region
	A.M. Vasilevsky, N.F. Vatutin, A.I. Eremenko, S.K. Timoshenko, V.I. Chuikov	It is the victory at Stalingrad that many historians call among the most important turning points in the course of the Second World War. The Red Army managed to win a strong-willed victory, pushing the Germans far back, and proving that the fascist army also had its vulnerabilities.
	CM. Budyonny, I.E. Petrov, I.I. Maslennikov, F.S. October	Soviet troops were able to win a landslide victory, liberating Checheno-Ingushetia, Kabardino-Balkaria, the Stavropol Territory and the Rostov Region.
	Georgy Zhukov, Ivan Konev, Konstantin Rokossovsky	The Kursk Bulge became one of the bloodiest battles, but it ensured the end of the turning point in the course of the Second World War. The Soviet troops managed to push the Germans back even further, almost to the border of the country.
	V.D. Sokolovsky, I.Kh. Bagramyan	On the one hand, the operation was unsuccessful, because the Soviet troops failed to reach Minsk and capture Vitebsk. However, the forces of the Nazis were severely wounded, and the tank reserves as a result of the battle were almost running out.
	Konstantin Rokossovsky, Alexey Antonov, Ivan Bagramyan, Georgy Zhukov	Operation Bagration turned out to be incredibly successful, because the territories of Belarus, part of the Baltic states and regions of Eastern Poland were recaptured.
	Georgy Zhukov, Ivan Konev	The Soviet troops managed to defeat 35 enemy divisions and directly go to Berlin for the final battle.
	I.V. Stalin, G.K. Zhukov, K.K. Rokossovsky, I.S. Konev	Soviet troops after a long resistance managed to take the capital of Germany. With the capture of Berlin, the Great Patriotic War officially ended.

Realizing the inevitability of a military clash with Nazi Germany, the USSR was preparing for war. From 5.4% during the years of the first five-year plan to 43.4% in 1941, the share of military spending in the country's budget increased. New weapons systems were created (T-34 tank, Katyusha rocket launchers, etc.). The army was rearmed. The law on universal conscription was adopted, the size of the army was increased to 5 million people. Production discipline was tightened: the length of the working day was increased, the punishment for being late for work and absenteeism was toughened, the unjustified departure of workers and employees from enterprises without the permission of the management was prohibited, the release of low-quality products was equated with sabotage. On October 2, 1940, the Decree of the Presidium of the Supreme Soviet of the USSR “On State Labor Reserves” was adopted, according to which, in order to provide labor force for industrial enterprises, the Council of People’s Commissars of the USSR received the right “to annually call (mobilize) from 800 thousand to 1 million people of urban and collective farm youth males aged 14–15 for training in trade and railway schools and aged 16–17 for training in factory training schools. ... All graduates of vocational schools, railway schools and factory training schools are considered mobilized and are required to work for four years in a row at state enterprises at the direction of the Main Directorate of Labor Reserves under the Council of People's Commissars of the USSR with the provision of wages at their place of work on a common basis.
By the summer of 1941, it was not possible to complete preparations for war. Related to this are Stalin's demands not to succumb to provocations and the TASS statement of June 14, 1941 about the groundlessness of rumors about a possible war between the USSR and Germany.
On June 22, 1941, fascist Germany attacked the USSR without declaring war.
 Measures to organize a rebuff to fascist aggression:
- Decree of the Presidium of the USSR Armed Forces "On martial law" on June 22, 1941;
- transformation of border military districts into fronts;
- mobilization of conscripts;
- the creation on June 23, 1941 of the Headquarters of the High Command, headed by S.K. Timoshenko, from July 10, the Headquarters of the High Command, from August 8, the Headquarters of the Supreme High Command, headed by I.V. Stalin;
- the creation on June 30, 1941 of the State Defense Committee (GKO), headed by I. V. Stalin;
- a program was adopted to mobilize all forces to fight the enemy and turn the country into a single military camp on June 29, 1941;
- introduced martial law;
- organized evacuation of industrial enterprises and the population to the east of the country;
- the partisan movement was organized - on July 18, 1941, the decision of the Central Committee of the All-Union Communist Party of Bolsheviks “On organizing the struggle in the rear of the German troops”, on May 30, 1942, the Central Headquarters of the partisan movement was created, headed by P. K. Ponomarenko.
 Reasons for the failures of the Red Army at the initial stage of the war:
- miscalculations of the country's leadership in determining the timing of the start of the war;
- delay in bringing troops to combat readiness;
- an erroneous military doctrine, which provided for, after the defeat of the aggressor in border battles, the conduct of military operations only on enemy territory;
- the dismantling of defensive fortifications on the old western border ("Stalin's line"), on the new border the line of defense ("Molotov's line") has just begun to be created;
- the rearmament of the army has not been completed;
- repressions among the command staff of the army on the eve of the war.

 The main battles of the Great Patriotic War

 On the fronts of the Great Patriotic
The war years were marked by mass heroism of the country's citizens. The garrison of the Brest Fortress fought for almost a month against superior enemy forces. The last defender of the fortress died in April 1942. For eleven days, the border guards under the command of Lieutenant A.V. Lopatin fought in the encirclement. In the first days of the war, pilots A. S. Maslov and N. F. Gastello made "fiery rams", directing their planes, which were shot down in battle, at clusters of enemy equipment. On the night of August 7, 1941, V. V. Talalikhin made the first ram in a night air battle, shooting down an enemy bomber on the outskirts of Moscow. The exploits of the fighter of the sabotage detachment Z. A. Kosmodemyanskaya, who was executed by the invaders in November 1941, private A. M. Matrosov, who in February 1943 covered the embrasure of the enemy pillbox with his body, the underground worker E. I. Chaikina and many others, received national fame.
One of the manifestations of the mass patriotism of the citizens of the USSR was the formation of a people's militia, which included over 4 million people who were not subject to conscription for military service.
During the years of the Great Patriotic War, more than 11 thousand people were awarded the title of Hero of the Soviet Union. 104 people became twice Heroes of the Soviet Union. Commander G.K. Zhukov, fighter pilots I.N. Kozhedub and A.P. Pokryshkin - three times Heroes of the Soviet Union.
The highest military order "Victory" was awarded to 11 Soviet military leaders: G. K. Zhukov, A. M. Vasilevsky, I. V. Stalin, K. K. Rokossovsky, I. S. Konev, R. Ya. Malinovsky, F. I. Tolbukhin, L. A. Govorov, S. K. Timoshenko, A. I. Antonov, and K. A. Meretskov. Marshals G.K. Zhukov, A.M. Vasilevsky and Generalissimo I.V. Stalin - twice.
More than 7 million people were awarded orders and medals.
 "Rear to front". Soviet economy during the war
From the first days of the war, the transfer of industry to the production of military products began. The working day was extended to 11 hours, mandatory overtime work was introduced, labor holidays were abolished, and the mandatory minimum of workdays for collective farmers was increased. The place of those who went to the front was occupied by women, teenagers, and the elderly.
About 42% of the population lived in the occupied regions of the USSR, 47% of the sown area was located, a third of industrial production was produced, over 40% of electricity, 63% of coal was mined. From the first days of the war, the evacuation of enterprises to the eastern regions of the country has been organized. By the end of 1941, 2,500 industrial enterprises and more than 10 million people were evacuated. It took time to organize the work of the evacuated enterprises. The decline in industrial production was stopped by the beginning of 1942. By the middle of 1942, all the evacuated enterprises were put into operation. In a record short time, the effective work of the entire national economy in emergency military conditions was organized, which made it possible to provide the Red Army with everything necessary and became one of the factors in achieving a radical change in the course of the war.
 Resistance movement in the occupied territory
A call to organize a struggle in the rear of the Nazi troops was made in the “Directive of the Council of People's Commissars and the Central Committee of the All-Union Communist Party of Bolsheviks to the Party and Soviet Organizations of the Front-line Regions” dated June 29, 1941: “In areas occupied by the enemy, create partisan detachments and sabotage groups to fight units enemy army, to incite guerrilla war everywhere and everywhere ... In the occupied areas, create unbearable conditions for the enemy and all his accomplices, pursue and destroy them at every turn, disrupt all their activities. On July 18, 1941, a special resolution of the Central Committee of the All-Union Communist Party of Bolsheviks was adopted "On the organization of the struggle in the rear of the German troops."
Partisan detachments and underground groups are launching an active struggle against the invaders. By the autumn of 1952, there were about 6 thousand partisan detachments, including large partisan units of S. A. Kovpak, A. N. Saburov, P. P. Vershigory, A. F. Fedorov and others. At the end of 1941–1942 gg. in Belarus, Leningrad, Smolensk and Orel regions, several so-called partisan territories arose - areas liberated from the invaders and completely controlled by the partisans.
Since the summer of 1943, large partisan formations, in agreement with the command of the Red Army, carried out operations in the areas of the offensive of the Soviet troops (“Rail War”, “Concert”).
During the Great Patriotic War, there was anti-Hitler coalition. On June 22, 1941, British Prime Minister W. Churchill declared support for the struggle of the Soviet people against Nazi Germany, and on June 24, US President F. Roosevelt. On July 12, 1941, an agreement was signed between the USSR and Great Britain on joint actions in the war against Germany. In August 1941, the United States and Great Britain signed the Atlantic Charter on the principles of cooperation during the war years. In September, the Soviet Union joined the Charter. On January 1, 1942, 26 states signed the Declaration of the United Nations, which formalized the creation of the anti-Hitler coalition. In June 1944, the Allies began hostilities in France, opening the Second Front.

 Allied Conferences

Moscow September 29 - October 1, 1941	A tripartite agreement was signed - a protocol on deliveries. The USA and Britain undertook to send to the Soviet Union 400 aircraft, 500 tanks, motor vehicles, aluminum and some other types of military materials every month. The American representative Harriman, on behalf of the United States and England, confirmed "the receipt from the Soviet government of large deliveries of Soviet raw materials, which will significantly help the production of weapons in our countries"
Tehran November 28 - December 1, 1943	- A declaration was adopted on joint actions in the war against Germany; - A decision was made to open a second front in France during May 1944; - In order to reduce the duration of the war in the Far East, the USSR announced the readiness of the USSR to enter the war against Japan at the end of hostilities in Europe: a preliminary agreement was reached on establishing the post-war borders of Poland; - The "Declaration on Iran" was adopted, in which the participants declared "their desire to preserve the full independence, sovereignty and territorial integrity of Iran"
Dumbarton Oaks 21 August – 28 September 1944	- Prepared proposals that formed the basis of the UN Charter
Krymskaya (Yalta) February 4–11, 1945	- Agreed plans for the defeat and unconditional surrender of Germany; - A unified policy was agreed on the post-war statute of Germany; - Decisions were made to create zones of occupation in Germany, an all-German control body and to collect reparations; - The main principles of the coordinated policy of the allies in relation to the organization of a lasting peace and the system of international security were outlined; - A decision was made to convene the Constituent Conference to develop the UN Charter; - Resolved the issue of the eastern borders of Poland; - The USSR confirmed its readiness to enter the war against Japan 3 months after the surrender of Germany; - The "Declaration on a Liberated Europe" was adopted, which expressed the will of the allied powers to pursue a coordinated policy of assistance to the peoples of Europe; - An agreement was reached on the establishment of a permanent mechanism for consultation between the foreign ministers of the three great powers
San Francisco April 26 - June 26, 1945	- Signed the UN Charter; - Established the International Court of Justice, which is the main judicial body of the UN
Berlin (Potsdam) July 17 - August 2, 1945	- Discussed the main problems of the post-war structure of the world; - The goals of the occupation of Germany are defined by 4 D - its denazification, demilitarization, democratization, decartelization; - The goal of preserving the unity of Germany was proclaimed; - Defined the eastern borders of Germany along the Oder-Neisse line; - An International Military Tribunal was created to try the main Nazi criminals; - A decision was made to transfer East Prussia with the capital Königsberg to the Soviet Union; - Determined the size of reparations; - The USSR confirmed its readiness to enter the war with Japan

 The results of the war:
- defeat of fascism;
- strengthening the international prestige of the USSR;
- expansion of the territory of the USSR;
- conditions have been created for the creation of a world socialist system;
 Victory cost:
- huge human losses - about 27 million people;
- 1710 cities, more than 70,000 villages, 31,000 industrial enterprises, 13,000 bridges, 65,000 km of railway lines were destroyed. According to experts, the direct damage amounted to about 678 billion rubles - 30% of the national wealth;
- a drop in the standard of living of the population, during the hostilities on the territory of the state, 40,000 medical institutions, 43,000 libraries and 84,000 various educational institutions were destroyed.

USSR in the post-war period 1945–1953

The main task in economy was the restoration and development of the national economy. In March 1946, the Fourth Five-Year Plan for 1946–1950 was adopted. The task was set not only to restore, but also to significantly exceed the pre-war level of production. The main emphasis was placed on the development of heavy industry. Industry was transferred to the production of peaceful products.
The pre-war level of industrial production was reached in 1948. During the years of the five-year plan, 6,200 new industrial enterprises were restored and built.
In agriculture, destroyed collective farms, state farms and MTS were restored. Collectivization was carried out in the western regions of Ukraine and Belarus, in the Baltic republics. The drought of 1946 led to famine.
In December 1947, a monetary reform and the abolition of the card distribution system were carried out. Banknotes changed in the ratio of 10 old to 1 new while maintaining wages and prices unchanged.
 In the social sphere:
- Mandatory extracurricular work was abolished;
- holidays restored;
- the payment of compensations for unused labor holidays during the war began;
- reduced the share of wages issued by government bonds.
 Political system in the post-war period:
- strengthening the sole power of I. V. Stalin;
- holding elections to Councils of all levels;
- transformation in 1946 of the Council of People's Commissars into the Council of Ministers (Chairman of the Council of Ministers of the USSR I. V. Stalin);
- a new round of political repressions - the "Leningrad case", the Shakhurin-Novikov case, the "doctors' case", the "Mingrelian case", the "case of the Jewish Anti-Fascist Committee".
 Science and culture in the post-war period:
- restoration of the material and technical base of science and culture destroyed during the war;
- completion of the transition to a universal seven-year education;
- holding discussions on philosophy, linguistics and political economy;
- development of research in nuclear physics;
- strengthening of ideological control over culture;
- the defeat of genetics, declared a non-Marxist science, at the VASKhNIL session in 1948;
- Resolutions of the Central Committee of the CPSU (b) 1946–1948 on issues of literature and art - “About the magazines Zvezda and Leningrad”, “About the repertoire of drama theaters and means for its improvement”, “About the film “Big Life””, “About the opera “Great Friendship” by V. Muradeli” , "On decadent moods in Soviet music";
- persecution of cultural figures - film directors L.D. Lukov, S.I. Yutkevich, A.P. Dovzhenko, V.I. "Ivan the Terrible";
- Closing of the "Historical Journal";
- campaign against cosmopolitanism.
 Foreign policy in the postwar period. After the defeat of fascist Germany and militaristic Japan, in the context of the increasing influence of the USSR on international affairs, relations between the former allies in the anti-Hitler coalition of the USSR, on the one hand, and the leading Western powers, on the other, aggravated. Ideological contradictions come to the fore. The Cold War begins. The Soviet leadership is talking about the possibility of World War III. Plans for a war against the Soviet Union are indeed being drawn up. In May 1945, W. Churchill was presented with a plan for a war with the USSR, which was supposed to start in the summer of 1945. The American Dropshot plan provided for the start of the war in 1949 and the atomic bombing of 100 Soviet cities. The test of the atomic bomb in the USSR in 1949 fundamentally changed the international situation.
 Main foreign policy events:
- formation of the UN (1945);
- the coming to power in the countries of Eastern Europe with the support of the USSR of the communist parties;
- formation of the People's Republic of China (1949);
- division of the world into two opposing systems - capitalism and socialism;
- Fulton's speech by W. Churchill (1946), the beginning of the Cold War;
- Creation of Cominform (Information Bureau of Communist and Workers' Parties, 1947);
- rupture of relations between the USSR and Yugoslavia;
- Creation of NATO (1949);
- creation of the Council for Mutual Economic Assistance (CMEA);
— Korean War (1950–1953)

Good afternoon, dear friends!

In this post we will talk about such an important topic as the Great Patriotic War. Due to the fact that the topic is very extensive, in this post we will only reveal my main recommendations on this topic, and also learn in practice how to solve exam tests on this topic. In addition, at the end of the post you will find a stunning detailed table on the Great Patriotic War. How to deal with such a serious topic? Read on and find out!

The Patriotic War was in 1812 with revolutionary France, the Great Patriotic War - with the Nazi invaders in 1941-1945.

Unfortunately, there are still students who confuse these two completely different wars and make gross mistakes when solving exams in history.

The reasons for the defeat in the first months of the war are as follows: the rejection by the country's leadership of the possibility of starting a war with Nazi Germany in 1941, ignoring the facts that contradict this attitude. Why did the Soviet leadership ignore the facts of the accumulation of enemy forces near the borders of the USSR? There are many versions given in the USE history books online, I will name one: that, according to the calculations of the Soviet leadership, it would be ridiculous for Germany to leave undefeated England in the rear, and Germany carried out a competent operation to disinform the Soviet leadership, announcing the Sea Lion operation aimed at on the conquest of England.

The nature of the war was popular, that is, mass heroism is characteristic of a popular war, when the question was decided whether the Russian people would continue to exist under the sun, or not.

Table. The main battles during the Second World War and their results:

Name of the battle	Operation name	Dates and totals
Smolensk battle	----	July 10 to September 10, 1941 The heroic defense of Smolensk thwarted the German attack on Moscow and forced Hitler to change his plans. Seeing the losses suffered by tank units in urban battles, the Fuhrer sent the 3rd Panzer Group to attack Leningrad, and the 2nd to encircle the Soviet South-Western Front, believing that tanks would be more useful in the operational space. Thus, the Germans were able to resume their offensive against Moscow only in mid-October, when Russian weather conditions were already working against them.
Moscow battle	The German name for Operation Typhoon. The Soviet name for the counter-offensive operation "Rzhev-Vyazemskaya"	September 30, 1941 to April 20, 1942 Results: Firstly, Hitler's plan of "lightning war" (blitzkrieg) against the USSR, which was successful on the battlefields in Western Europe, finally collapsed. During the battle, the best strike formations of the largest enemy grouping, the Center Army Group, which was the color and pride of the Nazi army, were defeated. Secondly, near Moscow, the first major defeat of the Nazi army in World War II was inflicted, dispelling the myth of its invincibility, which had a great influence on the entire further course of the war. Thirdly, the defeat of the German troops near Moscow dealt a blow to the morale of the soldiers and officers of the Wehrmacht, undermined the faith of the Nazis in the successful outcome of the aggression. On May 1, 1944, the medal "For the Defense of Moscow" was established, which was awarded to all participants in the defense of Moscow, partisans of the Moscow Region and active participants in the defense of the hero city of Tula, a total of 1,028,600 people were awarded. For the outstanding services of Muscovites, their courage and heroism in the fight against the enemy, the capital was awarded the Order of Lenin on September 6, 1947. When the 20th anniversary of the Victory of the Soviet people in the Great Patriotic War was celebrated, Moscow was awarded the honorary title "Hero City" with the Order of Lenin and the Gold Star medal. Fourth, the defeat of the Nazi troops during the Battle of Moscow was of great military-political and international significance. The victory of the Red Army near Moscow raised the prestige of the Soviet Union even higher and was an inspiring stimulus for the entire Soviet people in their further struggle against the aggressor. This victory helped to strengthen the anti-Hitler coalition, aggravated the contradictions within the Hitler bloc, and forced the ruling circles of Japan and Turkey to refrain from entering the war on the side of Germany.
Battle of Stalingrad	Soviet operation "Small Saturn" to capture the Nazi group A. The Soviet operation to liberate all of Stalingrad was called "Uranus".	July 17, 1942 - February 2, 1943 The Nazi bloc lost a total of about 1.5 million soldiers and officers during the Battle of Stalingrad, i.e. 25% of all its forces operating on the Soviet-German front, up to 2 thousand tanks and assault guns, more than 10 thousand guns and mortars, about 3 thousand combat and transport aircraft, over 70 thousand vehicles and a huge amount of other military equipment and weapons. The Wehrmacht and its allies completely lost 32 divisions and 3 brigades, and another 16 divisions were defeated, losing more than 50% of their composition. The victorious outcome of the Battle of Stalingrad was of great military and political significance. It made a decisive contribution to the achievement of a radical turning point not only in the Great Patriotic War, but in the entire Second World War, and was the most important stage on the path to victory over the fascist bloc. Conditions were created for the deployment of the general offensive of the Red Army and the mass expulsion of the Nazi invaders from the occupied territories of the Soviet Union. As a result of the Battle of Stalingrad, the Soviet Armed Forces wrested the strategic initiative from the enemy and held it until the end of the war. The crushing defeat at Stalingrad was a heavy moral and political a shock to Nazi Germany and its satellites. It radically shook the foreign policy positions of the Third Reich, plunged its ruling circles into despondency, and undermined the confidence of its allies. Japan was forced to finally abandon plans to attack the USSR. Among the ruling circles of Turkey, despite strong pressure from Germany, the desire to refrain from entering the war on the side of the fascist bloc and to maintain neutrality prevailed.
Battle of Kursk	German name for Operation Citadel, Oryol (Operation Kutuzov) offensive operation	July 5 to August 23, 1943 Results: The victory at Kursk marked the transition of the strategic initiative to the Red Army. By the time the front stabilized, the Soviet troops reached their starting positions for the offensive on the Dnieper. After the end of the battle on the Kursk Bulge, the German command lost the opportunity to conduct strategic offensive operations. Local massive offensives such as Watch on the Rhine (1944) or the operation at Balaton (1945) were also unsuccessful. Field Marshal Erich von Manstein, who developed and carried out Operation Citadel, later wrote: It was the last attempt to maintain our initiative in the East. With her failure, tantamount to failure, the initiative finally passed to the Soviet side. Therefore, Operation Citadel is a decisive turning point in the war on the Eastern Front. - Manstein E. Lost victories. Per. with him. - M., 1957. - S. 423 According to Guderian, As a result of the failure of the Citadel offensive, we suffered a decisive defeat. The armored forces, replenished with such great difficulty, were put out of action for a long time due to heavy losses in people and equipment. - Guderian G. Memoirs of a soldier. - Smolensk: Rusich, 1999
"Ten Stalinist strikes" - 10 offensive operations in 1944.	Leningrad-Novgorod operationDnieper-Carpathian operationOdessa operation, Crimean operationVyborg-Petrozavodsk operationBelarusian operationYasi-Kishinev operation, Romanian operationBaltic operationEast Carpathian operation, Belgrade operationPetsamo-Kirkenes operation	As a result of ten strikes by the Soviet troops, 136 enemy divisions were defeated and put out of action, of which about 70 divisions were surrounded and destroyed. Under the blows of the Red Army, the bloc of the Axis countries finally collapsed; Germany's allies - Romania, Bulgaria, Finland, Hungary - were put out of action. In 1944, almost the entire territory of the USSR was liberated from the invaders, and hostilities were transferred to the territory of Germany and its allies. The successes of the Soviet troops in 1944 predetermined the final defeat of Nazi Germany in 1945.
Vistula-Oder and Berlin operation	January 12 - February 13, 1945 April 16 - May 2, 1945	During these offensive operations, the last enemy groupings were defeated, and Berlin was taken. These operations summed up the results of the Great Patriotic War - the signing of Germany's unconditional surrender.

Good afternoon!

On June 22, 1941, Comrade V.M. Molotov made an announcement on the radio: "... at 4 o'clock in the morning, without making any claims against the Soviet Union, without declaring war, German troops attacked our country, attacked our borders in many places and bombed our cities from their planes ..." . This is how the Great Patriotic War began.

It seemed to Stalin that the non-aggression pact (1939) made it possible to delay this moment, so he did not believe the intelligence information that the fascist troops were pulling up their forces to the European border of the USSR, and did not give the order to mobilize the border troops. All this affected the poor preparedness of the Soviet Union for defensive actions and became the reason for the successful implementation of the Barbarossa plan - the rapid capture of the European part of the USSR.

But immediately after the unexpected German attack, the government of the Soviet Union took measures to repel the aggression:

• On June 23, the Headquarters of the High Command was created, which on July 10 was transformed into the Headquarters of the Supreme High Command
• On June 29, the government set before the whole people the task of directing all its forces to the fight against the enemy
• On June 30, the State Defense Committee was created, a body that, for the duration of the war, concentrated all power over the state in its hands.

These measures have borne fruit. And, despite the fact that the Nazis continued to advance to the east of the country, our troops offered worthy resistance, exhausting the enemy. A striking example of stubborn confrontation is the defense of the Brest Fortress, Smolensk, Kyiv, Odessa and others.

Moscow battle.

Having successfully completed the Barbarossa plan, Germany set about implementing the next Typhoon operation, the main goal of which was to capture Moscow. It began in September-October 1941. At first, the Russian troops could not stop the offensive, Bryansk and Vyazma fell, the Germans came very close to the capital, but the Red Army was able to stop the enemy by the end of October.

Germany resumed its offensive on November 15, 1941. But by this time, the Red Army had managed to gain strength and by the beginning of December go on the counteroffensive.

The victory in this battle dispelled the myth of Germany's invincibility, contributed to the patriotic upsurge of the Soviet people and the emergence of faith in our victory.

Summer-autumn campaign of 1942.

In the summer of 1942, the fascist leadership decided that it was necessary to capture the oil and fertile regions of the USSR, thereby worsening the economic situation of the enemy and defeating him.

Due to the fact that the operation "Kremlin" to provide false information about the intentions of the Nazis was a success, the Red Army was disoriented, and the Germans were able to deploy a line of attack in the Caucasus and the Volga.

In the Caucasian direction, Hitler crossed the Don and captured Novorossiysk, Rostov, and Stavropol. But the Germans were unable to reach the oil reserves in Baku, the Soviet army stopped the offensive in the Caucasus by the end of September.

In the eastern direction, the situation was no less difficult. It was necessary to prevent the Germans from breaking through to the Volga, since plants and factories were evacuated there, which provided the front with weapons and equipment. A critical situation developed, in connection with which Stalin issued order No. 227, called "Not a step back!"

Stalingrad battle.

The Headquarters of the Supreme High Command developed a plan to encircle enemy troops near Stalingrad, which was called "Uranus".

Since the beginning of September, the battle for Stalingrad has been going on. For the successful offensive of the Red Army, the South-Western, Don and Stalingrad fronts were created, an impressive amount of ammunition and military equipment was sent.

On November 23, 1942, our troops surrounded the enemy grouping of General von Paulus. In response, Hitler created the Don Army Group, which was tasked with breaking the encirclement and freeing Paulus.

But this attempt ended in yet another German failure. On February 2, 1943, the Paulus army capitulated, the Battle of Stalingrad ended with the victory of the USSR.

Battle of Kursk

In the hope of regaining the offensive initiative, in the spring of 1943, the German command developed the Citadel plan, aimed at defeating the Kursk Bulge, which had formed in the central direction.

The Battle of Kursk is the largest battle of the Second World War in terms of the number of soldiers and equipment used on both sides.

On July 5, 1943, the first tank battle in the entire history of the world took place near the village of Prokhorovka.

End of the war.

In 1944-1945, thanks to the heroic work of the rear, the USSR achieved superiority in the security of the army and international support. The Red Army took full strategic initiative.

One after another, the liberation operations were successfully carried out:

• Completion of the blockade of Leningrad (January 1944)
• Korsun-Shevchenko operation - the liberation of the Right-Bank Ukraine (January 1944)
• "Bagration" - Belarus (summer 1944)
• Iasi-Kishinevskaya - Moldavia (August 1944)

The Red Army carried out a number of liberation operations outside the USSR.

In April 1945, the Berlin operation began.

Well then, friends! I hope the material was useful to you. And if so, then