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WORLD WAR II. TURNING POINT OF THE 20 TH CENTURY. NATIONAL MYTHS AND THE WORLD WAR II EXPERIENCE. Each European nation has its own myths regarding WWII…. Ussr/russia. “THE GREAT PATRIOTIC WAR…”.
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WORLD WAR II TURNING POINT OF THE 20TH CENTURY
NATIONAL MYTHS AND THE WORLD WAR II EXPERIENCE • Each European nation has its own myths regarding WWII…
Ussr/russia “THE GREAT PATRIOTIC WAR…”
For the USSR, World War II was the seminal event. It validated Communism and Stalin and made Russia one of the two superpowers.
Stalinism: the Soviet 1930’s • small peasant farms→huge collective farms • small industries→heavy industries →political terror →major military power Ideology was key Religion ruthlessly suppressed…cathedrals destroyed
FIVE YEAR PLANS • Central government planners set goals - Soviet industry Almost catches up to Rest of Europe in less Than 15 years Right: Happy Peasants
FAMINE IN UKRAINE • HARVESTS FAIL IN 1932-33
ELIMINATING THE KULAKS • KULAKS WERE PROSPEROUS PEASANTS, WHO SOMETIMES LENT MONEY AND SEED TO OTHER PEASANTS • ACCUSED OF SABOTAGE • STALIN LAUNCHES A CLASS WAR
SOCIALIST REALISM • ART MUST PROMOTE THE GOALS OF THEREVOLUTION.
Poster Art: • left…Look Forward • right…Good Luck to the Red Army
The Terror of the 1930’s • Show trials • Forced labor in the gulag • Purges: • Red Army marshals and generals decimated in 1937-1938
THE GULAG • WORK CAMPS FOR DISSENTERS OR ANYONE ACCUSED BY PARTY • MOSTLY IN SIBERIA – MASSIVE PROJECTS BUILT BY SLAVE LABOR
PURGES STALIN REMOVED ANYONE HE PERCEIVED AS A THREAT EVENTUALLY, ALMOST ALL THE “OLD BOLSHEVIKS” OF THE REVOLUTION WERE REPLACED BY “LITTLE STALINS”
STALIN AND HITLER • HITLER DETESTS COMMUNISM; IS DETERMINED TO DESTROY IT • STALIN AND HITLER SIGN NONAGGRESSION PACT IN 1939 • Stalin cooperates in Hitler’s invasion of Poland, grabs territory. • Refuses to believe in 1941 that Hitler would invade Soviet Union
What did Stalin do in the first few days? • Hid in the Kremlin… • AWOL • Molotov gave radio speech on 22 June • 3 July: radio address by Stalin… • “Forward to victory.”
Nameless • 670,000 died and are buried in mass graves…
THE WAR WAS DECIDED • By the end of 1941, the Germans had lost the war • The failure of Centre Group to take Moscow • Diversion of resources • US entry into the war
Lend Lease • Made a huge difference • Studebaker trucks • Locomotives and rolling stock
1944-1945…Normandy to Germany • Race for Berlin began • Realization that where the lines were when the war ended would determine post war governments • Yalta..January 1945
THE RUSSIANS WON THE SECOND WORLD WAR AIDED BY BRITISH STUBBORNESS AND AMERICAN TECHNOLOGY…. Jay Winter, Yale