Questions on Suny, Chapter 14
Why was Stalin unwilling to go on full battle alert on 21 June 1941?
Why didn’t Stalin believe that Hitler would attack?
How did Stalin respond to the 22 June 1941 invasion?
When did Stalin finally address the nation about the invasion, and how did he describe the conflict?
In what ways and why was the USSR unprepared for war in 1941?
How does Suny explain German tactics in the summer 1941 invasion. Were they successful?
Why was Hitler fighting a "war of extermination" in the USSR?
How did the Nazis treat people in the Soviet territory they had occupied?
How does Suny describe the fighting on the "Russian Front."
Explain what became of Leningrad during the war.
According to historians, what big mistake did Hitler make in the 1941 campaign?
How did the fate of Moscow differ from that of Leningrad? Explain.
In what ways did Stalin try to mobilize public support for the war effort? What is significant about these appeals? (See"Stalin on the Great Russians" and "Stalin and the Orthodox Church" in Daniels)
Why does Suny call the war on the Russian Front a "war of attrition"?
How did the Soviet economy (industry and agriculture) withstand the German invasion?
What role did Stalin play in military planning? Explain. Did the war weaken or strengthen his personal power?
Why was the Battle of Stalingrad so important to the fate of the war?
When did relations between Stalin, Churchill, and Roosevelt begin to improve?
Why did Stalin dissolve the Comintern in May 1943?
Discuss the attitudes of Soviet citizens towards the war and towards Stalin’s appeals to tradition and nationalism. (See "The Vlasov Movement" in Daniels; also, be sure to look at the study questions on Von Geldern and Stites, since each of you has a specific assignment for this week!)
Why was the Battle of Kursk (July 1943) so important?
Why did the Red Army delay entering Warsaw in August 1944? Many historians say that Stalin did this deliberately in order to let the Nazis crush the Polish resistance. Does Suny agree? Explain.
How did Soviet soldiers behave in conquered territories?
What were the "total costs" of the war to the USSR in terms of lives lost (see pp. 331-333)? What were the economic costs (see pp. 333-334)?
Historians debate whether Stalinism helped the USSR survive the war or whether it weakened the country and made the war more costly. Be ready to take a position in this debate. (See "The Impact of the Second World War" and "Stalin's Analysis" in Daniels)
My professor in college used to tell students "If your father or grandfather survived World War Two in Europe, it was because some soldier in Russia died in his place." Explain the reasoning behind this statement.
Why did the War become a "central moment" in Soviet history?