Main periods of the Great Patriotic War.

Plan

1. USSR on the eve of the war. Periodization of the Great Patriotic War.

2. The beginning of the Great Patriotic War: reasons military disaster during the initial period of the war.

3. A radical turning point in the war. Battles of Stalingrad and Kursk.

4. Victories of the Red Army at the final stage of the war (1944–1945).

5. Results and lessons of the Great Patriotic War.

Key concepts and terms: war, revanchism, policy of appeasement of the aggressor, collective security system, Munich agreement, Anschluss, fascism, Nazism, fascist aggression, anti-fascist coalition, “funny war”, blitzkrieg, second front, partisan movement, Lend-Lease, strategic initiative, radical change

At dawn on June 22, 1941, Nazi Germany attacked Soviet Union. On the side of Germany were Romania, Hungary, Italy and Finland. The grouping of aggressor troops consisted of 5.5 million people, 190 divisions, 5 thousand aircraft, about 4 thousand tanks and self-propelled guns artillery installations(self-propelled guns), 47 thousand guns and mortars.

In accordance with the Barbarossa plan developed in 1940, Germany planned to the shortest possible time(in 6-10 weeks) enter the line Arkhangelsk - Volga - Astrakhan. It was a setup for blitzkrieg - lightning war. This is how the Great Patriotic War began.

Main periods of the Great Patriotic War.

First period (June 22, 1941 – November 18, 1942) from the beginning of the war to the beginning of the Soviet offensive at Stalingrad. This was the most difficult period for the USSR.

Having created multiple superiority in men and military equipment in the main directions of attack, the German army achieved significant success. By the end of November 1941, Soviet troops, having retreated under the blows of superior enemy forces to Leningrad, Moscow, Rostov-on-Don, left a huge territory to the enemy, lost about 5 million people killed, missing and captured, most of the tanks and aircraft .

The main efforts of the Nazi troops in the fall of 1941 were aimed at capturing Moscow. The Battle of Moscow lasted from September 30, 1941 to April 20, 1942. On December 5-6, 1941, the Red Army went on the offensive and the enemy’s defense front was broken through. Fascist troops were driven back 100-250 km from Moscow. The plan to capture Moscow failed, and the lightning war in the east did not take place.

The victory near Moscow was of great international significance. Japan and Türkiye refrained from entering the war against the USSR. The increased authority of the USSR on the world stage contributed to the creation anti-Hitler coalition. However, in the summer of 1942, due to the mistakes of the Soviet leadership (primarily Stalin), the Red Army suffered a number of major defeats in the North-West, near Kharkov and in the Crimea. Nazi troops reached the Volga - Stalingrad and the Caucasus. The persistent defense of Soviet troops in these directions, as well as the transfer of the country's economy to a military footing, the creation of a coherent military economy, the deployment partisan movement prepared behind enemy lines the necessary conditions for the Soviet troops to go on the offensive.

Second period (November 19, 1942 – end of 1943)- a radical turning point in the war. Having exhausted and bled the enemy in defensive battles, on November 19, 1942, Soviet troops launched a counteroffensive, encircling 22 fascist divisions numbering more than 300 thousand people near Stalingrad. On February 2, 1943, this group was liquidated. At the same time, enemy troops were expelled from the North Caucasus. By the summer of 1943 Soviet-German front stabilized.

Using a favorable front configuration for them, fascist troops on July 5, 1943 went on the offensive near Kursk with the goal of regaining the strategic initiative and encircling Soviet group troops on the Kursk Bulge. During fierce fighting, the enemy's advance was stopped. On August 23, 1943, Soviet troops liberated Orel, Belgorod, Kharkov, reached the Dnieper, and on November 6, 1943, Kyiv was liberated.

During the summer-autumn offensive, half of the enemy divisions were defeated and liberated significant territories Soviet Union. The decay has begun fascist bloc, in 1943 Italy withdrew from the war.

1943 was the year of a radical change not only in the course of combat operations on the fronts, but also in work Soviet rear. Thanks to the selfless work of the home front, by the end of 1943 an economic victory over Germany was won. The military industry in 1943 provided the front with 29.9 thousand aircraft, 24.1 thousand tanks, 130.3 thousand guns of all types. This was more than Germany produced in 1943. The Soviet Union in 1943 surpassed Germany in the production of the main types of military equipment and weapons.

Third period (late 1943 – May 8, 1945)- the final period of the Great Patriotic War. In 1944 Soviet economy reached its highest level during the entire war. Industry, transport, Agriculture. Military production grew especially rapidly. The production of tanks and self-propelled guns in 1944, compared to 1943, increased from 24 to 29 thousand, and combat aircraft - from 30 to 33 thousand units. From the beginning of the war to 1945, about 6 thousand enterprises were put into operation.

1944 was marked by victories of the Soviet Armed Forces. The entire territory of the USSR was completely liberated from fascist occupiers. The Soviet Union came to the aid of the peoples of Europe - the Soviet Army liberated Poland, Romania, Bulgaria, Hungary, Czechoslovakia, Yugoslavia, and fought its way to Norway. Romania and Bulgaria declared war on Germany. Finland left the war.

Successful offensive actions The Soviet Army pushed the allies on June 6, 1944 to open a second front in Europe - Anglo-American troops under the command of General D. Eisenhower (1890-1969) landed in northern France, in Normandy. But the Soviet-German front still remained the main and most active front of the Second World War.

During the winter offensive of 1945, the Soviet Army pushed the enemy back more than 500 km. Poland, Hungary and Austria were almost completely liberated, East End Czechoslovakia. The Soviet Army reached the Oder (60 km from Berlin). On April 25, 1945, a historic meeting between Soviet troops and American and British troops took place on the Elbe, in the Torgau region.

The fighting in Berlin was exceptionally fierce and persistent. On April 30, the Victory Banner was hoisted over the Reichstag. On May 8, the signing of the act of unconditional surrender fascist Germany. May 9 became Victory Day.

From July 17 to August 2, 1945, the Third Conference of Heads of Government of the USSR, USA and Great Britain in the Berlin suburb of Potsdam, which hosted important decisions on the post-war world order in Europe, the German problem and other issues. On June 24, 1945, the Victory Parade took place in Moscow on Red Square.

The victory of the USSR over Nazi Germany was not only political and military, but also economic. This is evidenced by the fact that in the period from July 1941 to August 1945, the USSR produced significantly more military equipment and weapons than in Germany. Here are the specific data (thousand pieces):

This economic victory in the war was made possible because the Soviet Union was able to create a more advanced economic organization and achieve more effective use all its resources.

War with Japan. The end of World War II. However, the end of hostilities in Europe did not mean the end of World War II. In accordance with the agreement in principle at Yalta (February 1945 G.) The Soviet government declared war on Japan on August 8, 1945. Soviet troops launched offensive operations on a front stretching over 5 thousand km. Geographical and climatic conditions, in which the fighting took place, were extremely difficult. The advancing Soviet troops had to overcome the ridges of the Greater and Lesser Khingan and the East Manchurian Mountains, deep and stormy rivers, waterless deserts, and impassable forests. But despite these difficulties Japanese troops were destroyed.

During stubborn fighting in 23 days, Soviet troops liberated Northeast China, North Korea, the southern part of Sakhalin Island and the Kuril Islands. 600 thousand enemy soldiers and officers were captured, a large number of weapons and military equipment. Under the blows of the armed forces of the USSR and its allies in the war (primarily the USA, England, China), Japan capitulated on September 2, 1945. The southern part of Sakhalin and the islands of the Kuril ridge went to the Soviet Union.

USA, dropping 6 and 9 August atomic bombs on Hiroshima and Nagasaki, marked the beginning of a new nuclear era.

Thus, the Great Patriotic War was important integral part Second World War. The Soviet people and their Armed Forces bore the main burden of this war on their shoulders and achieved historical victory over Nazi Germany and its allies. Participants in the anti-Hitler coalition made their significant contribution to the victory over the forces of fascism and militarism. Main lesson The Second World War is that the prevention of war requires the unity of action of peace-loving forces. During the preparation for World War II, it could have been prevented. Many countries and public organizations they tried to do this, but unity of action was never achieved.

Self-test questions

1. Tell us about the main periods of the Great Patriotic War.

The Great Patriotic War, the stages of which we will consider in this article, is one of the most difficult historical trials that befell the Ukrainians, Russians, Belarusians and other peoples living on the territory of the USSR. These 1418 days and nights will forever remain in history as the most bloody and cruel time.

Main stages of the Great Patriotic War

The periodization of WWII events can be done based on the nature of the events that took place at the front. IN different periods war the initiative belonged different armies.
Most historians detail the stages of the Great Patriotic War as follows:

• from June 22 to November 18, 1941 (1st stage of the Great Patriotic War);
• from November 19, 1941 to the end of 1943 (stage 2 of the Great Patriotic War);
• from January 1944 to May 1945 (stage 3 of the Great Patriotic War).

Great Patriotic War: periods

Each period of the Great Patriotic War has its own characteristics, which relate to the directions of combat operations, the use of new types of weapons and the advantages of one of the armies. First, I would like to talk briefly about the stages of the Great Patriotic War.

• The initial stage of hostilities was characterized by the full initiative of the Nazi troops. During this time, Hitler's army completely occupied Belarus, Ukraine and almost reached Moscow. The Soviet army, of course, fought to the best of its ability, but was constantly retreating. The Red Army's great success during this period was the victory near Moscow. But in general the offensive German troops continued. They were able to occupy many territories of the Caucasus, reaching almost the modern borders of Chechnya, but the Nazis failed to take Grozny. Important battles in mid-1942 took place on the Crimean Front. Stage 1 ended
• The second stage of the Great Patriotic War brought an advantage to the Red Army. After the victory at Stalingrad over the army of Paulus, Soviet troops received good conditions for a liberation offensive. Leningrad, the Battle of Kursk and the general offensive on all fronts at that time made it clear that Hitler’s army would sooner or later lose the war.
• During the final period of the war, the offensive of the Red Army continued. The fighting took place mainly on the territory of Ukraine and Belarus. This period was characterized by the progressive advance of the Red Army to the west and fierce enemy resistance. This is the last stage in the Second World War, ending in victory over the enemy.

Reasons for the current periodization of the Second World War

The stages of the Great Patriotic War, or rather their beginning and end, were marked by some key events, battles that went down in world history. The first period of the war was the longest. The reasons for this are:

• surprise of enemy attack;
• attacks by a massive front of troops over significantly extended territories;
• the lack of extensive experience in combat operations among the Soviet army;
• superiority of the German army in technical equipment.

It was only possible to stop the enemy's offensive completely by the end of 1942. The main reasons for the success of the Red Army in the second period of the war can be considered:

• the heroism of Soviet soldiers;
• superior numbers of the Red Army over the enemy;
• significant progress of the USSR army in technical terms (the appearance of new tanks and anti-aircraft guns, much more).

The third stage of the war was also quite long. The main difference between the 2nd and 3rd stages of military operations against the Nazi troops seems to be that in 1944 the epicenter of military operations spread from Russia to Ukraine and Belarus, that is, a progressive movement to the west was traced. The final stage of the Great Patriotic War lasted more than a year, because the spacecraft had to liberate all of Ukraine and Belarus, as well as the countries of Eastern Europe.

Battles of 1941

In 1941, the position of the USSR, as already emphasized, was extremely difficult. The first attacks by infantry and motorized units fascist army Belarus and Lithuania were affected. On June 22, the defense of the Brest Fortress began. The Nazis expected to pass this outpost much faster than they succeeded. Fierce fighting raged for several days, and the final surrender of Brest occurred only on July 20, 1941. Also during these days, the Nazis advanced in the direction of Siauliai and Grodno. That is why, on June 23-25, the USSR army launched a counteroffensive in these directions.

The first stages of the Great Patriotic War in 1941 showed that the Red Army would not be able to cope with the enemy without retreating. So great was the onslaught of the Nazis! How did the retreat go in the first months of the war? It took place with battles. Also, army men and communists, in order to make life as difficult as possible for the enemy, undermined infrastructure facilities that could not be evacuated to safe places. Strong resistance from the army was due to the need to evacuate important production facilities for the country in the rear.

Of the largest battles of 1941, it is worth noting the Kyiv defensive operation, which lasted from July 7 to September 26, and the Battle of Moscow (September 30, 1941 - April 1942). Also, an important role in the history of the Second World War was assigned to the exploits of Soviet sailors.

1942 in the history of the Second World War

The initial stage of the Great Patriotic War showed Hitler that he would simply not be able to defeat the Soviet army. His strategic goal to take Moscow did not come true until the winter of 1941. Until May 1942, the general offensive of Soviet troops, which began in December 1941 near Moscow, continued. But this offensive was stopped by the Nazis at the Kharkov bridgehead, where large group troops were surrounded and lost the battle.

After this, the German army went on the offensive, so again the Soviet soldiers had to remember about defensive actions. Hitler understood that it would be difficult to capture Moscow, so he directed the main attack on the city with the symbolic name of Stalingrad.

Active offensive actions by the fascists also took place on the Crimean bridgehead. The defense of Sevastopol continued until July 4, 1942. From July to November, the Red Army conducted active defensive operations near Stalingrad and in the Caucasus. The defense of Stalingrad entered the annals of history as an example of the heroism and invincibility of Soviet soldiers. The city itself was completely destroyed, several houses survived, but the Nazis were unable to take it. Stage 1 of the Great Patriotic War ended with the victory of the spacecraft at Stalingrad and the beginning of the offensive of the Soviet troops. Although the defense was still ongoing in some sectors of the front, the turning point in the war had already arrived.

Second stage of the Great Patriotic War

This period lasted almost a year. Of course, in 1943 there were also many difficulties, but in general no one could stop the advance of our troops. Periodically, the Nazis went on the offensive individual directions, but already the Great Patriotic War, the stages whose battles we are now considering, moved into a state when it was clear that Germany would sooner or later lose the war.

Operation Ring was completed on February 2, 1943. The army of General Paulus was surrounded. On January 18 of the same year, we finally managed to break the blockade of Leningrad. These days, the Red Army began an offensive towards Voronezh and Kaluga. The city of Voronezh was recaptured from the enemy on January 25. The offensive continued further. In February 1943, the Voroshilovgradskaya offensive. Gradually, the Red Army moves on to liberate Ukraine, although not all cities have yet been recaptured from the Nazis. March 1943 was remembered for the liberation of Vyazma and the counter-offensive of Hitler’s army in the Donbass. Our troops eventually coped with this attack, but the Nazis managed to somewhat hold back the advance of Soviet troops deeper into Ukraine. The fight on this bridgehead lasted more than a month. After this, the main focus of the fighting shifted to Kuban, because in order to successfully advance further to the West it was necessary to liberate the region of the Krasnodar and Stavropol territories from enemies. Active fighting in this direction lasted for about three months. The offensive was complicated by the proximity of the mountains and the active actions of enemy aircraft.

Second half of 1943

In the history of the Second World War, July 1943 stands apart. During this period there were 2 very important events. German intelligence constantly reported information about the impending major offensive of Soviet troops. But it was not known exactly where the attack would take place. Of course, the Soviet senior military officials knew that German intelligence officers were working in many spacecraft structures (like the Soviet ones in Germany), so they used disinformation as much as possible. On July 5, the Battle of Kursk took place. The Nazis hoped that by winning this battle they would be able to go on the offensive again. Yes, they were able to advance a little, but in general they did not win the battle, so on the 20th of July 1943, the second stage of the Great Patriotic War reached its qualitative apogee. What was the second one? landmark event? We haven’t forgotten yet. On a field not far from this village, the largest event in history at that time took place. tank battle, which also remained with the USSR.

From August 1943 until the winter of 1943/1944. The Red Army basically liberates Ukrainian cities. It was very difficult to defeat the enemy in the Kharkov area, but on the morning of August 23, 1943, the USSR army managed to enter this city. And then a whole series of liberations of Ukrainian cities followed. In September 1943, the spacecraft entered Donetsk, Poltava, Kremenchug, and Sumy. In October, our troops liberated Dnepropetrovsk, Dneprodzerzhinsk, Melitopol and other surrounding settlements.

Battle for Kyiv

Kyiv was one of several strategically important cities in the USSR. The population of the city before the war reached 1 million people. During the Second World War it decreased fivefold. But now about the main thing. The Red Army prepared for the capture of Kyiv for a very long time, because this city was also extremely important for the Nazis. To capture Kyiv it was necessary to cross the Dnieper. The battle for this river, which was a symbol of Ukraine, began on September 22. The crossing was very difficult, many of our soldiers died. In October, the command planned to try to take Kyiv. The most convenient place for this was the Bukrinsky bridgehead. But these plans became known to the Germans, so they transferred significant forces here. It became impossible to take Kyiv from the Bukrinsky bridgehead. Our reconnaissance received the task of finding another place to attack the enemy. The Lyutezh bridgehead turned out to be the most optimal, but it was technically very difficult to transfer troops there. Since Kyiv had to be taken before the next anniversary of November 7, the command of the Kyiv offensive operation decided to transfer troops from Bukrinsky to the Lyutezhsky bridgehead. Probably not everyone believed in the reality of this plan, because it was necessary to cross the Dnieper twice under the cover of darkness, unnoticed by the enemy, and cover an even greater distance by land. Of course, the spacecraft suffered a lot of losses, but it was impossible to take Kyiv any other way. This move Soviet military leaders was a success. The Red Army managed to enter Kyiv on the morning of November 6, 1943. And the battle for the Dnieper in other sectors of the front continued almost until the end of the year. With the victory of the spacecraft in this battle, the first stages of the Great Patriotic War ended.

War in 1944-1945

The final stage of the Great Patriotic War became possible only thanks to the heroism of our soldiers. In the first half of 1944, almost all of Right Bank Ukraine and Crimea were liberated. The final stage of the Great Patriotic War was marked by one of the largest offensives of the Red Army in all years of hostilities. We are talking about the Proskurovo-Bukovina and Uman-Botosha operations, which ended by the end of April 1944. With the completion of these operations, almost the entire territory of Ukraine was liberated, and the restoration of the republic began after exhausting hostilities.

The Red Army in battles abroad of the USSR

The Great Patriotic War, the stages of which we are considering today, was approaching its logical conclusion. Beginning in April 1944, Soviet troops slowly began to oust the Nazis on the territory of states that were their allies at the start of the war (for example, Romania). Active hostilities also took place on Polish lands. In 1944, there were many events on the second front. When Germany's defeat became inevitable, the USSR's allies in the anti-Hitler coalition became more actively involved in the war. The battles in Greece, Sicily, and near Asia - all of them were aimed at the victory of the anti-Hitler coalition troops in the fight against fascism.

The 3 stages of the Great Patriotic War ended on May 9, 1945. It is on this day that all nations former USSR celebrate a great holiday - Victory Day.

Consequences of the Great Patriotic War

The Great Patriotic War, the stages of combat operations of which were absolutely logical, ended almost 4 years after the start. It was much more cruel and bloody than the First World War, ending in 1918.

Its consequences can be divided into 3 groups: economic, political and ethnographic. In the territories that were under occupation, many enterprises were destroyed. Some plants and factories were evacuated and not all returned. In terms of politics, the entire system of life in the world actually changed, new ones were formed. new system security in Europe and the world. The UN has become the new guarantor of security. During the war, a lot of people died, so it was necessary to restore the population.

The main stages of the Great Patriotic War, and there were three of them, showed that to conquer such big country, like the USSR, is impossible. The state gradually emerged from the crisis and rebuilt itself. In many ways fast recovery associated with the heroic efforts of the people.

Chronology

• 1941, June 22 - 1945, May 9 Great Patriotic War
• 1941, October - December Battle of Moscow
• 1942, November - 1943, February Battle of Stalingrad
• 1943, July - August Battle of Kursk
• 1944, January Liquidation of the siege of Leningrad
• 1944 Liberation of the territory of the USSR from fascist invaders
• 1945, April - May Battle of Berlin
• 1945, May 9 Victory Day of the Soviet Union over Germany
• 1945, August - September Defeat of Japan

Great Patriotic War (1941 - 1945)

Great Patriotic War of the Soviet Union 1941 - 1945. as an integral and decisive part of the Second World War 1939 - 1945. has three periods:

June 22, 1941 - November 18, 1942. It is characterized by measures to transform the country into a single military camp, the collapse of Hitler’s strategy “ lightning war” and creating conditions for a radical change in the war.

Beginning of 1944 - May 9, 1945. Complete expulsion of fascist invaders from Soviet soil; liberation by the Soviet Army of the peoples of Eastern and South-Eastern Europe; final defeat fascist Germany.

By 1941, Nazi Germany and its allies captured virtually all of Europe: Poland was defeated, Denmark, Norway, Belgium, Holland and Luxembourg were occupied. The French army resisted for only 40 days. The British expeditionary army suffered a major defeat, whose units were evacuated to the British Isles. Fascist troops entered the territory of the Balkan countries. In Europe, essentially, there was no force that could stop the aggressor. The Soviet Union became such a force. The Soviet people accomplished a great feat by saving world civilization from fascism.

In 1940, the fascist leadership developed a plan “ Barbarossa”, the goal of which was the lightning defeat of the Soviet Armed Forces and the occupation of the European part of the Soviet Union. Further plans included the complete destruction of the USSR. The ultimate goal Nazi troops were to reach the Volga-Arkhangelsk line, and the Urals were planned to be paralyzed with the help of aviation. For this purpose on east direction were concentrated 153 German divisions and 37 divisions of its allies (Finland, Romania and Hungary). They had to strike in three directions: central(Minsk - Smolensk - Moscow), northwest(Baltics - Leningrad) and southern(Ukraine with access to the Black Sea coast). A lightning campaign was planned to capture the European part of the USSR before the fall of 1941.

The first period of the Great Patriotic War (1941 - 1942)

Beginning of the war

Implementation of the plan “ Barbarossa” started at dawn June 22, 1941. extensive air bombing of the largest industrial and strategic centers, as well as the offensive ground forces Germany and its allies along the entire European border of the USSR (over 4.5 thousand km).

Fascist planes drop bombs on civilians Soviet cities. June 22, 1941

In the first few days, German troops advanced tens and hundreds of kilometers. On central direction at the beginning of July 1941, all of Belarus was captured, and German troops reached the approaches to Smolensk. On northwest- the Baltic states are occupied, Leningrad is blocked on September 9. On south Hitler's troops occupied Moldova and Right Bank Ukraine. Thus, by the autumn of 1941, Hitler’s plan to seize the vast territory of the European part of the USSR was carried out.

153 fascist German divisions (3,300 thousand people) and 37 divisions (300 thousand people) of satellite states were thrown against the Soviet state Hitler's Germany. They were armed with 3,700 tanks, 4,950 aircraft and 48 thousand guns and mortars.

By the beginning of the war against the USSR, 180 Czechoslovak, French, English, Belgian, Dutch and Norwegian divisions received weapons, ammunition and equipment at the disposal of Nazi Germany as a result of the occupation of Western European countries. This not only made it possible to equip the fascist troops with sufficient quantities of military equipment and equipment, but also to ensure superiority in military potential over the Soviet troops.

In our western districts There were 2.9 million people, armed with 1,540 new types of aircraft, 1,475 modern T-34 and KV tanks and 34,695 guns and mortars. The Nazi army had great superiority in strength.

Characterizing the reasons for the failures of the Soviet Armed Forces in the first months of the war, many historians today see them in serious mistakes made by the Soviet leadership in the pre-war years. In 1939, large mechanized corps, so necessary in modern warfare, were disbanded, production of 45 and 76 mm anti-tank guns was discontinued, fortifications on the old Western border were dismantled, and much more.

The weakening of the command staff caused by pre-war repressions. All this led to an almost complete change in the command and political composition of the Red Army. By the beginning of the war, about 75% of commanders and 70% of political workers had been in their positions for less than one year. Even the Chief of the General Staff ground forces In fascist Germany, General F. Halder noted in his diary in May 1941: “The Russian officer corps is exceptionally bad. It makes a worse impression than in 1933. It will take Russia 20 years until it reaches its previous heights.” The officer corps of our country had to be recreated already in the conditions of the outbreak of war.

Among the serious mistakes of the Soviet leadership is a miscalculation in determining the time of a possible attack by Nazi Germany on the USSR.

Stalin and his entourage believed that Hitler's leadership will not dare to violate the non-aggression treaty concluded with the USSR in the near future. All information received through various channels, including military and political intelligence, about the upcoming German attack was considered by Stalin as provocative, aimed at aggravating relations with Germany. This can also explain the government’s assessment conveyed in a TASS statement on June 14, 1941, in which rumors about an impending German attack were declared provocative. This also explained the fact that the directive to bring the troops of the western military districts into combat readiness and occupy combat lines was given too late. Essentially, the directive was received by the troops when the war had already begun. Therefore, the consequences of this were extremely severe.

At the end of June - the first half of July 1941, large defensive border battles unfolded (defense of the Brest Fortress, etc.).

Defenders of the Brest Fortress. Hood. P. Krivonogov. 1951

From July 16 to August 15, the defense of Smolensk continued in the central direction. In the north westward The German plan to capture Leningrad failed. In the south, the defense of Kyiv was carried out until September 1941, and Odessa until October. The stubborn resistance of the Red Army in the summer and autumn of 1941 thwarted Hitler's plan for a lightning war. At the same time, the capture by the fascist command by the fall of 1941 of the vast territory of the USSR with its most important industrial centers and grain regions was a serious loss for the Soviet government. (Reader T11 No. 3)

Restructuring the country's life on a war footing

Immediately after the German attack, the Soviet government carried out major military-political and economic measures to repel aggression. On June 23, the Headquarters of the Main Command was formed. July 10 it was converted into Bid Supreme High Command . It included I.V. Stalin (appointed commander-in-chief and soon became people's commissar of defense), V.M. Molotov, S.K. Timoshenko, S.M. Budyonny, K.E. Voroshilov, B.M. Shaposhnikov and G.K. Zhukov. By a directive of June 29, the Council of People's Commissars of the USSR and the Central Committee of the All-Union Communist Party of Bolsheviks set the entire country the task of mobilizing all forces and means to fight the enemy. June 30th was created State Committee Defense(GKO), which concentrated all power in the country. The military doctrine was radically revised, the task was put forward to organize strategic defense, wear down and stop the advance of the fascist troops. Large-scale events were carried out to transfer industry to a military footing, mobilize the population into the army and build defensive lines.

Page of the newspaper "Moscow Bolshevik" dated July 3, 1941 with the text of the speech of J.V. Stalin. Fragment

One of the main tasks, which had to be resolved from the first days of the war, was the fastest restructuring of the national economy, the entire economy of the country on military rails. The main line of this restructuring was defined in the Directive of June 29, 1941. Specific measures to restructure the national economy began to be implemented from the very beginning of the war. On the second day of the war, a mobilization plan for the production of ammunition and cartridges was introduced. And on June 30, the Central Committee of the All-Union Communist Party of Bolsheviks and the Council of People's Commissars of the USSR approved the mobilization national economic plan for the third quarter of 1941. However, events at the front developed so unfavorably for us that this plan was not fulfilled. Taking into account the current situation, on July 4, 1941, a decision was made to urgently develop a new plan for the development of military production. The GKO resolution on July 4, 1941 noted: “Instruct Comrade Voznesensky’s commission, with the involvement of the People’s Commissar of Arms, Ammunition, Aviation Industry, Non-ferrous Metallurgy and other People’s Commissars develop a military-economic plan for ensuring the country's defense, referring to the use of resources and enterprises located on the Volga, Western Siberia and the Urals.” This commission developed in two weeks new plan for the IV quarter of 1941 and for 1942 in the regions of the Volga region, the Urals, Western Siberia, Kazakhstan and Central Asia.

For the speedy deployment of a production base in the regions of the Volga region, the Urals, Western Siberia, Kazakhstan and Central Asia, it was decided to bring industrial enterprises of the People's Commissariat of Ammunition, the People's Commissariat of Armaments, the People's Commissariat of Aviation Industry and others to these areas.

Members of the Politburo, who were at the same time members of the State Defense Committee, exercised general management of the main branches of the military economy. Issues of production of weapons and ammunition were dealt with by N.A. Voznesensky, aircraft and aircraft engines - G.M. Malenkov, tanks - V.M. Molotov, food, fuel and clothing - A.I. Mikoyan and others. Industrial People's Commissariat was headed by: A.L. Shakhurin - aviation industry, V.L. Vannikov - ammunition, I.F. Tevosyan - ferrous metallurgy, A.I. Efremov - machine tool industry, V.V. Vakhrushev - coal, I.I. Sedin is an oil worker.

The main link in the restructuring of the national economy on a war footing became industrial restructuring. Almost all mechanical engineering was transferred to military production.

In November 1941, the People's Commissariat of General Engineering was transformed into the People's Commissariat of the Mortar Industry. In addition to the People's Commissariat of the aviation industry, shipbuilding, weapons and ammunition created before the war, two People's Commissariat of the tank and mortar industry were formed at the beginning of the war. Thanks to this, all major branches of the military industry received specialized centralized control. The production of rocket launchers began, which existed before the war only in prototypes. Their production is organized at the Moscow Kompressor plant. The first missile combat installation was given the name “Katyusha” by front-line soldiers.

At the same time, the process was actively carried out training of workers through the labor reserve system. In just two years, about 1,100 thousand people were trained to work in industry through this area.

For the same purposes, in February 1942, the Decree of the Presidium of the Supreme Soviet of the USSR “On the mobilization of the able-bodied urban population to work in production and construction during wartime” was adopted.

During the restructuring of the national economy, the main center war economy The USSR was becoming eastern industrial base, which was significantly expanded and strengthened with the outbreak of the war. Already in 1942 he grew up specific gravity eastern regions in all-Union production.

As a result, the eastern industrial base bore the brunt of supplying the army with weapons and equipment. In 1942, military production increased in the Urals by more than 6 times compared to 1940, in Western Siberia by 27 times, and in the Volga region by 9 times. In general, during the war industrial production in these areas has more than tripled. This was a great military-economic victory achieved Soviet people these years. She laid a strong foundation for final victory above Nazi Germany.

Progress of military operations in 1942

In the summer of 1942, the fascist leadership relied on capturing the oil regions of the Caucasus, the fertile regions of southern Russia and the industrial Donbass. Kerch and Sevastopol were lost.

At the end of June 1942, a general German offensive in two directions: on Caucasus and to the east - to Volga.

Great Patriotic War of the Soviet Union (22.VI. 1941 - 9.V. 1945)

On Caucasian direction at the end of July 1942, a strong Nazi group crossed the Don. As a result, Rostov, Stavropol and Novorossiysk were captured. Stubborn fighting took place in the central part of the Main Caucasus Range, where specially trained enemy alpine riflemen operated in the mountains. Despite achievements achieved in the Caucasian direction, the fascist command never managed to solve its main task - to break into Transcaucasia to take possession oil reserves Baku. By the end of September, the offensive of fascist troops in the Caucasus was stopped.

An equally difficult situation for the Soviet command arose in east direction. It was created to cover it Stalingrad Front under the command of Marshal S.K. Tymoshenko. Due to the current critical situation an order was issued Supreme Commander-in-Chief No. 227, which said: “To retreat further means to ruin ourselves and at the same time our Motherland.” At the end July 1942. enemy under command General von Paulus caused a strong beat on Stalingrad front . However, despite the significant superiority in forces, within a month the fascist troops managed to advance only 60 - 80 km.

From the first days of September began heroic defense of Stalingrad, which actually continued until the end of 1942. Its significance during the Great Patriotic War is enormous. Thousands of Soviet patriots showed themselves heroically in the battles for the city.

Street fighting in Stalingrad. 1942

As a result, in the battles for Stalingrad, enemy troops suffered colossal losses. Every month of the battle, about 250 thousand new Wehrmacht soldiers and officers were sent here, the bulk military equipment. By mid-November 1942, the Nazi troops, having lost more than 180 thousand people killed and 500 thousand wounded, were forced to stop the offensive.

During the summer-autumn campaign of 1942, the Nazis managed to occupy a huge part of the European part of the USSR, but the enemy was stopped.

Second period of the Great Patriotic War (1942 - 1943)

The final stage of the war (1944 - 1945)

Great Patriotic War of the Soviet Union (22.VI. 1941 - 9.V. 1945)

In the winter of 1944, the offensive of Soviet troops began near Leningrad and Novgorod.

900-day blockade heroic Leningrad, broken in 1943, was completely removed.

United! Breaking the blockade of Leningrad. January 1943

Summer 1944. The Red Army carried out one of the largest operations of the Great Patriotic War (“ Bagration”). Belarus was completely released. This victory opened the way to advance into Poland, the Baltic states and East Prussia. In mid-August 1944. Soviet troops in the western direction reached border with Germany.

At the end of August, Moldova was liberated.

These are the most major operations 1944 was accompanied by the liberation of other territories of the Soviet Union - Transcarpathian Ukraine, the Baltic states, Karelian Isthmus and the Arctic.

Victory Russian troops in 1944 they helped the peoples of Bulgaria, Hungary, Yugoslavia, and Czechoslovakia in their struggle against fascism. In these countries, pro-German regimes were overthrown, and patriotic forces came to power. The Polish Army, created back in 1943 on the territory of the USSR, took the side of the anti-Hitler coalition.

Main results offensive operations carried out in 1944, consisted in the fact that the liberation of Soviet land was completely completed, the state border of the USSR was completely restored, military operations were transferred beyond the borders of our Motherland.

Front commanders final stage wars

A further offensive of the Red Army against Hitler's troops was launched on the territory of Romania, Poland, Bulgaria, Hungary, and Czechoslovakia. Soviet command, developing the offensive, carried out a number of operations outside the USSR (Budapest, Belgrade, etc.). They were caused by the need to destroy large enemy groups in these territories in order to prevent the possibility of their transfer to the defense of Germany. At the same time, the introduction of Soviet troops into the countries of Eastern and South-Eastern Europe strengthened the left and communist parties in them and, in general, the influence of the Soviet Union in this region.

T-34-85 in the mountains of Transylvania

IN January 1945. Soviet troops began broad offensive operations in order to complete the defeat of Nazi Germany. The offensive took place on a huge 1,200 km front from the Baltic to the Carpathians. Polish, Czechoslovak, Romanian and Bulgarian troops operated together with the Red Army. The French also fought as part of the 3rd Belorussian Front aviation regiment"Normandy - Neman".

By the end of the winter of 1945, the Soviet Army had completely liberated Poland and Hungary, a significant part of Czechoslovakia and Austria. In the spring of 1945, the Red Army reached the approaches to Berlin.

Berlin offensive operation (16.IV - 8.V 1945)

Victory Banner over the Reichstag

It was a difficult battle in a burning, dilapidated city. On May 8, representatives of the Wehrmacht signed an act of unconditional surrender.

Signing of the act of unconditional surrender of Nazi Germany

On May 9, Soviet troops completed their last operation - they defeated the Nazi army group surrounding the capital of Czechoslovakia, Prague, and entered the city.

The long-awaited Victory Day has arrived, which has become a great holiday. The decisive role in achieving this victory, in achieving the defeat of Nazi Germany and ending the Second World War belongs to the Soviet Union.

Defeated fascist standards

1941

June 22 Beginning of the Great Patriotic War.
June 24, 1941 Creation of a special Evacuation Council. The council was headed by N.M. Shvernik. To the east of western regions 10,000,000 people were evacuated, equipment from numerous enterprises was relocated. During the first six months of the war, more than 1,500 enterprises were evacuated.
June 26, 1941 Decree “On the working hours of workers and employees in wartime.”
June 30, 1941 The State Defense Committee was formed, headed by Stalin. The State Defense Committee is an emergency body with full power and the ability to quickly make decisions on any issue. The documents approved by the State Defense Committee had the force of law. The GKO included Stalin, Molotov, Voroshilov, Malenkov, Beria, Kaganovich. Later Bulganin, Voznesensky, and Mikoyan were introduced into it.

July 1, 1941 German and Romanian troops launched an offensive from the territory of Romania.
July 2, 1941 Beginning of the formation of the people's militia in Moscow.
July 6, 1941 Establishment of criminal liability for distribution
false rumors.
July 10 - September 10, 1941 Battle of Smolensk. The meaning of Smolensk
battle is that the forces of the Western, Reserve,
The Central and Bryansk Fronts managed to delay the advance of the German Army Group Center in the Moscow strategic direction and delay the “blitzkrieg” plan.
July 10, 1941 The defense of Leningrad begins.
July 11 - September 19, 1941 Defense of Kyiv.
July 12, 1941 Agreement between the USSR and Great Britain. Agreement
provided collaboration in the war against Germany. The agreement formalized the two main principles of the coalition: assistance and support of all kinds in the war against Germany, as well as the refusal to negotiate or conclude a truce with the enemy, except with mutual consent.
July 30, 1941 Signing of the Soviet-Polish agreement. Agreement
provided for mutual assistance in the war against Germany and the creation
Polish military formations on the territory of the USSR.

September 29 - October 1, 1941 Moscow Allied Conference. Representatives of the USSR and Great Britain in the USA agreed on issues of mutual military supplies.
September 30 - December 5, 1941 Defensive period of the Battle of Moscow. The advance of the German troops was stopped by the troops of the Western, Reserve, Bryansk and Kalinin fronts.

7 October 1941 Encirclement Soviet armies near Bryansk and Vyazma. The too obvious concentration of troops of Army Group Center into one fist was not noticed in time. After breaking through the defense, the front commanders Konev and Budyonny began to act separately. Stalin was at a loss, since the path to Moscow was open. The order to withdraw the troops was nevertheless accepted, but the armies found themselves in a cauldron. Four armies of the Western and Reserve Fronts near Vyazma and two armies of the Bryansk Front south of Bryansk were surrounded. 663 thousand people were captured.
October 8, 1941 Compiling a list of Moscow enterprises for mining. The path to Moscow after the failures of the armies at Bryansk and Vyazma was open.
October 6-19, 1941 Moscow announcement on state of siege. One day Zhukov found Stalin completely at a loss. Beria had already given an order to establish contact with the German command to conclude a separate peace. The metro did not work, food was not sold, but distributed. Many Muscovites with a few belongings flocked to the southeast.

November 7, 1941 Parade of troops on Red Square. Immediately after the parade, units of the Red Army went to the front, which was only a few tens of kilometers from Moscow.
November 7, 1941 Declaration of the President of the United States. The Declaration stated
provision of military materials to the USSR under Lend-Lease.

December 5, 1941 -January 8, 1942 Counter-offensive of the Red Army in the battle for
Moscow. By the beginning of January, the German armies were driven back 100-250 km from Moscow.

December 15, 1941 Liberation of Kyiv by troops of the Western Front.
December 16, 1941 Liberation of Kalinin by troops of the Kalinin Front.
December 20, 1941 Liberation of Volokolamsk by troops of the Western Front.
December 25, 1941 - January 2, 1942 Kerch-Feodosia operation. During
operations of the troops of the Transcaucasian Front, the forces of the Black Sea Fleet and the Azov military flotilla liberated Kerch and Feodosia and expelled the German-Romanian troops of the 11th Army from the Kerch Peninsula.
December 26, 1941 Liberation of Naro-Fominsk by troops of the Western Front.

1942

January 29, 1942 Agreement between the USSR, Iran and Great Britain on the war against Germany.

May 26, 1942 Treaty between Great Britain and the USSR. The agreement confirmed the desire of the countries for a union and joint war against Nazi Germany and its allies in Europe and about cooperation and mutual assistance after the war.

June 11, 1942 Agreement between the USSR and the USA. Agreement on the principles applicable to
mutual assistance in waging war against aggression and cooperation in
post-war period in order to ensure peace and security.

July 10, 1942 Resolution on the creation of the grain fund of the Red Army.
July 17, 1942 Battle of Stalingrad. The beginning of the radical
turning point during the war.

September 13 - November 18, 1942 Defensive battles on the streets of Stalingrad. The order from the Headquarters contained a requirement to assemble aviation from two fronts,
mobilize all armored trains, use smoke to intimidate
enemy. The German armies were bogged down in street fighting.
November 2, 1942 Formation of the Extraordinary State Commission for
identification and investigation of atrocities Nazi invaders and their accomplices.
November 23, 1942 Completion of the encirclement German group near Stalingrad. Paulus asked for the withdrawal of troops from Stalingrad, but Hitler wanted to take the city named after Stalin at any cost. This price was the encirclement of Paulus's army.

1943

January 12-18, 1943 Breaking the blockade of Leningrad. The breakthrough was carried out by the troops of Volkhovsky and Leningrad fronts with the assistance of the Baltic Fleet. During the years of the siege, 850,000 residents died from hunger, cold, bombing and artillery shelling. There could have been fewer casualties if everything had been calculated in advance by the city leadership and appropriate measures had been taken.
January 24 - February 2, 1943 Voronezh-Kastornensky operation. It was carried out by troops of the Voronezh and Bryansk fronts, liberating Voronezh during the operation.

July 5, 1943 Battle of Kursk. “The Battle of Kursk, which lasted almost two months, went down in history as the largest tank battle ever fought.” (D. Boffa)

July 12, 1943 Largest tank battle 2nd World War near the village.
Prokhorovka. At the same time, up to 1,200 tanks, self-propelled and assault guns took part in the oncoming battle on both sides. The battle formations were mixed up. The surviving vehicles fought, maneuvering between huge fires of flaming tanks.
July 12 -August 23, 1943 Counter-offensive of Soviet troops near Kursk.
Having exhausted the enemy, the Red Army launched a counteroffensive. In him
troops of Bryansk, Western, Central, Voronezh and
Steppe fronts. On August 5, Oryol and Belgorod were liberated, and on August 23, Kharkov. This concluded the Battle of Kursk.
August 5, 1943 The first fireworks display in Moscow in honor of the victories of the Red Army. Was
produced in honor of the liberation of Orel and Belgorod.

September - December 1943 Battle of the Dnieper. In September the grandiose
the battle for the Dnieper, during which the “Eastern Wall” was destroyed - a powerful line
defense of German troops. Often, by swimming or on simple rafts, people tried to get over to the other side and gain a foothold there, creating a bridgehead for a further attack.

September 8, 1943 Liberation of Donetsk by troops of the Southern Front.
September 16, 1943 Liberation of Novorossiysk. In the liberation of the city
troops took part North Caucasus Front together with
Black Sea Fleet.

October 28, 1943 Decree of the Presidium of the USSR Supreme Council on peoples who are accomplices of fascism. In October-June 1943-1944 they were resettled to the regions of the Altai and Krasnoyarsk territories. Omsk and Novosibirsk region and in Central Asia: Kalmyks (140,000), Tatars (200,000), Chechens (400,000), Ingush (100,000), Karachais (80,000), Balkars (40,000).

December 12, 1943 Treaty of Friendship and Post-War Cooperation between the USSR and Czechoslovakia.
December 24, 1943 - May 12, 1944 Operation to liberate Right Bank Ukraine and Crimea.
December 1943 Reflection of the Wehrmacht counter-offensive.

1944

January 14 March 1, 1944 Leningrad-Novgorod operation. The troops of the Leningrad, Volkhov and 2nd Baltic fronts went on the offensive. As a result of the operation, Leningrad was completely unblocked.
January 20, 1944 Liberation of Novgorod by troops Volkhov Front.

April 8 - May 12, 1944 Crimean operation. Liberation of Crimea by troops of the 4th Ukrainian Front and Separate Primorsky Army in cooperation with the Black Sea Fleet.

May 9, 1944 Liberation of Sevastopol by the troops of the 4th Ukrainian Front and the forces of the Black Sea Fleet.

July 17, 1944 A column of German prisoners of war passes through Moscow.
July 24, 1944 Liberation of Lublin by troops of the 1st Belorussian Front.

August 12, 1944 Statement by the Soviet government to the government of Bulgaria The statement contained a demand to sever relations with Nazi Germany.

On September 5, 1944, the USSR declared a state of war with Bulgaria.
September 8, 1944 Soviet troops enter Bulgaria.

September 15, 1944 Soviet troops enter Sofia.
September 19, 1944 An armistice is signed with Finland. The armistice was signed by the USSR and Great Britain. Finland declared war on Germany.
September - October 1944 Defeat of German troops in the Baltic states.
September 23, 1944 Soviet troops enter Hungary.

October 6, 1944 Soviet troops enter Czechoslovakia.
October 23, 1944 Recognition of the French Provisional Government. Temporary
The French government was recognized by the governments of Great Britain, the USSR and the USA.

November 14, 1944 Agreement on the control mechanism in Germany. The agreement was signed by representatives of the USA, Great Britain and the USSR.

December 10, 1944 Soviet-French Treaty. The Treaty of Alliance and Mutual Assistance obliged the parties to jointly fight until complete victory over Germany and prevent the emergence of new threat war from Germany.

1945

January 17, 1945 Liberation of Warsaw by troops of the 1st Belorussian Front and
January 20, 1945 Armistice with Hungary. The truce was signed by representatives of the Allies on the one hand and representatives of Hungary on the other.
January 30 - April 9, 1945 Encirclement and defeat of the German group in
Koenigsberg. It was the climax East Prussian operation. Perfectly defended and supplied with everything necessary, the city held out for quite a long time, but was still forced to surrender.

March 19-31, 1945 The decision was made to create a government
People's Democratic Czechoslovakia.

April 4, 1945 Liberation of Bratislava.
April 9, 1945 Soviet troops enter Austria. Agreement on zones of occupation of Austria.
April 13, 1945 Capture of Vienna by Soviet troops.
April 16 - May 2, 1945 Berlin operation. The Berlin operation was
"... one of the most difficult operations of the Second World War." (G.K. Zhukov)

April 25 - June 26, 1945 USSR participation in the United Nations conference in San Francisco.
April 30, 1945 Raising the Victory Banner over the Reichstag.

May 2, 1945 The defeat of the Berlin group of the Wehrmacht is completed.
May 8, 1945 Surrender of Germany. “And suddenly everything that had accumulated in the hall
the tension disappears. Disappears as if everyone had been holding air for a long time
breasts and released him at once. General relieved, relaxed exhalation.
The surrender has been signed. The war is over! (K. Simonov)
May 9, 1945 The end of the Great Patriotic War.

date	Events, battles	Results, significance
22.06.1941	Germany attacked the USSR without declaring war. The Great Patriotic War began. The blow was delivered in three directions: Leningrad, Moscow, Kyiv.	A. Hitler demanded to wage a war of “destruction.” The Nazis intended to “break the Russians as a people,” undermine their “biological strength,” and destroy Russian culture.
July-August 1941	Fierce fighting near Borisov and Smolensk.	07/16/1941 The Germans managed to take Smolensk, which opened the way to Moscow. The Germans temporarily went on the defensive.
8.09.1941	The Germans reached Lake Ladoga.	The blockade of Leningrad began, which lasted 900 days and led to the death of about 1 million Leningraders.
19.09.1941	In the south there are fierce battles for Kyiv.	The people of Kiev took part in the construction of defensive structures.
16.10.1941	Defense Odessa.	The army is organized and evacuated to the Crimea. Battle in Crimea
30.10.1941- 04.07.1942	Defense of Sevastopol.	The heroic defense lasted 250 days.
20.04.1942	Defense on the line Rzhev-Gzhatsk-Kirov-Zhizdra.	The Red Army was able to move from defense to offense. The Wehrmacht was defeated, 38 enemy divisions were defeated near Moscow.
May 1942	Soviet troops went on the offensive in the Kharkov area.	We were defeated. The enemy was advancing on North Caucasus and to the Volga.
17.07.1942	The attack on Stalengrad under the command of F. Pauls.	Stalengrad was placed under siege.
19.10.1942	Soviet troops went on the offensive north and south of Stalengrad.	An attempt by the German Army Group "Don" under the command of E. Manstein to release Pauls' troops was repelled by soldiers of the Second Guards Army under the command of R. Ya. Malinovsky.
31.01.1943	Soviet troops under the command of Rokossovsky divided the German group in Stalengrad into 2 parts.	Surrender of the southern part of the group then the northern. General Field Marshal Pauls was captured.
	The following areas were liberated: the North Caucasus, Rostov, Voronezh, Oryol and Kursk regions.	A turning point in the course of the war.
18.01.1943	Soviet troops partially broke the blockade of Leningrad.
5.07.1943- 23.08.1943	Battle of Kursk.	The largest tank battle near the village of Prokhorovka. Soviet troops launched a counter-offensive. Orel, Belgorod, Kharkov, Donbass, Bryansk, Smolensk, and the Taman Peninsula were liberated.
September 1943	Battle of the Dnieper.	The troops of the First Ukrainian Front under the command of N.F. Vatutin liberated Kyiv.
January 1944	The defeat of the German group near Leningrad and Novgorod.	Elimination of the blockade of Leningrad.
22.03.1944- 16.04.1944	The troops of the 3rd Ukrainian Front, under the command of R.Ya. Malinovsky, together with the Black Sea Fleet, liberated Nikolaev and Odessa.	In the south the enemy was defeated.
April-May 1944	The army of the 4th Ukrainian Front under the command of F.I. Tolbukhin. Crimea was cleared of the enemy.	Operation Bagration was carried out.
Autumn 1944	Strike against the Germans in the Arctic.	The northern part of Norway has been liberated.
April 1945	A meeting with Allied forces took place on the Elbe River.	Soviet troops entered German territory.
Early May 1945	Soviet troops defeated a group of Nazi troops near Prague.
May 8, 1945	In the suburbs of Berlin, representatives of the German command signed the Act of Unconditional Surrender.	The defeat of Germany meant the end of the war in Europe.
May 9, 1945	It became the actual day of victory for the peoples of the USSR.	Victory.

Conclusion: According to the Barbarossa plan, it was prescribed to defeat the main forces of the Red Army within the framework of a short-term company of rapid advance of tank wedges. The blow was delivered in three directions: Leningrad, Moscow, Kyiv. The Battle of Moscow is one of the greatest battles in world history. The Wehrmacht was defeated for the first time in World War II; 38 enemy divisions were defeated near Moscow. The Battle of Staligrad marked the beginning of a radical change in the entire Second World War. The Battle of Kursk, the battle for the Dnieper, completed a radical turning point during the Great Patriotic War. The balance of forces changed sharply in favor of the Red Army. The German command switched from offensive to defensive on almost the entire front territory. The Patriotic War cost the people of the USSR the loss of more than 27 million inhabitants. The Soviet Union lost almost a third of its national wealth. 1,710 cities, more than 40 thousand villages, 32 thousand industrial enterprises were destroyed. Overall, the country lost half of its urban housing stock and 30% of rural homes. The Soviet Union achieved its political goals in this war. He not only retained his freedom and independence, but also ensured that he took part in determining the post-war world order, in the creation of the UN, expanded his borders, and received the right to report. Became one of two super powers.

Topic 5.9. The world in the second half of the 20th century.

Independent work № 8.

Ø “Socio-political development of the USSR in the middle. 50s - early 60s of the XX century."

1) Formation of skills in independent learning activities, working with additional literature and sources and discussion.

2) Formation of general competence to search and use historical information necessary to effectively complete the task.

1. In February 1956 The XX Congress of the CPSU took place. At the end of the work, “N.S. Khrushchev spoke about the cult of personality and its consequences. He spoke about I.V. Stalin’s violations of Lenin’s policies, about the repressions that killed innocent people. He spoke about Stalin’s mistakes as a statesman. The public exposure of Stalin shocked Soviet people, many began to doubt the correctness of the path that the country had followed since 1917.

On Khrushchev’s initiative, cultural figures created their works without strict party dictates. This policy was called the "Thaw". During the Thaw period, not only culture but also the life of society as a whole underwent changes. Society has become more open. it was a step towards democracy. In my opinion, the path to N.S. Khrushchev’s leadership consisted of his report at the 20th Congress of the CPSU “On the cult of personality and its consequences,” and the creation of the “thaw” policy.

2. The XX Congress of the CPSU (February 14 - 25, 1956) played a huge role in the de-Stalinization of the country. The congress itself proceeded as usual. It discussed the report on the work of the Central Committee of the Party, the directives of the Sixth Five-Year Plan, and traditional greetings were addressed to the Central Committee and its leadership. With a minute of silence, the delegates honored the memory of prominent party figures, including I.V. Stalin. But at a closed meeting, without guests and the press, N.S. made a report “On the cult of personality and its consequences.” Khrushchev. It contained P.N. collected by the commission. Pospelov provides information about mass executions of innocent people, about the deportation of entire peoples in the 30s and 40s. Khrushchev’s report did not contain a complete picture of the repressions and criminal nature of Stalin’s activities, much less the regime of personal power he created. “Stalin's crimes” did not extend to collectivization and the famine of the early 1930s. The assessment of what happened was given in the spirit of the times: responsibility for the repressions was placed on Stalin and Beria. Political leadership, who remained in power, was not responsible for the past, and turned out to be beyond criticism. The evils of the command-administrative system were ultimately reduced to a cult of personality. Its reasons were seen in the deviation from the Marxist-Leninist understanding of the role of the individual in history, in the negative character traits of Stalin. It was emphasized in every possible way that the cult of personality did not and could not change the nature of the socialist social and political system. At the same time, the correctness of the socialist choice for Russia was not questioned.

The period that began after the 20th Congress of the CPSU until the early 1960s was called the “Thaw” (based on the story of the same name by I. G. Ehrenburg). According to I.G. Ehrenburg, the “thaw” replaced the bitter frosts of the post-war period. This name best characterizes the inconsistency of the times. On the one hand, a policy was pursued to restore the rule of law, the judicial system was reformed, and new criminal legislation was introduced.

The “Thaw” led to serious changes in the spiritual life of society. The ideological pressure on the creative intelligentsia has noticeably weakened; culture has ceased to be synonymous with ideology. These changes gave rise to the cultural phenomenon of the “sixties”, who became the main carriers of the ideas of de-Stalinization in society and provided them with public support.

During the “thaw”, even the thought of abandoning the command-administrative system was not allowed, so changes in it were insignificant. The political monopoly of the party was maintained. All major decisions in the state were made with the participation and leadership of the party. 1956 - 1964 was a time of some expansion of democracy in the CPSU. The role of the plenums of the CPSU Central Committee increased significantly, which was of great importance in the internal party struggle for power between Khrushchev and his opponents.

There have been many changes regarding the rank and file. Trying to find support in the fight against partyocracy, Khrushchev stimulated internal party democracy.

More serious attempts at modernization were undertaken by Khrushchev in the sphere of executive power. Supreme body The executive power in the USSR was still the Council of Ministers.

The management reform of 1957 did not introduce qualitative changes in economic conditions of management, planning and management. It boiled down to a formal, organizational and structural restructuring of the apparatus government controlled. But still, the reorganization of the management system gave a certain impetus to the development of the economy: as a result of the removal of departmental barriers, ensuring greater efficiency of management, the growth rate of national income increased, specialization and cooperation intensified across administrative and economic regions, and the process accelerated technical reconstruction production. Significant savings were achieved by reducing the cost of the administrative apparatus. However, the reform soon began to falter.

A real threat Khrushchev's sole power was now represented by G.K. Zhukov. The illustrious marshal had enormous services to the country and was the only one from the top leadership who was not concerned about the question of guilt for organizing mass repressions. Khrushchev feared his popularity and influence. He accused Zhukov of overestimating his military merits and of “Bonapartism.” In October 1957, at the plenum of the Central Committee, it was said that Zhukov “violated Leninist, party principles of leadership of the Armed Forces, pursued a line to curtail the work of party organizations, political bodies and Military Councils, to eliminate leadership and control over the Army and Navy on the part of the party, its Central Committee and the government." As a result, G.K. Zhukov was removed from the post of Minister of Defense and removed from the Presidium of the Central Committee.

3. At the beginning of 60 Khrushchev's policies and some of his reforms caused rejection both among the majority of the population and among the top leadership. The latter was especially dissatisfied with the decision to change leading party workers. The transformation of N.S. Khrushchev ended with his resignation. On October 14-15, 1964, the plenum of the Central Committee of the PSU removed Khrushchev from the post of First Secretary of the CPSU Central Committee and Chairman of the Council of Ministers of the USSR.

4. Let's sum up the results of the “great decade”. This is an era of radical transformation and a modification of the Stalinist model of socialism. The leadership of the USSR carried out many activities to improve the well-being of the people. Pensions were increased. Tuition fees have been abolished in secondary and higher educational institutions. People's material incomes have increased. Mass housing construction was launched. Many received separate, albeit small, Khrushchev apartments.

Simultaneously with the increase in wages, prices for consumer goods were reduced: fabrics, clothing, goods for children, medicines, etc.

The working day was reduced to 6-7 hours, and on pre-holiday and holidays for another hour. The working week has become shorter by 2 hours. Since the late 50s, the sale of durable goods on credit began. Undoubted successes in the social sphere were accompanied by negative phenomena, especially painful for the population: essential products, including bread, disappeared from store shelves. Because of this, a demonstration occurred in Novocherkassk in 1962, during the suppression of which the troops used weapons, which led to many casualties.