Three reasons that led up to this turning point was the failure of Operation Barbarossa, the first major victory of World War Two for the Russians, and how weak the German Army had become. These three events in order show what led to this significant turning point of World War Two. In June 1941, Hitler embarked on Operation Barbarossa which was the conquest of the Soviet Union. During this operation Hitler released a new Blitzkrieg with three million Germans soldiers flooding into the Soviet Union. This Blitzkrieg caught Stalin by surprise because he was still recovering from the purges that had wiped out a great amount of his top officers.
In 1941 it defeated the Yugoslav and Greek armies, but did not have the needed weapons for mobile warfare. In 1941 it also defeated the huge Russian army all the way to Moscow, but because of the logistic neglect it was defeated by Russia's endless size and extreme weather, (2world). This demonstrates the strength of the German military mainly through the fact that the Germans were the first to use this effective style of warfare. It validates how the Germans could hit hard, and fast making the use of
Soviet and US relations changed dramatically between 1945 and 1947, there were many reasons to explain why and how this happened. Firstly, one reason was the end of WW2. During the Second World War, America and the USSR were members of the Grand Alliance in order to oppose Hitler, but when this war finished there was nothing to bring the Communists and Capitalists together. Therefore, the two countries went from allies to progressing enemies after Germany was defeated. This developed until a confrontation, from Western and Eastern Europe, in a nuclear arms race.
The success of Hitler and the Axis powers during the first two years of the war, 1939-1941, was impaired due to poor, irrational planning, postponements, overconfidence, and the growing forces of the Allied powers, as exemplified in the Battle of Britain, the Invasion of the Soviet Union, and the attack on Pearl Harbor. In the spring of 1940, Hitler swept through the borders of the Netherlands and Belgium and was then able to successfully invade France with his blitzkrieg war tactics and ability to split up the French and British armies. By swiftly moving south and west, the Germans were able to trap the British army at Dunkirk, then entering and invading France in June of 1940. The British now stood alone and awaited the attack of Germany. Though the odds and numbers were against the British, it was the unorganized planning and overconfidence that led to the British army to ultimately win the battle against Germany.
To understand and identify the aspects of the totalitarian system in both countries it's important to consider both countries history. On November the 11th 1918 Germany agreed to signed the Armistice. After Germany was forced to accept Versailles agreement by accepting guilt for WW 1. As a consequence the German people were demotivated and had no confidence in the new liberal democratic Weimar government and international forces. This resulted in risings such as the Spartacist rising where communists fuelled by the success of the Russian revolution almost occupied nearly every major city in Germany.
The Battle of Stalingrad was one of the most crucial and gruesome battles fought in Europe during World War Two. There were numerous reasons that Hitler saw fit for invading Stalingrad on September 1st, 1942 including his obsession for conquering the city named after his biggest rival, Josef Stalin. As the battle waged on both sides suffered immense casualties as they tried to gain a strangle hold on the important industrial city of Stalingrad. After 199 days of fighting, the Battle of Stalingrad concluded, beginning what many historians view as the turning point in Hitler’s European conquest as the Germans began their retreat from Russia. By 1942, Hitler had assumed control of the German Army (an army that no longer had the strength and resources seen in Operation Barbarossa) and he listened to his generals much less than he had in previous years.
On the 22nd June 1941 ordered the start of Operation Barbarossa, An operation that around 3.9 million German troops would be committed and was arguably the beginning of the end of the Third Reich’s worldwide conquest. With hindsight it is easy to suggest that Russia would have always proven a target too overwhelming to tackle considering the constraints of the German military, Economy and more importantly logistical supply line. There are debatable points then as to why Hitler decided to invade such a difficult target, whether it was an act of opportunism or whether the ideological urge and hatred ran so deep he was forced invade at any opening. Both realisations as to why have points supporting it and the probably answer was most likely a mix of both. The question as to when Hitler decided to invade the Soviet Union comes under similar causes.
1918 In 1917, Russia had been in political turmoil with support for the war and the Tsar dwindling. Under intense pressure Tsar Nicholas II abdicated in March and a provisional government formed under Alexander Kerensky, pledging to continue fighting the Germans on the Eastern Front. The Western allies had been shipping supplies to Russia since the beginning of the war, through the ports of Archangel, Murmansk and Vladivostok. Following the entry of the United States into World War I in 1917, the Americans also began providing support. Political and social unrest increased however, with the revolutionary Bolsheviks gaining widespread support.
That would make Germany weaker and put a buffer zone between Germany and the Soviet Union, Germany had invaded the Soviet Union twice in 30 years and Stalin wanted to ensure that it would not happen again. He also wanted to guarantee that Poland had a pro-Soviet government. Stalin already had a government who were in exile: the Lublin Poles. But Roosevelt and Churchill supported another group, the strongly anti-Communist ‘London Poles’. These Poles had helped organize the Warsaw Uprising in August 1944, aiming to gain part of Poland before Stalin’s Red Army took full control of the country.
Why, despite the disasters of 1941, was Soviet Russia able to defeat Nazi Germany by 1945? Despite many of the problems Soviet Russia initially faced when joining World War Two in 1939- such as a lack of high quality weaponry and equipment, poor economy and lack of knowledgeable officers due to the extensive purges under The Great Terror- they were able to quickly overcome them and emerge victorious against Nazi Germany in 1945. The reason behind their changing fete came as a result of a culmination of key factors including: Stalin’s leadership; the sheer patriotism and strength of the Russian people; the alliances they, begrudgingly, made; as well as fatal German mistakes. One of the factors behind this victory, which can be deemed as the least influential, was the German mistakes. Despite Hitler’s wealth of well put together weaponry, well trained and seemingly invincible army and a seemingly tactical mind-set (which made him at first so fearful and successful) he eventually made some vital errors which led to the Nazi demise.