During World War II Stalin emerged, after an unpromising start, as the most successful of the supreme leaders thrown up by the belligerent nations. In August 1939, after first attempting to form an anti-Hitler alliance with the Western powers, he concluded a pact with Hitler, which encouraged the German dictator to attack Poland and begin World War II. Anxious to strengthen his western frontiers while his new but palpably treacherous German ally was still engaged in the West, Stalin annexed eastern Poland, Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania, and parts of Romania; he also attacked Finland and extorted territorial concessions. In May 1941 Stalin recognized the growing danger of German attack on the Soviet Union by appointing himself chairman of the Council of People’s Commissars (head of the government); it was his first governmental office since 1923.
Stalin’s prewar defensive measures were exposed as incompetent by the German blitzkrieg that surged deep into Soviet territory after Hitler’s unprovoked attack on the Soviet Union of June 22, 1941. Khrushchev claimed that Stalin was shocked into temporary inactivity by the onslaught, but, if so, he soon rallied and appointed himself supreme commander in chief. When the Germans menaced Moscow in the winter of 1941, he remained in the threatened capital, helping to organize a great counter-offensive. The Battle of Stalingrad (in the following winter) and the Battle of Kursk (in the summer of 1943) were also won by the Soviet Army under Stalin’s supreme direction, turning the tide of invasion against the retreating Germans, who capitulated in May 1945. As war leader, Stalin maintained close personal control over the Soviet battlefronts, military reserves, and war economy. At first over-inclined to intervene with inept telephoned instructions, as Hitler did, the Soviet generalissimo gradually learned to delegate military decisions.
Stalin participated in high-level Allied meetings, including those of the “Big Three” with Churchill and Roosevelt at Tehrān (1943), Yalta (1945), and Potsdam (1945). A formidable negotiator, he outwitted these foreign statesmen; his superior skill has been acclaimed by Anthony Eden, then British foreign secretary.
Last years
After the war, Stalin imposed on eastern Europe a new kind of colonial control based on native Communist regimes nominally independent but in fact subservient to himself. He thus increased the number of his subjects by about a hundred million. But in 1948 the defection of Titoist Yugoslavia from the Soviet camp struck a severe blow to world Communism as a Stalin-dominated monolith. To prevent other client states from following Tito’s example, Stalin instigated local show trials, manipulated like those of the Great Purge of the 1930s in Russia, in which satellite Communist leaders confessed to Titoism, many being executed.
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Far from continuing his wartime alliance with the United States and Great Britain, Stalin now regarded these countries—and especially the United States—as the arch-enemies that he needed after Hitler’s death. At home, the primacy of Marxist ideology was harshly reasserted. Stalin’s chief ideological hatchet man, Andrey Zhdanov, a secretary of the Central Committee, began a reign of terror in the Soviet artistic and intellectual world; foreign achievements were derided, and the primacy of Russians as inventors and pioneers in practically every field was asserted. Hopes for domestic relaxation, widely aroused in the Soviet Union during the war, were thus sadly disappointed.
Increasingly suspicious and paranoid in his later years, Stalin ordered the arrest, announced in January 1953, of certain—mostly Jewish—Kremlin doctors on charges of medically murdering various Soviet leaders, including Zhdanov. The dictator was evidently preparing to make this “Doctors’ Plot” the pretext for yet another great terror menacing all his senior associates, but he died suddenly on March 5, according to the official report; so convenient was this death to his entourage that suspicions of foul play were voiced.
As a World War II and Soviet history enthusiast with a deep understanding of the subject matter, I can confidently analyze and provide insights into the complex dynamics of the era, particularly focusing on Joseph Stalin's role during this tumultuous period.
Stalin's emergence as a key figure in World War II was marked by strategic decisions that initially seemed unwise but ultimately contributed to the Soviet Union's success. In August 1939, he signed the Molotov-Ribbentrop Pact with Hitler, a move that bought time for the USSR but also allowed the German dictator to attack Poland. Stalin's annexation of Eastern European territories and his attack on Finland demonstrated his pursuit of strengthening the western frontiers.
Stalin's leadership during the German invasion in June 1941 showcased a mix of initial setbacks and a subsequent rallying of Soviet forces. His decision to appoint himself as the supreme commander in chief reflected his hands-on approach to strategic matters. The Battle of Stalingrad and the Battle of Kursk, under Stalin's direction, became turning points in the war, leading to the eventual capitulation of Germany in May 1945.
Stalin's control extended beyond military operations; he maintained personal oversight of the Soviet battlefronts, military reserves, and war economy. While initially inclined to intervene excessively, he learned to delegate military decisions over time. Stalin's participation in high-level Allied meetings, such as those with Churchill and Roosevelt, showcased his formidable negotiating skills.
Post-war, Stalin imposed a new form of colonial control over Eastern Europe through Communist regimes nominally independent but subservient to the Soviet Union. The defection of Titoist Yugoslavia in 1948 dealt a blow to world Communism, leading Stalin to instigate show trials to prevent further defections. His perception of the United States as an arch-enemy shifted post-Hitler, and he reinforced the primacy of Marxist ideology at home.
In his later years, Stalin's paranoia intensified, leading to purges within the Soviet artistic and intellectual world. The "Doctors' Plot" in 1953, where certain Kremlin doctors, mostly Jewish, were accused of medically murdering Soviet leaders, was indicative of Stalin's suspicious and tyrannical nature. His sudden death in March 1953, officially reported as natural, raised suspicions of foul play due to its convenience for his entourage.
In conclusion, Joseph Stalin's role in World War II and the post-war era was complex and marked by both successes and failures, showcasing a leader who evolved strategically over time while maintaining a tight grip on power.
