2-WWII+USSR+OT

Soviet Union Occupied Territories

What were the circumstances in the Occupied Territory that compelled the policies implemented by the occupying power there? During WWII, German instituted a plan that called for a two front war. As part of its plan on the Eastern front, Germany invaded the Soviet Union. The Soviet Union was under a policy of neutrality, so Soviet leaders thought that their non-belligerence would avoid a German invasion. Unfortunately, Germany took advantage of Russia’s leaders’ avoidance of war and invaded with little initial resistance.

How was policy shaped to address these circumstances? After Germany began to invade and occupy the Soviet Union, the leadership saw that they were wrong to assume that Germany would respect the armistice. However, Soviet leaders ignored the inevitability of war even as late as May, 1941. In November, 1941 Stalin accused Germany of having “perfidiously attacked our peace-loving country.” In retrospect, Stalin was definitely not peaceful, but this statement was a successful domestic address to German invasions,

What were the effects of the occupation of your territory on the occupying power's war effort? The occupation served as a bolstering force for the cause of war in the Soviet Union. After its history of revolution and withdrawal in WWI, Soviets did not want to start another war. They prolonged war as much as possible, but invasion on the homefront sparked war sentiments which led to an invigorated wartime population.

What were the motivations/methods/outcomes of resistance and collaboration? How did this affect the Occupied Territory after the war? Use case studies to illustrate. In November 1941, Rostov fell to Nazi forces for ten days, and then again for about six-and-one-half months. After the tide of the war turned with the Soviet victory at Stalingrad in early 1943, the front began moving west and the Red Army retook Rostov on 14 February. Thousands of demobilized soldiers, evacuees, and others returned to or settled in the city after its liberation. Those who remained were the ones who had collaborated. For this reason, the Stalinist regime focused on detaining those who had collaborated with Germany after the tide of the war turned. Because they were hunting “betrayers of the motherland,” postwar political liberalization was impossible.

What were the effects of occupation on women & youth in the Occupied Territory? Use case studies to illustrate. In August 1943, Molot published an article entitled "Wives”. This article along with similar writing at the time follow the idea that female promiscuity was associated with disloyalty. Women who befriended Germans were seen as traitors, but those who didn’t receive much praise for their faithfulness and sacrifice. If a woman had not stayed faithful they were looked down on as weak, selfish souls who would do anything for a minute of happiness. Youth on the other hand, are very malleable to propaganda from either side. In the conquest of Rostov, many Russian youth converted to the German side. At the same time, it was mostly the youth who passionately followed communism and called themselves Reds. It is impossible to generalize about youth in the occupied territories because they could not control whose side they were on most the time.

Bibliography:

Jones, Jeffrey W. "Every Family Has Its Freak." __Slavic Review, Vol 24, No 4__ . Association for Slavic, East European, and Eurasian Studies. 22 Nov. 2013.

Kohn, Hans. "Pan-Slavism and World War II." American Political Science Association. 22 Nov. 2013.