Today they like to repeat the phrase that the war is not over until the last soldier is buried. Is there an end to this war, when search engines every season find hundreds and hundreds of dead soldiers who remain on the battlefield? There is no end to this work, and many politicians and the military, and simply not very healthy people, have been brandishing batons for many years now, dreaming of putting back in their place the “presumptuous”, in their opinion, countries, reshaping the world, taking away what they can’t get in peaceful way. These hotheads are constantly trying to ignite the fire of a new world war in different countries peace. The flames are already smoldering in Central Asia, Middle East, Africa. Light up in one place, and explode everywhere! They say that they learn from mistakes. Unfortunately, this is not entirely true, and two world wars in the 20th century alone are evidence of this.

Historians are still arguing how many died? If 15 years ago they claimed that there were more than 50 million people, now another 20 million have been added. How accurate will their calculations be in another 15 years? After all, what was in Asia (especially in China), most likely, is simply impossible to assess. The war and the famine and epidemics associated with it simply did not leave evidence in those parts. Can't this stop anyone?

The war went on for six years. The armies of 61 countries with a total population of 1,700 million people, that is, 80% of the entire earth's population, stood up under arms. The fighting covered 40 countries. And the worst thing is that the number of civilian deaths exceeded the number of those killed in hostilities by several times.

Previous events

Returning to the Second World War, it should be noted that it did not begin in 1939, but most likely in 1918. The First World War did not end with peace, but rather with a truce, the first round of global confrontation was completed, and in 1939 the second began.

After the First World War, many states of Europe disappeared from the political map, new ones were formed. Whoever won did not want to part with the acquisitions, and whoever was defeated wanted to return what was lost. The far-fetched solution of some territorial issues also caused irritation. But in Europe, territorial issues have always been resolved by force, it only remained to prepare.

Very close to territorial, colonial disputes also joined. In the colonies, the local population no longer wanted to live in the old way and constantly raised liberation uprisings.

The rivalry between the European states became even more aggravated. As they say, they carry water on the offended. Germany was offended, but was not going to carry water for the winners, despite the fact that its capabilities were severely limited.

Dictatorships have become an important factor in preparing for a future war. They began to multiply in Europe in the pre-war years with amazing speed. Dictators first asserted themselves in their own countries, developing armies to appease their peoples, with a further aim at capturing new territories.

There was another important factor. This is the emergence of the USSR, which in its strength was not inferior to Russian Empire. And the USSR also created the danger of the spread of communist ideas, which the European countries could not allow.

The outbreak of World War II was preceded by many different diplomatic and political factors. The Versailles agreements of 1918 did not suit Germany at all, and the Nazis who came to power created a bloc of fascist states.

By the beginning of the war, the final alignment of the warring forces took place. On one side were Germany, Italy, and Japan, and on the other, Britain, France, and the United States. The main desire of Great Britain and France was right or wrong to remove the threat of German aggression from their countries, and also to direct it to the East. I really wanted to push Nazism against Bolshevism. As a result, this policy led to the fact that, despite all the efforts of the USSR, it was not possible to prevent the war.

The culmination of the policy of appeasement, which undermined the political situation in Europe and, in fact, pushed for the outbreak of war, was the Munich Agreement of 1938 between Great Britain, France, Germany and Italy. Under this agreement, Czechoslovakia “voluntarily” transferred part of its country to Germany, and a year later, in March 1939, it was occupied altogether and ceased to exist as a state. Poland and Hungary also took part in this division of Czechoslovakia. It was the beginning, Poland was next in line.

Long and fruitless negotiations Soviet Union with England and France on mutual assistance in the event of aggression led to the fact that the USSR signed a non-aggression pact with Germany. Our country was able to delay the start of the war by almost two years, and these two years allowed it to strengthen its defense capability. This agreement also contributed to the conclusion of a neutrality pact with Japan.

And Great Britain and Poland literally on the eve of the war, on August 25, 1939, signed an agreement on mutual assistance, to which France joined a few days later.

Beginning of World War II

On August 1, 1939, after a provocation arranged by the German secret services, fighting against Poland. Two days later, England and France declared war on Germany. They were supported by Canada, New Zealand and Australia, India and the countries of South Africa. So the capture of Poland turned into a world war. But Poland never received any real help.

Two German armies, consisting of 62 divisions, completely occupied Poland within two weeks. The government of the country left for Romania. The heroism of the Polish soldiers was not enough to defend the country.

Thus began the first phase of World War II. England and France did not change their policy until May 1940, they hoped to the last that Germany would continue its offensive to the East. But everything turned out not quite so.

Major events of World War II

In April 1940, Denmark was in the way of the German army, and immediately behind it was Norway. Continuing to carry out their plan "Gelb", the German army decided to attack France through its neighboring countries - the Netherlands, Belgium and Luxembourg. The French Maginot defense line could not stand it, and on May 20 the Germans reached the English Channel. The armies of Holland and Belgium capitulated. The French fleet was defeated, part of the army was able to evacuate to England. The French government left Paris and an act of surrender was signed. Next up is the UK. There has not yet been a direct invasion, but the Germans created a blockade of the island and bombarded English cities with aircraft bombs. The steadfast defense of the island in 1940 (Battle of England) only briefly held back the aggression. War at this time began to develop in the Balkans. On April 1, 1940, the Nazis captured Bulgaria, on April 6 - Greece and Yugoslavia. As a result, all of Western and Central Europe came under Hitler's rule. From Europe, the war spread to other parts of the world. Italo-German troops launched offensives in North Africa, and in the autumn of 1941 it was planned to begin the conquest of the Middle East and India with the further connection of German and Japanese troops. And in Directive No. 32, which was being developed, German militarism assumed that by solving the British problem and defeating the USSR, it would eliminate the influence of the Anglo-Saxons on the American continent. Germany began preparations for an attack on the Soviet Union.

With the attack on the Soviet Union on June 22, 1941, the second stage of the war began. To destroy the Soviet Union, Germany and its allies sent an invading army unprecedented in history. It consisted of 182 divisions and 20 brigades (about 5 million people, about 4.4 thousand tanks, 4.4 thousand aircraft, more than 47 thousand guns and mortars, 246 ships). Germany was supported by Romania, Finland, Hungary. Assistance was provided by Bulgaria, Slovakia, Croatia, Spain, Portugal and Turkey.

The Soviet Union was not fully prepared to repulse this invasion. And so the summer and autumn of 1941 were the most critical for our country. Fascist troops were able to advance from 850 to 1200 kilometers deep into our territory. Leningrad was blockaded, the Germans were dangerously close to Moscow, large parts of the Donbass, Crimea were captured, the Baltic states were occupied.

But the war with the Soviet Union did not go according to the plan of the German command. The lightning-fast capture of Moscow and Leningrad failed. The defeat of the Germans near Moscow destroyed the myth of the invincibility of their army. The question of a protracted war arose before the German generals.

It was at this time that the process of uniting all military forces in the world against fascism began. Churchill and Roosevelt officially announced that they would support the Soviet Union, and already on July 12, the USSR and England signed an appropriate agreement, and on August 2, the United States pledged to provide economic and military assistance to the Russian army. On August 14, England and the United States promulgated the Atlantic Charter, to which the USSR joined.

In September, Soviet and British troops occupied Iran in order to prevent the creation of fascist bases in the East. Created anti-Hitler coalition.

December 1941 was marked by an aggravation of the military situation in the Pacific. The Japanese attacked the US naval base at Pearl Harbor. The two largest countries went to war. The Americans declared war on Italy, Japan and Germany.

But in the Pacific, in Southeast Asia and North Africa, not everything went in favor of the Allies. Japan captured part of China, French Indochina, Malaya, Burma, Thailand, Indonesia, the Philippines, Hong Kong. The forces of the army and navy of Great Britain, Holland and the United States suffered heavy losses in the Yavan operation.

The third stage of the war is considered to be a turning point. Military operations at this time were distinguished by their scale and intensity. The opening of the Second Front was postponed indefinitely, and the Germans threw all their forces to seize the strategic initiative on the Eastern Front. The fate of the entire war was decided at Stalingrad and Kursk. The crushing victories of the Soviet troops in 1943 served as a strong mobilizing incentive for further action.

Nevertheless, active actions of the allies on the Western Front were still far away. They waited for further depletion of the forces of Germany and the USSR.

On July 25, 1943, Italy withdrew from the war, the Italian fascist government was liquidated. The new government declared war on Hitler. The fascist alliance began to fall apart.

On June 6, 1944, the Second Front was finally opened, and more active operations of the Western Allies began. At this time, the fascist army was ousted from the territory of the Soviet Union and the liberation of European states began. The joint actions of the countries of the anti-Hitler coalition led to the final defeat of the German troops and the surrender of Germany.

At the same time, the war in the East was in full swing. Japanese forces continued to threaten the Soviet border. The end of the war with Germany allowed the United States to strengthen its armies against Japan. The Soviet Union, true to its allied obligations, transferred its armies to the Far East, which also took part in the hostilities. War on Far East and in the territories of Southeast Asia was completed on September 2, 1945. In this war, the United States used nuclear weapons against Japan.

Results and consequences of World War II

The main result of the Second World War in the first place should be considered the victory over fascism. The threat of enslavement and partial destruction of humanity has disappeared.

The greatest losses were suffered by the Soviet Union, which took the brunt of the German army: 26.6 million people. The victims of the USSR and the resistance of the Red Army as a result led to the collapse of the Reich. Human losses did not bypass any nation. More than 6 million people died in Poland, 5.5 million in Germany. A huge part of the Jewish population of Europe was destroyed.

War could lead to the collapse of civilization. The peoples of the world on the global lawsuits condemned war criminals and fascist ideology.

A new political map of the planet appeared, which, nevertheless, again divided the world into two camps, which in the long run became a cause for tension anyway.

Application by Americans nuclear weapons in Nagasaki and Hiroshima forced the Soviet Union to accelerate the development of its own atomic project.

The war also changed the economic situation of countries around the world. The European states were knocked out of the economic elite. Economic dominance has passed to the United States of America.

The United Nations (UN) was created, which gave hope that the countries would be able to agree in the future and thus the very possibility of the emergence of such conflicts as the Second World War would be excluded.

September 2 is celebrated in the Russian Federation as "The Day of the End of World War II (1945)". This memorable date was established in accordance with the Federal Law "On Amendments to Article 1 (1) of the Federal Law "On the Days of Military Glory and anniversaries Russia" signed by the President of the Russian Federation Dmitry Medvedev on July 23, 2010. The Day of Military Glory was established in memory of compatriots who showed selflessness, heroism, devotion to their homeland and allied duty to the countries - members of the anti-Hitler coalition in the implementation of the decision of the Crimean (Yalta) conference in 1945 on Japan. September 2 is a kind of second Victory Day for Russia, victory in the East.

This holiday cannot be called new - on September 3, 1945, the day after the surrender of the Japanese Empire, the Day of Victory over Japan was established by the Decree of the Presidium of the Supreme Soviet of the USSR. However, for a long time, this holiday was practically ignored in the official calendar of significant dates.

The international legal basis for establishing the Day of Military Glory is the Act of Surrender of the Japanese Empire, which was signed on September 2, 1945 at 9:02 Tokyo time on board the American battleship Missouri in Tokyo Bay. On behalf of Japan, the document was signed by Foreign Minister Mamoru Shigemitsu and Chief of the General Staff Yoshijiro Umezu. Representatives of the Allied Powers were Supreme Commander of the Allied Powers Douglas MacArthur, American Admiral Chester Nimitz, Commander of the British Pacific Fleet Bruce Fraser, Soviet General Kuzma Nikolaevich Derevyanko, Kuzma Nikolaevich Derevianko, General Su Yong-chan, French General J. Leclerc, Australian General T. Blamey, Dutch Admiral K. Halfrich, New Zealand Air Vice-Marshal L. Isit and Canadian Colonel N. Moore-Cosgrave. This document put an end to World War II, which, according to Western and Soviet historiography, began on September 1, 1939 with the attack of the Third Reich on Poland (Chinese researchers believe that World War II began with the attack of the Japanese army on China on July 7, 1937).

The most significant war in the history of mankind lasted six years and covered the territories of 40 countries of Eurasia and Africa, as well as all four oceanic theaters of military operations (Arctic, Atlantic, Indian and Pacific oceans). 61 states were drawn into the world conflict, and the total number of human resources plunged into the war was over 1.7 billion people. The main front of the war lay in Eastern Europe, where the armed forces of Germany and its allies fought against the Red Army of the USSR. After the defeat of the Third Reich and its satellites, on May 8, 1945, the final Act of the unconditional surrender of Nazi Germany and its armed forces was signed in the German capital, and May 9 was declared Victory Day in the Soviet Union, the Great Patriotic War ended. Moscow, wishing to secure its eastern borders and going towards the allies, at the Yalta (February 1945) and Potsdam conferences (July - August 1945) of the leaders of the three allied great powers, assumed obligations to enter the war with Japan after two or three months after the end of the war with the German Empire.

Background to the signing of the Act of Unconditional Surrender of Japan in 1945.

On August 8, 1945, the Soviet Union declared war on the Empire of Japan. On August 9, Soviet troops went on the offensive. In the course of several operations: the Manchurian strategic, the South Sakhalin offensive and the Kuril landing operations, the grouping of the Soviet Armed Forces in the Far East defeated the main grouping of the ground forces of the Imperial armed forces Japan during the Second World War - the Kwantung Army. Soviet soldiers liberated areas of northeastern China (Manchuria), the Korean Peninsula, the Kuril Islands and South Sakhalin.

After the USSR entered the war in the Far East, many Japanese statesmen realized that the military-political and strategic situation has changed radically and it is pointless to continue the fight. On the morning of August 9, an emergency meeting of the Supreme Council for the Direction of the War was held. Opening it, Prime Minister Kantaro Suzuki stated that he had come to the conclusion that the only possible alternative for the country was to accept the conditions of the allied powers and cease hostilities. Supporters of the continuation of the war were the Minister of War Anami, the Chief of the General Staff of the Umezu Army and the Chief of the Naval general staff Toyoda. They believed that it was possible to accept the Potsdam Declaration (a joint declaration on behalf of the governments of England, the USA and China, it demanded the unconditional surrender of the Empire of Japan) only if four obligations were fulfilled: preserving the imperial state system, granting the Japanese the right to self-disarmament and preventing the occupation of the country allies, and if the occupation is inevitable, then it should be short-term, carried out by insignificant forces and not affect the capital, the punishment of war criminals by the Japanese authorities themselves. The Japanese elite wanted to get out of the war with the least political and moral damage, to preserve the potential for a future fight for a place in the sun. For Japan's leaders, human losses were a secondary factor. They knew perfectly well that a well-trained and yet very powerful armed forces, a highly motivated population, would fight to the end. According to the military leadership, the armed forces could inflict enormous damage on the enemy during a landing operation against the mother country. Japan was not yet in a position where it was necessary to surrender unconditionally. As a result, the opinions of the participants in the emergency meeting were divided, and no final decision was made.

At 14:00 on August 9, an emergency meeting of the government began. It was attended by 15 people, of which 10 were civilians, so the balance of power was not in favor of the military. The head of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Togo read out the text of the Potsdam Declaration and proposed to approve it. Only one condition was stipulated: the preservation of the power of the emperor in Japan. The Minister of War opposed this decision. Anami again stated that if the powers that signed the Potsdam Declaration did not accept all the conditions of Tokyo, then the Japanese would continue the fight. When voting: Minister of the Navy, Ministers of Justice, Armaments and Communications, Agriculture, education and a minister without portfolio supported the idea of ​​capitulation, five ministers abstained. As a result, the seven-hour meeting did not reveal a unanimous decision.

At the request of the head of government, the Japanese emperor convened the Supreme Council for the management of the war. At it, Emperor Hirohito listened to all points of view and stated that Japan had no chance of success, and ordered the adoption of the project of the head of the Foreign Ministry of Togo. On August 10, the Japanese government announced through the neutral states of Switzerland and Sweden that it was ready to accept the terms of the Potsdam Declaration, provided that the allied powers "agree not to include in it a clause depriving the emperor of sovereign rights." On August 11, an answer was given from the governments of the USSR, the USA, Great Britain and China, the Allied Powers confirmed the demand for unconditional surrender. In addition, the Allies drew the attention of Tokyo to the provision of the Potsdam Declaration, which provided that from the moment of surrender, the power of the Japanese emperor and government in relation to state administration would be subordinate to the Supreme Commander of the Allied Powers, who would take those steps that he considered necessary to implement the terms of surrender. The Emperor of Japan was asked to secure the surrender. The form of government after the surrender and disarmament of the army was to be chosen by the Japanese people.

The response of the Allied Powers caused controversy and disagreement in the Japanese leadership. The Minister of War, even on his own initiative, turned to officers and soldiers, urging them to continue the holy war, to fight to the last drop of blood. Commander-in-Chief of the Southern Army Group in Southeast Asia, Field Marshal Hisaichi Terauchi and Commander of the Expeditionary Force in China Okamura Yasutsugu sent telegrams to the head of the defense department and the chief of the general staff, where they expressed disagreement with the decision to surrender. They believed that all the possibilities for the struggle had not yet been exhausted. Many military personnel preferred to "die with honor in battle." On August 13, the military-political leadership of Japan expected news from the fronts.

On the morning of August 14, Japanese Emperor Hirohito brought together the members of the Supreme Council for the Direction of War and the Cabinet. The military again offered to continue the fight, or to insist on reservations in terms of surrender. However, the majority of the members of the meeting were in favor of complete surrender, which was approved by the emperor. On behalf of the monarch, a statement was drawn up accepting the Potsdam Declaration. On the same day, through Switzerland, the United States was informed about the publication of the emperor's rescript on accepting the terms of the Potsdam Declaration. Tokyo then conveyed several wishes to the Allied Powers:

Notify the Japanese government in advance of the introduction of the allied army and navies, so that the Japanese side conducts appropriate preparations;

To reduce to a minimum the number of places where the occupying forces will be based, to exclude the capital from these areas;

Reduce the number of occupying forces; carry out disarmament in stages and give control over it to the Japanese themselves, leave the military cold;

Do not use prisoners of war for forced labor;

To provide units that were located in remote areas with additional time to stop hostilities.

On the night of August 15, the "young tigers" (a group of fanatical commanders from the department of the military ministry and the capital's military institutions, headed by Major K. Hatanaka) decided to disrupt the adoption of the declaration and continue the war. They planned to eliminate the "peace advocates", remove the text of Hirohito's speech accepting the terms of the Potsdam Declaration and ending the war by the Empire of Japan before it was broadcast on the radio, and then persuade the armed forces to continue the fight. Commander 1st guards division, who guarded the imperial palace, refused to take part in the rebellion and was killed. Giving orders on his behalf, the “young tigers” entered the palace, attacked the residences of the head of the government of Suzuki, the lord custodian of the seal K. Kido, the chairman of the Privy Council K. Hiranuma and the Tokyo radio station. However, they could not find the tapes with the recording and find the leaders of the "peace party". The troops of the capital's garrison did not support their actions, and even many members of the "young tigers" organization, not wanting to go against the emperor's decision and not believing in the success of the case, did not join the putschists. As a result, the rebellion failed in the first hours. The instigators of the conspiracy were not tried, they were allowed to commit ritual suicide by ripping open the abdomen.

On August 15, the address of the Japanese emperor was broadcast on the radio. Considering high level self-discipline among Japanese statesmen and military figures, a wave of suicides took place in the empire. On August 11, the former Prime Minister and Minister of the Army, a staunch supporter of an alliance with Germany and Italy, Hideki Tojo, tried to commit suicide with a shot from a revolver (he was executed on December 23, 1948 as a war criminal). On the morning of August 15, the minister of the army, Koretika Anami, committed hara-kiri "the most magnificent example of the samurai ideal", in a suicide note he asked the emperor for forgiveness for his mistakes. The 1st Deputy Chief of the Naval General Staff (before that, the commander of the 1st Air Fleet), the “father of the kamikaze” Takijiro Onishi, Field Marshal, committed suicide Imperial Army Japan Hajime Sugiyama, as well as other ministers, generals and officers.

Kantaro Suzuki's cabinet has resigned. Many military and political leaders began to lean towards the idea of ​​a unilateral occupation of Japan by US troops in order to save the country from the communist menace and preserve the imperial system. On August 15, hostilities between the Japanese armed forces and the Anglo-American troops were stopped. However, Japanese troops continued to offer fierce resistance to the Soviet army. The units of the Kwantung Army were not given the ceasefire order, and therefore the Soviet troops were also not instructed to stop the offensive. Only on August 19, Marshal Alexander Vasilevsky, Commander-in-Chief of the Soviet Forces in the Far East, met with Hiposaburo Hata, Chief of Staff of the Kwantung Army, where an agreement was reached on the procedure for the surrender of Japanese troops. The Japanese units began to hand over their weapons, this process dragged on until the end of the month. The South Sakhalin and Kuril landing operations continued until August 25 and September 1, respectively.

On August 14, 1945, the Americans drafted "General Order No. 1 (for the army and navy)" to accept the surrender of Japanese troops. This project was approved by American President Harry Truman and on August 15 it was reported to the allied countries. The project indicated the zones in which each of the allied powers had to accept the surrender of the Japanese units. On August 16, Moscow announced that it generally agreed with the project, but proposed an amendment - to include all the Kuril Islands and the northern half of the island of Hokkaido in the Soviet zone. Washington has not raised any objections to the Kuriles. But with regard to Hokkaido, the American president noted that the Supreme Commander of the Allied Forces in the Pacific, General Douglas MacArthur, was surrendering Japanese armed forces on all the islands of the Japanese archipelago. It was specified that MacArthur would use symbolic armed forces, including Soviet units.

From the very beginning, the American government did not intend to let the USSR into Japan and rejected allied control in post-war Japan, which was provided for by the Potsdam Declaration. On August 18, the United States put forward a demand to allocate one of the Kuril Islands for an American air force base. Moscow rejected this impudent harassment, saying that the Kuriles, according to the Crimean agreement, are the possession of the USSR. The Soviet government announced that it was ready to allocate an airfield for the landing of American commercial aircraft, subject to the allocation of a similar airfield for Soviet aircraft in the Aleutian Islands.

On August 19, a Japanese delegation headed by the Deputy Chief of the General Staff, General T. Kawabe, arrived in Manila (Philippines). The Americans notified the Japanese that their forces were to liberate the Atsugi airfield on August 24, the areas of Tokyo Bay and Sagami Bay by August 25, and the Kanon base and the southern part of Kyushu by the middle of the day on August 30. Representatives of the Imperial Japanese Armed Forces requested that the landing of the occupying forces be delayed by 10 days in order to increase precautions and avoid unnecessary incidents. The request of the Japanese side was granted, but for a shorter period. The landing of advanced occupation units was scheduled for August 26, and the main forces for August 28.

On August 20, the Japanese in Manila were handed the Act of Surrender. The document provided for the unconditional surrender of the Japanese armed forces, regardless of their location. The Japanese troops were to immediately cease hostilities, release prisoners of war and interned civilians, ensure their maintenance, protection and delivery to the indicated places. On September 2, the Japanese delegation signed the Instrument of Surrender. The ceremony itself was designed to show leading role United States in victory over Japan. The procedure for the surrender of Japanese troops in various parts of the Asia-Pacific region dragged on for several months.

World War II 1939-1945

a war prepared by the forces of international imperialist reaction and unleashed by the main aggressive states - fascist Germany, fascist Italy and militaristic Japan. V. m. v., like the first, arose due to the operation of the law of uneven development of capitalist countries under imperialism and was the result of a sharp aggravation of inter-imperialist contradictions, the struggle for markets, sources of raw materials, spheres of influence and investment of capital. The war began in conditions when capitalism was no longer an all-encompassing system, when the world's first socialist state, the USSR, existed and was growing stronger. The split of the world into two systems led to the emergence of the main contradiction of the era - between socialism and capitalism. Inter-imperialist contradictions have ceased to be the only factor in world politics. They developed in parallel and in interaction with the contradictions between the two systems. The warring capitalist groups, fighting each other, simultaneously sought to destroy the USSR. However, V. m. began as a clash between two coalitions of major capitalist powers. It was imperialist in origin, its originators were the imperialists of all countries, the system of modern capitalism. Hitlerite Germany, which led the bloc of fascist aggressors, bears special responsibility for its emergence. On the part of the states of the fascist bloc, the war bore an imperialist character throughout its entire length. On the part of the states fighting against the fascist aggressors and their allies, the nature of the war was gradually changing. Under the influence of the national liberation struggle of the peoples, the war was being transformed into a just, anti-fascist one. The entry of the Soviet Union into the war against the states of the fascist bloc that treacherously attacked it completed this process.

Preparation and outbreak of war. The forces that unleashed the war of war prepared strategic and political positions favorable to the aggressors long before it began. In the 30s. Two main centers of military danger formed in the world: Germany - in Europe, Japan - in the Far East. Strengthened German imperialism, under the pretext of eliminating the injustices of the Versailles system, began to demand a redistribution of the world in its favor. The establishment of a terrorist fascist dictatorship in Germany in 1933, which fulfilled the demands of the most reactionary and chauvinist circles of monopoly capital, turned that country into a strike force of imperialism directed primarily against the USSR. However, the plans of German fascism were not limited to the enslavement of the peoples of the Soviet Union. The fascist program for the conquest of world domination provided for the transformation of Germany into the center of a gigantic colonial empire, the power and influence of which would extend to the whole of Europe and the richest regions of Africa, Asia, Latin America, the mass extermination of the population in the conquered countries, especially in the countries of Eastern Europe. The fascist elite planned to start implementing this program from the countries of Central Europe, then spreading it to the entire continent. The defeat and capture of the Soviet Union, with the aim of primarily destroying the center of the international communist and working-class movement, as well as expanding the "living space" of German imperialism, was the most important political task of fascism and, at the same time, the main prerequisite for the further successful deployment of aggression on a world scale. The imperialists of Italy and Japan also aspired to redistribute the world and establish a "new order". Thus, the plans of the Nazis and their allies posed a serious threat not only to the USSR, but also to Great Britain, France, and the USA. However, the ruling circles of the Western powers, driven by a feeling of class hatred for the Soviet state, under the guise of "non-intervention" and "neutrality", essentially pursued a policy of complicity with the fascist aggressors, hoping to avert the threat of a fascist invasion from their countries, to weaken their imperialist rivals by the forces of the Soviet Union, and then with their help to destroy the USSR. They relied on the mutual exhaustion of the USSR and Nazi Germany in a protracted and destructive war.

The French ruling elite, pushing Hitler's aggression to the East in the prewar years and waging a struggle against the communist movement inside the country, at the same time feared a new German invasion, sought a close military alliance with Great Britain, strengthened the eastern borders by building the Maginot Line and deploying armed forces against Germany. The British government sought to strengthen the British colonial empire and sent troops and naval forces to its key areas (the Middle East, Singapore, India). Pursuing a policy of complicity with aggressors in Europe, the government of N. Chamberlain, right up to the start of the war and in its first months, hoped for an agreement with Hitler at the expense of the USSR. In the event of aggression against France, it hoped that the French armed forces, repelling the aggression together with the British expeditionary forces and British aviation formations, would ensure the security of the British Isles. Before the war, the US ruling circles supported Germany economically and thus contributed to the reconstruction of the German military potential. With the outbreak of the war, they were forced to change their political course somewhat and, as fascist aggression expanded, they switched to supporting Great Britain and France.

The Soviet Union, in a situation of increasing military danger, pursued a policy aimed at curbing the aggressor and creating a reliable system for ensuring peace. On May 2, 1935, the Franco-Soviet Treaty of Mutual Assistance was signed in Paris. On May 16, 1935, the Soviet Union concluded a mutual assistance pact with Czechoslovakia. The Soviet government struggled to create a system of collective security that could become effective tool preventing war and securing peace. At the same time, the Soviet state carried out a set of measures aimed at strengthening the country's defense and developing its military and economic potential.

In the 30s. Hitler's government launched diplomatic, strategic and economic preparations for a world war. In October 1933, Germany left the Geneva Disarmament Conference of 1932-35 and announced its withdrawal from the League of Nations. On March 16, 1935, Hitler violated the military articles of the Versailles Peace Treaty of 1919 and introduced universal military service in the country. In March 1936, German troops occupied the demilitarized Rhineland. In November 1936, Germany and Japan signed the Anti-Comintern Pact, which Italy joined in 1937. The activation of the aggressive forces of imperialism led to a series of international political crises and local wars. As a result of Japan's aggressive wars against China (started in 1931), Italy against Ethiopia (1935–36), and the German-Italian intervention in Spain (1936–39), the fascist states strengthened their positions in Europe, Africa, and Asia.

Using the policy of "non-intervention" pursued by Great Britain and France, fascist Germany captured Austria in March 1938 and began to prepare an attack on Czechoslovakia. Czechoslovakia had a well-trained army, based on a powerful system of border fortifications; treaties with France (1924) and with the USSR (1935) provided for military assistance from these powers to Czechoslovakia. The Soviet Union has repeatedly declared its readiness to fulfill its obligations and provide military assistance to Czechoslovakia, even if France does not do this. However, the government of E. Benes did not accept the help of the USSR. As a result of the Munich Agreement of 1938, the ruling circles of Great Britain and France, supported by the United States, betrayed Czechoslovakia and agreed to the seizure of the Sudetenland by Germany, hoping in this way to open "the road to the East" for fascist Germany. The hands of the fascist leadership were untied for aggression.

At the end of 1938, the ruling circles of fascist Germany launched a diplomatic offensive against Poland, creating the so-called Danzig crisis, the meaning of which was to carry out aggression against Poland under the cover of demands for the liquidation of the "injustices of Versailles" in relation to the free city of Danzig. In March 1939, Germany completely occupied Czechoslovakia, created a puppet fascist "state" - Slovakia, seized the Memel region from Lithuania and imposed an enslaving "economic" treaty on Romania. Italy occupied Albania in April 1939. In response to the expansion of fascist aggression, the governments of Great Britain and France, in order to protect their economic and political interests in Europe, provided "guarantees of independence" to Poland, Romania, Greece and Turkey. France also pledged military assistance to Poland in the event of an attack by Germany. In April–May 1939, Germany denounced the Anglo-German naval agreement of 1935, tore up the 1934 non-aggression agreement with Poland, and concluded with Italy the so-called Steel Pact, according to which the Italian government pledged to help Germany if it went to war with the Western powers.

In such an environment, the British and French governments, under the influence public opinion, out of fear of further strengthening of Germany and with the aim of putting pressure on it, entered into negotiations with the USSR, held in Moscow in the summer of 1939 (see Moscow negotiations 1939). However, the Western powers did not agree to the conclusion of an agreement proposed by the USSR on a joint struggle against the aggressor. Offering the Soviet Union to take unilateral obligations to help any European neighbor in the event of an attack on it, the Western powers wanted to draw the USSR into a one-on-one war against Germany. Negotiations, which lasted until mid-August 1939, did not produce results due to the sabotage by Paris and London of Soviet constructive proposals. Leading the Moscow negotiations to a breakdown, the British government at the same time entered into secret contacts with the Nazis through their ambassador in London, G. Dirksen, seeking to achieve an agreement on the redistribution of the world at the expense of the USSR. The position of the Western powers predetermined the failure of the Moscow negotiations and confronted the Soviet Union with an alternative: to be isolated in the face of a direct threat of an attack by fascist Germany or, having exhausted the possibilities of concluding an alliance with Great Britain and France, to sign a non-aggression pact proposed by Germany and thereby postpone the threat of war. The situation made the second choice inevitable. The Soviet-German treaty concluded on August 23, 1939 contributed to the fact that, contrary to the calculations of Western politicians, the world war began with a clash within the capitalist world.

On the eve of V. m. German fascism through forced development military economy created a powerful military potential. In 1933-39, spending on armaments increased more than 12 times and reached 37 billion marks. Germany smelted 22.5 million tons in 1939. T steel, 17.5 million T cast iron, mined 251.6 million tons. T coal, produced 66.0 billion kW · h electricity. However, for a number of types of strategic raw materials, Germany was dependent on imports (iron ore, rubber, manganese ore, copper, oil and oil products, chromium ore). By September 1, 1939, the number of armed forces of fascist Germany reached 4.6 million people. There were 26 thousand guns and mortars, 3.2 thousand tanks, 4.4 thousand combat aircraft, 115 warships (including 57 submarines) in service.

The strategy of the German High Command was based on the doctrine of "total war". Its main content was the concept of "blitzkrieg", according to which victory must be won in the shortest time, until the enemy fully deploys his armed forces and military-economic potential. The strategic plan of the fascist German command was to attack Poland, using the cover of limited forces in the west, and quickly defeat its armed forces. 61 divisions and 2 brigades were deployed against Poland (including 7 tank and about 9 motorized), of which 7 infantry and 1 tank divisions approached after the start of the war, a total of 1.8 million people, over 11 thousand guns and mortars, 2.8 thousand tanks, about 2 thousand aircraft; against France - 35 infantry divisions (after September 3, another 9 divisions approached), 1.5 thousand aircraft.

The Polish command, counting on military assistance guaranteed by Great Britain and France, intended to defend the border zone and go on the offensive after the French army and British aviation diverted German forces from the Polish front. By September 1, Poland managed to mobilize and concentrate troops only by 70%: 24 infantry divisions, 3 mountain rifle brigades, 1 armored motorized brigade, 8 cavalry brigades and 56 national defense battalions were deployed. The Polish armed forces had over 4,000 guns and mortars, 785 light tanks and tankettes, and about 400 aircraft.

The French plan for waging war against Germany, in accordance with the political course pursued by France and the military doctrine of the French command, provided for defense along the Maginot Line and the entry of troops into Belgium and the Netherlands to continue the defensive front to the north in order to protect the ports and industrial regions of France and Belgium. After mobilization, the armed forces of France numbered 110 divisions (of which 15 were in the colonies), a total of 2.67 million people, about 2.7 thousand tanks (in the metropolis - 2.4 thousand), over 26 thousand guns and mortars, 2330 aircraft (in the metropolis - 1735), 176 warships (including 77 submarines).

Great Britain had a strong Navy and Air Force - 320 warships of the main classes (including 69 submarines), about 2 thousand aircraft. Its ground forces consisted of 9 personnel and 17 territorial divisions; they had 5.6 thousand guns and mortars, 547 tanks. The number of the British army was 1.27 million people. In the event of a war with Germany, the British command planned to concentrate its main efforts on the sea and send 10 divisions to France. The English and French commands did not intend to provide serious assistance to Poland.

1st period of the war (September 1, 1939 - June 21, 1941)- the period of military successes of fascist Germany. On September 1, 1939, Germany attacked Poland (see Polish Campaign of 1939). On September 3, Great Britain and France declared war on Germany. With an overwhelming superiority of forces over the Polish army and by concentrating a mass of tanks and aircraft on the main sectors of the front, the Hitlerite command was able to achieve major operational results from the beginning of the war. The incomplete deployment of forces, the lack of help from the Allies, the weakness of the centralized leadership and its subsequent collapse put the Polish army in front of a catastrophe.

The courageous resistance of the Polish troops near Mokra, Mlawa, on the Bzura, the defense of Modlin, Westerplatte and the heroic 20-day defense of Warsaw (September 8-28) wrote bright pages in the history of the German-Polish war, but could not prevent the defeat of Poland. Hitler's troops surrounded a number of groupings of the Polish army west of the Vistula, transferred military operations to eastern regions country and in early October completed its occupation.

On September 17, by order of the Soviet government, the troops of the Red Army crossed the border of the disintegrated Polish state and launched a liberation campaign in Western Belarus and Western Ukraine in order to protect the lives and property of the Ukrainian and Belarusian population, who were striving for reunification with the Soviet republics. A march to the West was also necessary to stop the spread of Hitler's aggression to the East. The Soviet government, confident in the inevitability of German aggression against the USSR in the near future, sought to postpone the starting point for the future deployment of troops of a potential enemy, which was in the interests not only of the Soviet Union, but of all peoples threatened by fascist aggression. After the liberation of the Western Belorussian and Western Ukrainian lands by the Red Army, Western Ukraine (November 1, 1939) and Western Belarus (November 2, 1939) were reunited with the Ukrainian SSR and the BSSR, respectively.

In late September - early October 1939, Soviet-Estonian, Soviet-Latvian and Soviet-Lithuanian mutual assistance treaties were signed, which prevented Nazi Germany from seizing the Baltic countries and turning them into a military foothold against the USSR. In August 1940, after the overthrow of the bourgeois governments of Latvia, Lithuania and Estonia, these countries, in accordance with the desire of their peoples, were admitted to the USSR.

As a result of the Soviet-Finnish War of 1939–40, according to an agreement dated March 12, 1940, the USSR border on the Karelian Isthmus, in the region of Leningrad and the Murmansk Railway, was somewhat pushed back to the northwest. On June 26, 1940, the Soviet government proposed to Romania that Bessarabia, which had been occupied by Romania in 1918, be returned to the USSR and that the northern part of Bukovina, inhabited by Ukrainians, be transferred to the USSR. On June 28, the Romanian government agreed to the return of Bessarabia and the transfer of Northern Bukovina.

After the outbreak of war until May 1940, the governments of Great Britain and France continued only in a slightly modified form the pre-war foreign policy, which was based on calculations of reconciliation with Nazi Germany on the basis of anti-communism and the direction of its aggression against the USSR. Despite the declaration of war, the French armed forces and the British Expeditionary Force (began to arrive in France from mid-September) were inactive for 9 months. During this period, called the "strange war", the Nazi army was preparing for an offensive against the countries Western Europe. From the end of September 1939, active military operations were carried out only on sea lanes. To blockade Great Britain, the Nazi command used the forces of the fleet, especially submarines and large ships (raiders). From September to December 1939, Great Britain lost 114 ships from German submarine attacks, and in 1940 - 471 ships, while the Germans in 1939 lost only 9 submarines. By the summer of 1941, strikes against the sea communications of Great Britain led to the loss of 1/3 of the tonnage of the British merchant fleet and created a serious threat to the country's economy.

In April–May 1940, the German armed forces seized Norway and Denmark (see the Norwegian operation of 1940) with the aim of strengthening German positions in the Atlantic and northern Europe, seizing iron ore, bringing the bases of the German fleet closer to Great Britain, and securing a foothold in the north for an attack on the USSR . On April 9, 1940, amphibious assault troops, having landed at the same time, captured the key ports of Norway along its entire coast with a length of 1800 km, and airborne troops occupied the main airfields. The courageous resistance of the Norwegian army (late in deployment) and the patriots delayed the onslaught of the Nazis. Attempts by the Anglo-French troops to drive the Germans out of the points they occupied led to a series of battles in the areas of Narvik, Namsus, Molle (Molde), and others. British troops recaptured Narvik from the Germans. But it was not possible to snatch the strategic initiative from the Nazis. In early June, they evacuated from Narvik. The occupation of Norway was facilitated by the Nazis by the actions of the Norwegian "fifth column" headed by V. Quisling. The country turned into a Nazi base in northern Europe. But the significant losses of the Nazi fleet during the Norwegian operation weakened its capabilities in the further struggle for the Atlantic.

At dawn on May 10, 1940, after careful preparation, fascist German troops (135 divisions, including 10 tank and 6 motorized, and 1 brigade, 2580 tanks, 3834 aircraft) invaded Belgium, the Netherlands, Luxembourg, and then through their territories and into France (see French campaign of 1940). The Germans delivered the main blow with a mass of mobile formations and aircraft through the Ardennes mountains, bypassing the Maginot Line from the north, through northern France to the coast of the English Channel. The French command, adhering to the defensive doctrine, deployed large forces on the Maginot Line and did not create a strategic reserve in the depths. After the start of the German offensive, it brought the main grouping of troops, including the British Expeditionary Army, into Belgian territory, exposing these forces to a blow from the rear. These serious mistakes of the French command, aggravated by poor interaction between the armies of the allies, allowed the Nazi troops after forcing the river. Meuse and battles in central Belgium to break through northern France, cut the front of the Anglo-French troops, go to the rear of the Anglo-French group operating in Belgium, and break through to the English Channel. On May 14, the Netherlands capitulated. The Belgian, British and part of the French armies were surrounded in Flanders. On May 28, Belgium capitulated. The British and part of the French troops, surrounded in the Dunkirk area, managed, having lost all military equipment, to evacuate to Great Britain (see the Dunkirk operation of 1940).

At the 2nd stage of the summer campaign of 1940, the Nazi army, with much superior forces, broke through the front hastily created by the French along the river. Somme and En. The danger hanging over France demanded the rallying of the forces of the people. The French Communists called for nationwide resistance and the organization of the defense of Paris. The capitulators and traitors (P. Reynaud, C. Peten, P. Laval and others), who determined the policy of France, the high command, headed by M. Weygand, rejected this only way to save the country, as they feared the revolutionary actions of the proletariat and the strengthening of the Communist Party. They decided to surrender Paris without a fight and capitulate to Hitler. Without exhausting the possibilities of resistance, the French armed forces laid down their arms. The Compiègne armistice of 1940 (signed on June 22) was a milestone in the policy of national treason pursued by the Pétain government, which expressed the interests of a part of the French bourgeoisie that was oriented towards Nazi Germany. This truce was aimed at strangling the national liberation struggle of the French people. According to its terms, an occupation regime was established in the northern and central parts of France. Industrial, raw materials, food resources of France were under the control of Germany. In the unoccupied, southern part of the country, an anti-national pro-fascist Vichy government led by Pétain came to power, which became a puppet of Hitler. But at the end of June 1940, the Committee of Free (from July 1942 - Fighting) France was formed in London, headed by General Charles de Gaulle to lead the struggle for the liberation of France from the Nazi invaders and their henchmen.

On June 10, 1940, Italy entered the war against Great Britain and France, striving to establish dominance in the Mediterranean basin. In August, Italian troops captured British Somalia, part of Kenya and Sudan, and in mid-September invaded Egypt from Libya in order to break through to Suez (see North African campaigns of 1940-43). However, they were soon stopped, and in December 1940 they were driven back by the British. The Italian attempt, launched in October 1940, to develop an offensive from Albania to Greece was resolutely repulsed by the Greek army, which inflicted a number of strong retaliatory blows on the Italian troops (see Italo-Greek War of 1940-41 (See Italo-Greek War of 1940-1941)). In January - May 1941, British troops expelled the Italians from British Somalia, Kenya, Sudan, Ethiopia, Italian Somalia, Eritrea. Mussolini was forced in January 1941 to ask for help from Hitler. In the spring, German troops were sent to North Africa, forming the so-called African Corps, headed by General E. Rommel. Going on the offensive on March 31, the Italo-German troops reached the Libyan-Egyptian border in the second half of April.

After the defeat of France, the threat looming over Great Britain contributed to the isolation of the Munich elements and the rallying of the forces of the British people. The government of W. Churchill, which replaced the government of N. Chamberlain on May 10, 1940, set about organizing effective defense. The British government attached particular importance to the support of the United States. In July 1940, secret negotiations between the air and naval headquarters of the United States and Great Britain began, culminating in the signing on September 2 of an agreement on the transfer of the last 50 obsolete American destroyers in exchange for British military bases in the Western Hemisphere (they were provided by the United States for a period of 99 years). Destroyers were required to fight on the Atlantic communications.

On July 16, 1940, Hitler issued a directive for the invasion of Great Britain (Operation Sea Lion). Since August 1940, the Nazis began massive bombardments of Great Britain in order to undermine its military and economic potential, demoralize the population, prepare an invasion, and ultimately force it to surrender (see Battle of England 1940-41). German aviation caused significant damage to many British cities, enterprises, ports, but did not break the resistance of the British Air Force, was unable to establish air supremacy over the English Channel and suffered heavy losses. As a result of air raids that continued until May 1941, the Nazi leadership was unable to force Great Britain to capitulate, destroy its industry, and undermine the morale of the population. The German command was unable to provide the required amount of landing equipment in a timely manner. The strength of the fleet was insufficient.

However, the main reason for Hitler's refusal to invade Great Britain was the decision he made back in the summer of 1940 on aggression against the Soviet Union. Having begun direct preparations for an attack on the USSR, the Nazi leadership was forced to transfer forces from the West to the East, to direct huge resources for the development of ground forces, and not the fleet necessary to fight against Great Britain. In autumn, the preparations for war against the USSR removed the direct threat of a German invasion of Great Britain. Closely connected with plans to prepare for an attack on the USSR was the strengthening of the aggressive alliance of Germany, Italy, and Japan, which found expression in the signing of the Berlin Pact of 1940 on September 27 (See Berlin Pact of 1940).

In preparation for an attack on the USSR, fascist Germany carried out aggression in the Balkans in the spring of 1941 (see Balkan Campaign of 1941). On March 2, fascist German troops entered Bulgaria, which had joined the Berlin Pact; On April 6, Italo-German and then Hungarian troops invaded Yugoslavia and Greece and occupied Yugoslavia by April 18 and mainland Greece by April 29. Puppet fascist "states" - Croatia and Serbia - were created on the territory of Yugoslavia. From May 20 to June 2, the fascist German command carried out the Crete Airborne Operation of 1941, during which Crete and other Greek islands in the Aegean Sea were captured.

The military successes of fascist Germany in the first period of the war were largely due to the fact that its opponents, who possessed an overall higher industrial and economic potential, were unable to pool their resources, create single system military leadership, develop unified effective plans for the conduct of war. Their military machine lagged behind the new requirements of the armed struggle and with difficulty resisted more modern methods her conduct. In terms of training, combat training and technical equipment, the Nazi Wehrmacht as a whole surpassed the armed forces of Western states. The insufficient military preparedness of the latter was mainly due to the reactionary pre-war foreign policy of their ruling circles, which was based on the desire to negotiate with the aggressor at the expense of the USSR.

By the end of the first period of the war, the bloc of fascist states had sharply increased economically and militarily. Most of continental Europe, with its resources and economy, came under German control. In Poland, Germany seized the main metallurgical and machine-building plants, the coal mines of Upper Silesia, the chemical and mining industries - a total of 294 large, 35 thousand medium and small industrial enterprises; in France - the metallurgical and steel industry of Lorraine, the entire automotive and aviation industry, reserves of iron ore, copper, aluminum, magnesium, as well as cars, precision mechanics, machine tools, rolling stock; in Norway - the mining, metallurgical, shipbuilding industry, enterprises for the production of ferroalloys; in Yugoslavia - copper, bauxite deposits; in the Netherlands, in addition to industrial enterprises, a gold reserve in the amount of 71.3 million florins. By 1941, the total amount of wealth plundered by fascist Germany in the occupied countries amounted to 9 billion pounds sterling. By the spring of 1941, more than 3 million foreign workers and prisoners of war were working at German enterprises. In addition, all the weapons of their armies were seized in the occupied countries; for example, only in France - about 5 thousand tanks and 3 thousand aircraft. In 1941, the Nazis equipped 38 infantry, 3 motorized, 1 tank division. More than 4,000 steam locomotives and 40,000 wagons from the occupied countries appeared on the German railway. The economic resources of most European states were put at the service of the war, primarily the war being prepared against the USSR.

In the occupied territories, as well as in Germany itself, the Nazis established a terrorist regime, exterminating all those who were dissatisfied or suspected of discontent. A system of concentration camps was created, in which millions of people were exterminated in an organized manner. The activities of the death camps especially unfolded after the attack of fascist Germany on the USSR. Only in the Auschwitz camp (Poland) over 4 million people were killed. The Nazi command widely practiced punitive expeditions and mass shootings civilian population (see Lidice, Oradour-sur-Glane and others).

Military successes allowed Hitler's diplomacy to expand the boundaries of the fascist bloc, to consolidate the accession to it of Romania, Hungary, Bulgaria and Finland (which were headed by reactionary governments closely connected with fascist Germany and dependent on it), plant their agents and strengthen their positions in the Middle East, in parts of Africa and Latin America. At the same time, the political self-exposure of the Nazi regime took place, hatred for it grew not only among the general population, but also among the ruling classes of the capitalist countries, and the Resistance Movement began. In the face of the fascist threat, the ruling circles of the Western powers, primarily Great Britain, were forced to revise their previous political course aimed at condoning fascist aggression, and gradually replace it with a course towards the fight against fascism.

Gradually, the US government began to revise its foreign policy course. It increasingly actively supported Great Britain, becoming its "non-belligerent ally". In May 1940, Congress approved an amount of 3 billion dollars for the needs of the army and navy, and in the summer - 6.5 billion, including 4 billion for the construction of a "fleet of two oceans." The supply of arms and equipment for Great Britain increased. According to the law adopted by the US Congress on March 11, 1941, on the transfer of military materials to belligerent countries on loan or lease (see Lend-Lease), Great Britain was allocated 7 billion dollars. In April 1941, the lend-lease law was extended to Yugoslavia and Greece. US troops occupied Greenland and Iceland and established bases there. The North Atlantic was declared a "patrol zone" for the US Navy, which at the same time began to be used to escort merchant ships bound for the UK.

2nd period of the war (June 22, 1941 - November 18, 1942) characterized by a further expansion of its scope and the beginning in connection with the attack of fascist Germany on the USSR the Great Patriotic War 1941-45, which became the main and decisive component of V. m. (for details about the actions on the Soviet-German front, see the article. The Great Patriotic War of the Soviet Union 1941-45). On June 22, 1941, Nazi Germany treacherously and suddenly attacked the Soviet Union. This attack completed the long course of the anti-Soviet policy of German fascism, which sought to destroy the world's first socialist state and seize its richest resources. Against the Soviet Union, fascist Germany threw 77% of the personnel of the armed forces, the bulk of tanks and aircraft, that is, the main most combat-ready forces of the fascist Wehrmacht. Together with Germany, Hungary, Romania, Finland and Italy entered the war against the USSR. The Soviet-German front became the main front of the war. From now on, the struggle of the Soviet Union against fascism decided the outcome of V. m. v., the fate of mankind.

From the very beginning, the struggle of the Red Army exerted a decisive influence on the entire course of the military war, on the entire policy and military strategy of the belligerent coalitions and states. Under the influence of events on the Soviet-German front, the Nazi military command was forced to determine the methods of strategic leadership of the war, the formation and use of strategic reserves, and the system of regroupings between theaters of military operations. During the war, the Red Army forced the Nazi command to completely abandon the doctrine of "blitzkrieg". Under the blows of the Soviet troops, other methods of warfare and military leadership used by the German strategy consistently collapsed.

As a result of the surprise attack, the superior forces of the Nazi troops succeeded in the first weeks of the war in penetrating deeply into Soviet territory. By the end of the first decade of July, the enemy captured Latvia, Lithuania, Belarus, a significant part of Ukraine, part of Moldova. However, moving deep into the territory of the USSR, the fascist German troops met the growing resistance of the Red Army and suffered more and more heavy losses. Soviet troops fought steadfastly and stubbornly. Under the leadership of the Communist Party and its Central Committee, the restructuring of the entire life of the country on a military footing began, the mobilization of internal forces to defeat the enemy. The peoples of the USSR rallied into a single fighting camp. The formation of large strategic reserves was carried out, the reorganization of the country's leadership system was carried out. The Communist Party launched work to organize the partisan movement.

Already the initial period of the war showed that the military adventure of the Nazis was doomed to failure. The Nazi armies were stopped near Leningrad and on the river. Volkhov. The heroic defense of Kyiv, Odessa and Sevastopol for a long time fettered the large forces of the Nazi troops in the south. In the fierce battle of Smolensk 1941 (See Battle of Smolensk 1941) (July 10 - September 10) The Red Army stopped the German strike force - Army Group Center, advancing on Moscow, inflicting heavy losses on it. In October 1941, the enemy, having pulled up reserves, resumed the attack on Moscow. Despite initial successes, he failed to break the stubborn resistance of the Soviet troops, who were inferior to the enemy in numbers and military equipment, and break through to Moscow. In tense battles, the Red Army in exclusively difficult conditions defended the capital, bled the enemy's shock groupings, and in early December 1941 launched a counteroffensive. The defeat of the Nazis in the Battle of Moscow 1941-42 (See the Battle of Moscow 1941-42) (September 30, 1941 - April 20, 1942) buried the fascist plan for a "blitzkrieg", becoming an event of world-historical significance. The battle near Moscow dispelled the myth of the invincibility of the Nazi Wehrmacht, forced fascist Germany to wage a protracted war, contributed to the further consolidation of the anti-Hitler coalition, and inspired all freedom-loving peoples to fight the aggressors. The victory of the Red Army near Moscow meant a decisive turn in military events in favor of the USSR and had a great influence on the entire further course of the V. m.

Having carried out extensive preparations, the Nazi leadership at the end of June 1942 resumed offensive operations on the Soviet-German front. After fierce fighting near Voronezh and in the Donbass, the Nazi troops managed to break into the big bend of the Don. However, the Soviet command managed to withdraw the main forces of the South-Western and Southern fronts from under attack, withdraw them beyond the Don, and thereby frustrate the enemy's plans to encircle them. In mid-July 1942, the Battle of Stalingrad 1942-1943 began (See Battle of Stalingrad 1942-43) - the greatest battle of the V. m. During heroic defense near Stalingrad in July-November 1942, Soviet troops pinned down the enemy strike force, inflicted heavy losses on it and prepared the conditions for a counteroffensive. Hitler's troops were not able to achieve decisive success in the Caucasus either (see the article Caucasus).

By November 1942, despite enormous difficulties, the Red Army had achieved major successes. The fascist German army was stopped. A well-coordinated military economy was created in the USSR, the output of military products surpassed the output of military products of fascist Germany. The Soviet Union created the conditions for a radical change in the course of V. m.

The liberation struggle of the peoples against the aggressors created the objective prerequisites for the formation and consolidation of the anti-Hitler coalition. The Soviet government sought to mobilize all forces in the international arena to fight against fascism. On July 12, 1941, the USSR signed an agreement with Great Britain on joint actions in the war against Germany; On July 18, a similar agreement was signed with the government of Czechoslovakia, on July 30 - with the Polish government in exile. On August 9-12, 1941, talks were held on warships near Argentilla (Newfoundland) between British Prime Minister W. Churchill and US President F. D. Roosevelt. Taking a wait-and-see position, the United States intended to limit itself to providing material support (lend-lease) to countries fighting against Germany. Great Britain, urging the United States to enter the war, proposed a strategy of protracted actions by naval and air forces. The goals of the war and the principles of the post-war order of the world were formulated in the Atlantic Charter signed by Roosevelt and Churchill (See Atlantic Charter) (dated August 14, 1941). On September 24, the Soviet Union joined the Atlantic Charter, while expressing its dissenting opinion on certain issues. In late September - early October 1941, a meeting of representatives of the USSR, the USA and Great Britain was held in Moscow, which ended with the signing of a protocol on mutual deliveries.

December 7, 1941 Japan launched a surprise attack on the American military base in the Pacific Ocean, Pearl Harbor unleashed a war against the United States. On December 8, 1941, the USA, Great Britain and a number of other states declared war on Japan. The war in the Pacific and Asia was a product of long-standing and deep-seated Japanese-American imperialist contradictions, which were exacerbated in the course of the struggle for dominance in China and Southeast Asia. The US entry into the war strengthened the anti-Hitler coalition. The military alliance of states fighting against fascism was formalized in Washington on January 1 by the Declaration of 26 States of 1942 (See Declaration of 26 States of 1942). The declaration proceeded from the recognition of the need to achieve complete victory over the enemy, for which the countries waging war were charged with the duty to mobilize all military and economic resources, cooperate with each other, and not conclude a separate peace with the enemy. The creation of the anti-Hitler coalition meant the failure of the Nazi plans to isolate the USSR, the consolidation of all world anti-fascist forces.

To develop a joint plan of action, Churchill and Roosevelt held a conference in Washington on December 22, 1941 - January 14, 1942 (under the code name "Arcadia"), during which an agreed course of Anglo-American strategy was determined, based on the recognition of Germany as the main enemy in the war, and area of ​​the Atlantic and Europe - the decisive theater of war. However, assistance to the Red Army, which bore the brunt of the struggle, was planned only in the form of increased air raids on Germany, its blockade and the organization of subversive activities in the occupied countries. It was supposed to prepare an invasion of the continent, but not earlier than 1943, either from the Mediterranean region, or by landing in Western Europe.

At the Washington Conference, the system of general leadership of the military efforts of the Western allies was determined, a joint Anglo-American headquarters was created to coordinate the strategy developed at conferences of heads of government; a unified allied Anglo-American-Dutch-Australian command for the southwestern part of the Pacific was formed, headed by the British Field Marshal A.P. Wavell.

Immediately after the Washington Conference, the Allies began to violate their own established principle of the decisive importance of the European theater of operations. Without developing concrete plans for waging war in Europe, they (primarily the United States) began to transfer more and more forces of the fleet, aviation, and landing craft to the Pacific Ocean, where the situation was unfavorable for the United States.

Meanwhile, the leaders of fascist Germany sought to strengthen the fascist bloc. In November 1941, the "Anti-Comintern Pact" of the fascist powers was extended for 5 years. December 11, 1941 Germany, Italy, Japan signed an agreement on waging war against the United States and Great Britain "to a victorious end" and refusing to sign a truce with them without mutual agreement.

Having disabled the main forces of the US Pacific Fleet at Pearl Harbor, the Japanese armed forces then occupied Thailand, Xianggang (Hong Kong), Burma, Malaya with the fortress of Singapore, the Philippines, the most important islands of Indonesia, capturing vast reserves of strategic raw materials in the zone of the southern seas. They defeated the US Asiatic Fleet, part of the British Navy, the Air Force and the Allied ground forces and, having ensured supremacy at sea, deprived the US and Great Britain of all naval and air bases in the Western Pacific Ocean in 5 months of the war. With a strike from the Caroline Islands, the Japanese fleet captured part of New Guinea and the islands adjacent to it, including most of the Solomon Islands, and created the threat of an invasion of Australia (see Pacific campaigns of 1941-45). The ruling circles of Japan hoped that Germany would tie up the forces of the United States and Great Britain on other fronts, and that both powers, after seizing their possessions in Southeast Asia and the Pacific Ocean, would give up fighting at a great distance from the mother country.

Under these conditions, the United States began to take emergency measures to deploy a war economy and mobilize resources. By transferring part of the fleet from the Atlantic to the Pacific, the United States launched the first retaliatory strikes in the first half of 1942. The two-day battle in the Coral Sea on May 7-8 brought success to the American fleet and forced the Japanese to abandon further offensive in the southwestern Pacific. In June 1942 at Fr. Midway, the American fleet defeated a large force Japanese fleet, which, having suffered heavy losses, was forced to limit its actions and in the 2nd half of 1942 go on the defensive in the Pacific Ocean. The patriots of the countries occupied by the Japanese - Indonesia, Indochina, Korea, Burma, Malaya, the Philippines - launched a national liberation struggle against the invaders. In China, in the summer of 1941, a major Japanese offensive against the liberated areas was halted (mainly by the forces of the People's Liberation Army of China).

The actions of the Red Army on the Eastern Front had a growing influence on the military situation in the Atlantic, the Mediterranean and North Africa. Germany and Italy, after the attack on the USSR, were unable to conduct simultaneously offensive operations in other areas. Having transferred the main aviation forces against the Soviet Union, the German command lost the opportunity to actively act against Great Britain, to deliver effective strikes against British sea lanes, fleet bases, and shipyards. This allowed Great Britain to strengthen the construction of the fleet, remove large naval forces from the waters of the mother country and transfer them to ensure communications in the Atlantic.

However, the German fleet soon seized the initiative for a short time. After the US entered the war, a significant part of the German submarines began to operate in the coastal waters of the Atlantic coast of America. In the first half of 1942, the losses of Anglo-American ships in the Atlantic increased again. But the improvement of anti-submarine defense methods allowed the Anglo-American command from the summer of 1942 to improve the situation on the Atlantic sea lanes, launch a series of retaliatory strikes against the German submarine fleet and push it back to the central regions of the Atlantic. From the beginning of V. m. Until the autumn of 1942, the tonnage of merchant ships sunk mainly in the Atlantic of Great Britain, the USA, allies with them and neutral countries exceeded 14 million tons. T.

The transfer of the bulk of the fascist German troops to the Soviet-German front contributed to a radical improvement in the position of the British armed forces in the Mediterranean basin and in North Africa. In the summer of 1941, the British Navy and Air Force firmly seized naval and air supremacy in the Mediterranean theater. Using o. Malta as a base, they sank in August 1941 33%, and in November - more than 70% of the cargo sent from Italy to North Africa. The British command re-formed the 8th Army in Egypt, which on November 18 went on the offensive against the German-Italian troops of Rommel. Under Sidi Rezeh, a fierce tank battle with varying degrees of success. The depletion of forces forced Rommel on December 7 to begin a withdrawal along the coast to positions at El Agheila.

In late November-December 1941, the German command reinforced its Air Force in the Mediterranean basin and transferred part of the submarines and torpedo boats from the Atlantic. Having inflicted a series of strong blows on the British fleet and its base in Malta, having sunk 3 battleships, 1 aircraft carrier and other ships, the German-Italian fleet and aviation again seized dominance in the Mediterranean Sea, which improved their position in North Africa. January 21, 1942 German-Italian troops suddenly went on the offensive for the British and advanced 450 km to El Ghazala. On May 27, they resumed their offensive with the aim of reaching Suez. With a deep maneuver, they managed to cover the main forces of the 8th Army and capture Tobruk. At the end of June 1942, Rommel's troops crossed the Libyan-Egyptian border and reached El Alamein, where they were stopped without reaching their goal due to exhaustion and lack of reinforcements.

3rd period of the war (November 19, 1942 - December 1943) was a period of a radical turning point, when the countries of the anti-Hitler coalition wrested the strategic initiative from the Axis powers, fully deployed their military potentials and went over to the strategic offensive everywhere. As before, decisive events took place on the Soviet-German front. By November 1942, out of 267 divisions and 5 brigades that Germany had, 192 divisions and 3 brigades (or 71%) were operating against the Red Army. In addition, there were 66 divisions and 13 brigades of German satellites on the Soviet-German front. On November 19, the counteroffensive of the Soviet troops near Stalingrad began. The troops of the Southwestern, Don and Stalingrad fronts broke through the enemy defenses and, having introduced mobile formations, by November 23 surrounded 330,000 troops in the interfluve of the Volga and Don. grouping from the 6th and 4th Panzer German armies. Soviet troops stubborn defense in the area of ​​the river. Myshkov thwarted an attempt by the Nazi command to release the encircled. The offensive on the middle Don of the troops of the South-Western and left wing of the Voronezh fronts (began on December 16) ended with the defeat of the 8th Italian army. The threat of a strike by Soviet tank formations on the flank of the German deblocking group forced it to start a hasty retreat. By February 2, 1943, the group surrounded by Stalingrad was liquidated. This ended the Battle of Stalingrad, in which from November 19, 1942 to February 2, 1943, 32 divisions and 3 brigades of the Nazi army and German satellites were completely defeated and 16 divisions were bled white. The total losses of the enemy during this time amounted to over 800 thousand people, 2 thousand tanks and assault guns, over 10 thousand guns and mortars, up to 3 thousand aircraft, etc. The victory of the Red Army shocked Nazi Germany, inflicted irreparable damage on its armed forces. damage, undermined the military and political prestige of Germany in the eyes of its allies, increased dissatisfaction with the war among them. The Battle of Stalingrad marked the beginning of a radical change in the course of the entire V. m.

The victories of the Red Army contributed to the expansion of the partisan movement in the USSR, became a powerful stimulus for the further development of the Resistance Movement in Poland, Yugoslavia, Czechoslovakia, Greece, France, Belgium, the Netherlands, Norway and other European countries. Polish patriots gradually moved from spontaneous, scattered actions during the beginning of the war to a mass struggle. The Polish communists at the beginning of 1942 called for the formation of a "second front in the rear of the Nazi army." The fighting force of the Polish Workers' Party - the Guards of Ludow became the first military organization in Poland, which led a systematic struggle against the invaders. The creation of a democratic national front at the end of 1943 and the formation on the night of January 1, 1944, of its central body, the Craiova Rada Narodova (see Craiova Rada Narodova), contributed to the further development of the national liberation struggle.

In Yugoslavia in November 1942, under the leadership of the Communists, the formation of the People's Liberation Army began, which by the end of 1942 had liberated one-fifth of the country's territory. And although in 1943 the occupiers carried out 3 major offensives against the Yugoslav patriots, the ranks of active anti-fascist fighters steadily multiplied and grew stronger. Under the blows of the partisans, the Nazi troops suffered ever-increasing losses; the transport network in the Balkans by the end of 1943 was paralyzed.

In Czechoslovakia, on the initiative of the Communist Party, the National Revolutionary Committee was created, which became the central political body of the anti-fascist struggle. The number of partisan detachments grew, and centers of the partisan movement formed in a number of regions of Czechoslovakia. Under the leadership of the HRC, the movement anti-fascist resistance gradually developed into a national uprising.

The French Resistance Movement intensified sharply in the summer and autumn of 1943, after new defeats by the Wehrmacht on the Soviet-German front. Organizations of the Resistance Movement were included in the united anti-fascist army created on the territory of France - the French Internal Forces, the number of which soon reached 500 thousand people.

The liberation movement that unfolded in the territories occupied by the countries of the fascist bloc fettered the Nazi troops, their main forces were bled to death by the Red Army. As early as the first half of 1942, conditions were in place for the opening of a second front in Western Europe. The leaders of the United States and Great Britain undertook to open it in 1942, which was announced in the Anglo-Soviet and Soviet-American communiqués published on June 12, 1942. However, the leaders of the Western powers delayed the opening of the second front, trying to weaken both fascist Germany and the USSR at the same time, in order to establish its dominance in Europe and throughout the world. On June 11, 1942, the British Cabinet rejected a plan for a direct invasion of France across the English Channel under the pretext of difficulties in supplying troops, transferring reinforcements, and a shortage of special landing craft. At a meeting in Washington of the heads of government and representatives of the joint headquarters of the United States and Great Britain in the second half of June 1942, it was decided to abandon the landing in France in 1942 and 1943, and instead carry out an operation to land expeditionary forces in French Northwest Africa (Operation "Torch") and only in the future begin to concentrate large masses US troops in the UK (Operation Bolero). This decision, which had no solid grounds, provoked a protest from the Soviet government.

In North Africa, British troops, using the weakening of the Italo-German grouping, launched offensive operations. British aviation, which again seized air supremacy in the fall of 1942, sank in October 1942 up to 40% of the Italian and German ships heading for North Africa, and disrupted the regular replenishment and supply of Rommel's troops. On October 23, 1942, General B. L. Montgomery's Eighth Army launched a decisive offensive. Having won an important victory in the battle of El Alamein, for the next three months she pursued Rommel's African Corps along the coast, occupied the territory of Tripolitania, Cyrenaica, liberated Tobruk, Benghazi and reached positions at El Agheila.

On November 8, 1942, the landing of the American-British expeditionary forces in French North Africa began (under the overall command of General D. Eisenhower); in the ports of Algiers, Oran, Casablanca, 12 divisions were unloaded (a total of over 150 thousand people). Airborne detachments captured two large airfields in Morocco. After little resistance, the commander-in-chief of the French armed forces of the Vichy regime in North Africa, Admiral J. Darlan, ordered not to interfere with the American-British troops.

The fascist German command, intending to hold North Africa, urgently transferred the 5th Panzer Army to Tunisia by air and sea, which succeeded in stopping the Anglo-American troops and driving them back from Tunisia. In November 1942, fascist German troops occupied the entire territory of France and tried to capture the French Navy (about 60 warships) in Toulon, which, however, was sunk by French sailors.

At the Casablanca Conference of 1943 (see Casablanca Conference of 1943), the leaders of the United States and Great Britain, declaring the unconditional surrender of the "Axis" countries as their ultimate goal, determined further plans for the conduct of the war, which were based on a policy of delaying the opening of a second front. Roosevelt and Churchill considered and approved the strategic plan prepared by the Joint Chiefs of Staff for 1943, which provided for the capture of Sicily in order to put pressure on Italy and create conditions for attracting Turkey as an active ally, as well as an intensified air attack on Germany and the concentration of the largest possible forces to enter the Continent "as soon as German resistance has weakened to the desired level."

The implementation of this plan could not seriously undermine the forces of the fascist bloc in Europe, much less replace the second front, since active operations by the American-British troops were planned in a theater of military operations secondary to Germany. In the main questions of the strategy of V. m. this conference proved fruitless.

The struggle in North Africa went on with varying success until the spring of 1943. In March, the 18th Anglo-American Army Group under the command of the British Field Marshal H. Alexander struck with superior forces and, after lengthy battles, occupied the city of Tunis, and by May 13 forced the Italo-German troops capitulate on the Bon Peninsula. The entire territory of North Africa passed into the hands of the allies.

After the defeat in Africa, the Nazi command expected the Allied invasion of France, not being ready to resist it. However, the allied command was preparing a landing in Italy. On May 12, Roosevelt and Churchill met at a new conference in Washington. The intention was confirmed not to open a second front in Western Europe during 1943 and the approximate date of its opening was set - May 1, 1944.

At this time, Germany was preparing a decisive summer offensive on the Soviet-German front. The Hitlerite leadership sought to defeat the main forces of the Red Army, regain the strategic initiative, and achieve a change in the course of the war. It increased its armed forces by 2 million people. by means of "total mobilization", forced the release of military products, transferred large contingents of troops from various regions of Europe to the Eastern Front. According to the Citadel plan, it was supposed to encircle and destroy Soviet troops in the Kursk salient, and then expand the front of the offensive and capture the entire Donbass.

The Soviet command, having information about the impending enemy offensive, decided to wear down the Nazi troops in a defensive battle on Kursk Bulge, then defeat them in the central and southern sectors of the Soviet-German front, liberate the Left-Bank Ukraine, Donbass, eastern regions of Belarus and reach the Dnieper. Significant forces and means were concentrated and skillfully located to solve this problem. The Battle of Kursk 1943, which began on July 5, is one of greatest battles V. m. - immediately developed in favor of the Red Army. The Hitlerite command failed to break the skillful and staunch defense of the Soviet troops with a powerful avalanche of tanks. In a defensive battle on the Kursk Bulge, the troops of the Central and Voronezh Fronts bled the enemy to death. On July 12, the Soviet command launched a counteroffensive of the troops of the Bryansk and Western fronts against the Germans' Oryol bridgehead. On July 16, the enemy began to withdraw. The troops of the five fronts of the Red Army, developing a counteroffensive, defeated the enemy strike groups, opened their way to the Left-Bank Ukraine and the Dnieper. In the Battle of Kursk, Soviet troops defeated 30 Nazi divisions, including 7 tank divisions. After this major defeat, the leadership of the Wehrmacht finally lost the strategic initiative, was forced to completely abandon the offensive strategy and go on the defensive until the end of the war. The Red Army, using its major success, liberated the Donbass and the Left-bank Ukraine, crossed the Dnieper on the move (see Dnepr in the article), began the liberation of Belarus. In total, in the summer and autumn of 1943, Soviet troops defeated 218 Nazi divisions, completing a radical turning point in the course of the Great Patriotic War. A catastrophe loomed over Nazi Germany. The total losses of the German ground forces alone from the beginning of the war to November 1943 amounted to about 5.2 million people.

After the end of the struggle in North Africa, the Allies carried out the Sicilian operation of 1943 (See Sicilian operation of 1943), which began on July 10. With absolute superiority of forces at sea and in the air, by mid-August they captured Sicily, and in early September they crossed to the Apennine Peninsula (see Italian campaign 1943-1945 (See Italian campaign 1943-1945)). In Italy, a movement was growing for the elimination of the fascist regime and a way out of the war. As a result of the blows of the Anglo-American troops and the growth of the anti-fascist movement, Mussolini's regime fell at the end of July. He was replaced by the government of P. Badoglio, who signed an armistice with the United States and Great Britain on September 3. In response, the Nazis brought additional contingents of troops into Italy, disarmed the Italian army and occupied the country. By November 1943, after the Anglo-American landings in Salerno, the fascist German command withdrew its troops to S., in the area of ​​Rome, and entrenched itself on the line of the river. Sangro and Carigliano, where the front has stabilized.

In the Atlantic Ocean by the beginning of 1943 the positions of the German fleet were weakened. The Allies ensured their superiority in surface forces and naval aviation. The large ships of the German fleet could now operate only in the Arctic Ocean against convoys. Considering the weakening of its surface fleet, the Nazi naval command, led by Admiral K. Dönitz, who replaced the former fleet commander E. Raeder, shifted the focus to actions submarine fleet. Having commissioned more than 200 submarines, the Germans inflicted a series of heavy blows on the allies in the Atlantic. But after the highest success achieved in March 1943, the effectiveness of German submarine attacks began to decline rapidly. The growth in the size of the allied fleet, the use of new technology for detecting submarines, and the increase in the range of naval aviation predetermined the growth of losses in the German submarine fleet, which were not replenished. Shipbuilding in the United States and Great Britain now provided an excess of the number of newly built ships over those sunk, the number of which had decreased.

In the Pacific Ocean in the first half of 1943, after the losses suffered in 1942, the belligerents accumulated forces and did not conduct extensive operations. Japan more than tripled its aircraft output compared to 1941, and its shipyards laid down 60 new ships, including 40 submarines. The total strength of the Japanese armed forces increased by 2.3 times. The Japanese command decided to stop further advance in the Pacific Ocean and consolidate what was captured by going on the defensive on the lines of the Aleutian, Marshall, Gilbert Islands, New Guinea, Indonesia, Burma.

The United States also intensively deployed military production. 28 new aircraft carriers were laid down, several new operational formations were formed (2 field and 2 air armies), many special units; military bases were built in the South Pacific. The forces of the United States and its allies in the Pacific were consolidated into two operational groups: the central part of the Pacific (Admiral C.W. Nimitz) and the southwestern part of the Pacific (General D. MacArthur). The groups included several fleets, field armies, marines, carrier and base aviation, mobile naval bases, etc., in total - 500 thousand people, 253 large warships (including 69 submarines), over 2 thousand combat aircraft. Naval and air Force The US outnumbered the Japanese. In May 1943, units of the Nimitz group occupied the Aleutian Islands, securing American positions in the north.

In connection with the great summer successes of the Red Army and the landing in Italy, Roosevelt and Churchill held a conference in Quebec (August 11-24, 1943) to refine military plans again. The main intention of the leaders of both powers was to “achieve in the shortest possible time the unconditional surrender of the European countries of the “axis””, for which, through an air offensive, to achieve “undermining and disorganization on an ever-increasing scale of the military and economic power of Germany”. On May 1, 1944, it was planned to launch Operation Overlord to invade France. In the Far East, it was decided to expand the offensive in order to capture bridgeheads, from which it would then be possible, after the defeat of the European countries of the "axis" and the transfer of forces from Europe, to strike Japan and defeat it "within 12 months after the end of the war with Germany." The plan of action chosen by the allies did not meet the objectives of ending the war in Europe as soon as possible, since active operations in Western Europe were not expected until the summer of 1944.

Carrying out plans for offensive operations in the Pacific, the Americans continued the battles for the Solomon Islands that began as early as June 1943. Having mastered about New George and a bridgehead on about. Bougainville, they brought their bases in the South Pacific closer to the Japanese, including the main Japanese base - Rabaul. At the end of November 1943, the Americans occupied the Gilbert Islands, which were then turned into a base for preparing an attack on the Marshall Islands. MacArthur's group in stubborn battles captured most of the islands in the Coral Sea, the eastern part of New Guinea and deployed a base here for an attack on the Bismarck Archipelago. By removing the threat of a Japanese invasion of Australia, she secured US sea lanes in the area. As a result of these actions, the strategic initiative in the Pacific passed into the hands of the Allies, who eliminated the consequences of the defeat of 1941-42 and created the conditions for an offensive against Japan.

The national liberation struggle of the peoples of China, Korea, Indo-China, Burma, Indonesia, and the Philippines expanded ever more. The communist parties of these countries rallied partisan forces in the ranks of the National Front. People's Liberation Army and partisan detachments China, having resumed active operations, liberated the territory with a population of about 80 million people.

The rapid development of events in 1943 on all fronts, especially on the Soviet-German front, required the Allies to clarify and coordinate plans for the conduct of the war for the next year. This was done at the November 1943 conference in Cairo (see the Cairo Conference of 1943) and the Tehran Conference of 1943 (see the Tehran Conference of 1943).

At the Cairo Conference (November 22-26), the delegations of the United States (head of the delegation F. D. Roosevelt), Great Britain (head of the delegation W. Churchill), China (head of the delegation Chiang Kai-shek) considered plans for waging war in Southeast Asia, which provided for limited goals: the creation of bases for the subsequent offensive against Burma and Indochina and the improvement of air supply to Chiang Kai-shek's army. Questions of military action in Europe were seen as secondary; The British leadership proposed to postpone Operation Overlord.

At the Tehran conference (November 28 - December 1, 1943) of the heads of government of the USSR (head of the delegation I. V. Stalin), the USA (head of the delegation F. D. Roosevelt) and Great Britain (head of the delegation W. Churchill) military questions were in the center of attention. The British delegation proposed a plan to invade Southeast Europe through the Balkans, with the participation of Turkey. The Soviet delegation proved that this plan did not meet the requirements of the fastest defeat of Germany, because operations in the Mediterranean area were "operations of secondary importance"; With its firm and consistent position, the Soviet delegation forced the Allies to once again recognize the paramount importance of the invasion of Western Europe, and "Overlord" - the main operation of the Allies, which should be accompanied by an auxiliary landing in southern France and distracting actions in Italy. For its part, the USSR pledged to enter the war with Japan after the defeat of Germany.

The report on the conference of the heads of government of the three powers said: “We have come to full agreement on the scale and timing of the operations to be undertaken from the east, west and south. The mutual understanding we have reached here guarantees us victory.”

At the Cairo Conference held on December 3-7, 1943, the delegations of the United States and Great Britain, after a series of discussions, recognized the need to use landing craft destined for Southeast Asia in Europe and approved a program according to which the most important operations in 1944 should be Overlord and Anvil ( landing in the south of France); the conference participants agreed that "in no other part of the world should any action be taken that could hinder the success of these two operations." It was an important victory for the Soviet foreign policy, its struggle for the unity of action of the countries of the anti-Hitler coalition and the military strategy based on this policy.

4th period of the war (January 1, 1944 - May 8, 1945) was the period when the Red Army, in the course of a powerful strategic offensive, expelled the Nazi troops from the territory of the USSR, liberated the peoples of Eastern and Southeastern Europe, and, together with the armed forces of the allies, completed the defeat of Nazi Germany. At the same time, the offensive of the armed forces of the United States and Great Britain in the Pacific Ocean continued, and the people's liberation war in China intensified.

As in previous periods, the main burden of the struggle was borne by the Soviet Union, against which the fascist bloc continued to hold its main forces. By the beginning of 1944, the German command of 315 divisions and 10 brigades that it had had 198 divisions and 6 brigades on the Soviet-German front. In addition, there were 38 divisions and 18 brigades of satellite states on the Soviet-German front. In 1944, the Soviet command planned an offensive along the front from the Baltic Sea to the Black Sea, with the main attack in the southwestern direction. In January - February, the Red Army, after a 900-day heroic defense, liberated Leningrad from the blockade (see the Battle of Leningrad 1941-44). By spring, having carried out a number of major operations, Soviet troops liberated the Right-Bank Ukraine and Crimea, reached the Carpathians and entered the territory of Romania. In the winter campaign of 1944 alone, the enemy lost 30 divisions and 6 brigades from the blows of the Red Army; 172 divisions and 7 brigades suffered heavy losses; human losses amounted to more than 1 million people. Germany could no longer make up for the damage it had suffered. In June 1944, the Red Army struck the Finnish army, after which Finland requested an armistice, an agreement on which was signed on September 19, 1944 in Moscow.

The grandiose offensive of the Red Army in Belarus from June 23 to August 29, 1944 (see the Belarusian operation of 1944) and in Western Ukraine from July 13 to August 29, 1944 (see the Lvov-Sandomierz operation of 1944) ended with the defeat of the two largest strategic groups of the Wehrmacht in the center of the Soviet -German front, breakthrough of the German front to a depth of 600 km, the complete destruction of 26 divisions and the infliction of heavy losses on 82 Nazi divisions. Soviet troops reached the border of East Prussia, entered the territory of Poland and approached the Vistula. Polish troops also took part in the offensive.

In Chelm, the first Polish city liberated by the Red Army, on July 21, 1944, the Polish Committee of National Liberation was formed - a temporary executive body of people's power, subordinate to the Craiova Rada Narodova. In August 1944, the Home Army, following the order of the Polish government in exile in London, which sought to seize power in Poland before the Red Army approached and restore pre-war order, launched the Warsaw Uprising of 1944. After 63 days of heroic struggle, this uprising, undertaken in an unfavorable strategic environment, was defeated.

The international and military situation in the spring and summer of 1944 developed in such a way that a further delay in the opening of the second front would lead to the liberation of all of Europe by the forces of the USSR. This prospect worried the ruling circles of the United States and Great Britain, who sought to restore the pre-war capitalist order in the countries occupied by the Nazis and their allies. In London and Washington, they began to rush to prepare for an invasion of Western Europe across the English Channel in order to seize bridgeheads in Normandy and Brittany, ensure the landing of expeditionary troops, and then liberate northwestern France. In the future, it was supposed to break through the "Siegfried Line", which covered the German border, cross the Rhine and advance deep into Germany. The Allied Expeditionary Force under the command of General Eisenhower by the beginning of June 1944 had 2.8 million people, 37 divisions, 12 separate brigades, "commando detachments", about 11 thousand combat aircraft, 537 warships and a large number of transports and landing craft.

After defeats on the Soviet-German front, the fascist German command could keep in France, Belgium and the Netherlands as part of Army Group West (Field Marshal G. Rundstedt) only 61 weakened, poorly equipped divisions, 500 aircraft, 182 warships. The allies had, in the same way, absolute superiority in forces and means.

Start Second world wars(September 1, 1939 – June 22, 1941).

At dawn on September 1, 1939, the troops of the German Wehrmacht suddenly launched hostilities against Poland. Using overwhelming superiority in forces and means, the Nazi command was able to quickly achieve large-scale operational results. Despite the fact that France, Great Britain and the countries of the British Commonwealth immediately declared war on Germany, they did not provide effective and real assistance to Poland. The courageous resistance of the Polish soldiers near Mława, near Modlin and the heroic twenty-day defense of Warsaw could not save Poland from disaster.

At the same time, the troops of the Red Army, almost without resistance, from September 17 to 29 occupied the regions of Western Belarus and Western Ukraine. September 28, 1939 first campaign Second world wars has been completed. Poland ceased to exist.

On the same day, a new Soviet-German treaty "On Friendship and Borders" was signed in Moscow, which secured the partition of Poland. New secret agreements gave the USSR the possibility of "freedom of action" in creating a "sphere of security" near its western borders, secured the annexation of the western regions of Belarus and Ukraine, allowed the Soviet Union to conclude agreements on "mutual assistance" September 28, 1939 with Estonia, October 5 - with Latvia, October 10 - with Lithuania. According to these treaties, the USSR received the right to deploy its troops in the Baltic republics and create naval and
air bases. Stalin went to transfer into the hands of the Gestapo many hundreds of German anti-fascists who were hiding in the USSR from the Nazis, and also deported hundreds of thousands of Poles, both former military personnel and the civilian population.

At the same time, the Stalinist leadership stepped up pressure on Finland. On October 12, 1939, she was asked to conclude an agreement "on mutual assistance" with the USSR. However, the Finnish leadership abandoned the agreements with the USSR, and the negotiations were unsuccessful.

The defeat of Poland and a temporary alliance with Stalin provided Hitler with a reliable rear for carrying out a blitzkrieg in the Western European theater of operations. Already on October 9, 1939, the Fuhrer signed a directive on preparing an attack on France, and 10 days later a plan was approved for the strategic concentration of German troops for offensive operations in the West.

The Soviet leadership took active steps to expand the "sphere of security" in the northwest. On November 28, 1939, the USSR unilaterally denounced the non-aggression pact with Finland of 1932, and on the morning of November 30, military operations against the Finns began, which lasted almost four months. The next day (December 1) in the village. Terijoki was urgently proclaimed "the government of the Democratic Republic of Finland."

On March 12, 1940, a Soviet-Finnish peace treaty was signed in Moscow, taking into account the territorial claims presented by the USSR. the Soviet Union during wars suffered huge casualties: the army lost up to 127 thousand people killed and missing, as well as up to 248 thousand wounded and frostbite. Finland lost just over 48,000 killed and 43,000 wounded.
Politically, this war caused serious damage to the Soviet Union. On December 14, 1939, the Council of the League of Nations adopted a resolution expelling him from this organization, condemning the actions of the USSR directed against the Finnish state and called on the member states of the League of Nations to support Finland. The USSR found itself in international isolation.

The results of the "winter wars"They clearly showed the weakness of the" indestructible "Soviet Armed Forces. Soon, K.E. Voroshilov was removed from the post of People's Commissar of Defense, and S.K. Timoshenko took his place.
In the spring of 1940, Wehrmacht troops began a large-scale military campaign in Western Europe. On April 9, 1940, the strike force of the Nazi troops (about 140 thousand personnel, up to 1000 aircraft and all the forces of the fleet) attacked Denmark and Norway. Denmark (having only 13,000 troops) was occupied in a few hours, and its government immediately announced its surrender.

The situation was different in Norway, where the armed forces managed to avoid defeat and withdraw into the interior of the country, and Anglo-French troops were landed to help them. Armed struggle in Norway threatened to become protracted, so already on May 10, 1940, Hitler launched an offensive according to the Gelb plan, which provided for a lightning strike against France through Luxembourg, Belgium and the Netherlands, bypassing the French Maginot defensive line. On June 22, 1940, the act of capitulation of France was signed, according to which its northern territory was occupied by Germany, and the southern regions remained under the control of the "government" of collaborator Marshal A. Petain ("Vichy regime").

The defeat of France led to a sharp change in the strategic situation in Europe. The threat of a German invasion loomed over Great Britain. A war was unfolding on sea lanes, where German submarines sank 100-140 British merchant ships every month.
Already in the summer of 1940, the front in the west ceased to exist, and the coming clash between Germany and the USSR began to take on more and more real outlines.

As a result of the German "appeasement policy" in the northeast and east of Europe, territories with a population of 14 million people were included in the USSR, and the western border was pushed back 200-600 km. At the VIII session of the Supreme Soviet of the USSR on August 2-6, 1940, these territorial "acquisitions" were legally formalized by laws on the formation of the Moldavian SSR and the admission of the three Baltic republics into the Union.
After victory over France, Germany accelerated preparations for war against the USSR: the issue of the "eastern campaign" had already been discussed on July 21, 1940 at a meeting of Hitler with the commanders of the armed forces, and on July 31 he set the task of starting the operation in May 1941 and completing it within 5 months.

On August 9, 1940, a decision was made to transfer Wehrmacht forces to the borders of the USSR, and from September they began to concentrate in Romania. At the same time, a broad campaign was launched to disinform the Soviet leadership, which played its fatal role in carrying out measures to repel aggression. On September 27 in Berlin, Germany, Italy and Japan signed a tripartite pact, which was later joined by Hungary, Romania, Slovakia, Bulgaria and Croatia. Finally, on December 18, 1940, the famous "Barbarossa option" was approved by Hitler - the plan wars against the Soviet Union.

In order to hide military preparations, I. Ribbentrop on October 13, 1940, invited I. V. Stalin to take part in the division of spheres of interest on a global scale. A meeting on this issue was held on November 12-13 in Berlin with the participation of V.M. Molotov, but because of the nomination by both sides of mutually unacceptable conditions, it was not successful.

WWII is the largest historical event 20th century. continued long time, covered almost all continents and oceans, 61 states participated.

Causes:

WWII arose as a result of the uneven decision of the countries, because of which sharp contradictions arose between them, and opposing coalitions are formed. The states of the "axis countries" were dissatisfied with the existence of the Versailles-Washington system as a world order, hence the desire to redistribute the world, seize colonies, and expand the sphere of influence. On the other hand, the Versailles-Washington order was not effective way protection against such aspirations and by the beginning of the 1930s practically did not work (which was proved by Italy's invasion of Ethiopia, the build-up of armament by Germany and its entry into the territory of the Rhine demilit. zone: the League did not accept sanctions and a precedent of impunity for the aggressor appeared). An attempt to create a system of collective. security failed (England and France pursued their own goals - they pursued a political “appeasement of the aggressor”, in order to negotiate with Germany on the terms of mutual concessions and direct Germany to the East). Each country, therefore, pursued its own Goals and WWII was the result of the purposeful activity of a small group of aggressor states.

In foreign ISG a number of t.z on the causes of the war: F. Meynene ("German catastrophe") - the cause of the war - Hitler's personal ambitions. Ritter - was considered the aggressor of the USSR, and that Germany launched a preemptive strike; Lidel Gardt - war - a product of the results of WWI; Belov (professor of Oxford) believed that WWII was the result of the policy of the USSR, allegedly refused to meet the Western powers halfway.

Stages:

Stage 1. September 1, 1939 - June 22, 1941 (from the German attack on Poland to the start of the Second World War). Events: attack on Poland, from 1940 - "strange war" on western front(France and England are at war with Germany, but do not conduct military operations in it), Germany's invasion of the Scandinavian countries; Captain Holland, Belgium. The encirclement of the Franco-English forces near the city of Dunkirk; the capture of France and its division into 2 parts. England fought in North Africa p / in Italy. June 22, 1941 - attack on the USSR; creation of the Tripartite Pact; Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor. Stage 2: June 22, 1941 - November 1942 on the Moroccan coast, fighting in the north and east of Africa. US entry into the war. On eastern front: The Battle of Moscow, the offensive of German troops on Stalingrad, the defense of the Caucasus. Stage 3: November 1942 - December 1943 (the period of a radical change). Stalingrad and the Battle of Kursk meant the final transfer of the initiative into the hands of the Red Army on the Soviet-German front. The heaviest defeat of Japan at Midway Island; surrendered to German troops in Tunisia. Tehran Conference (it was decided to open the 2nd front). Stage 4: January 1944 - May 9, 1945 (landing of the allies in Normandy, liberation of France; successful military operations of the Americans in the Pacific Ocean; successful offensive operations of the USSR p / in Germany; Yalta Conference - (the final defeat of Germany is necessary). Stage 5: May 9, 1945 -September 2, 1945. (The final defeat of Germany and Japan. Potsdam Conference - German. Question).

Results:

1. WWII brought about a change in growth. forces in the world. 2 superpowers appeared, the definition of separation. forces. 2. The collapse of the "axis" states; 3. Changing state borders, in particular in Europe; 4. Ideological split, the emergence and folding of the socialist camp; 5. Huge human casualties of WWII gave rise to quality. a new trend in the development of capitalism: the MMC is taking shape, the emergence of TNCs, which tied the capitalist world into a single mechanism; 6. The destruction of the colonial system and the emergence of new states (the British Empire). Fash and right-winger. groups have left the political arena. The prestige of the communes is growing; a multi-party system is emerging.

Background of World War II

Major foreign policy events of the 1930s were:

1933 - the establishment of the Nazi-militarist dictatorship of Hitler in Germany and the beginning of preparations for the Second World War.

1934 - admission of the USSR to League of Nations- an international organization of European countries, created after the First World War.

1938 - The Munich Agreement between the leading Western powers (England and France) and Hitler to stop his seizures in Europe in exchange for tacit consent to aggression against the USSR. The collapse of the policy of collective security → the policy of "appeasement of the aggressor".

1939, August - non-aggression pact between the USSR and Germany (Molotov-Ribbentrop pact) with a secret protocol on the division of spheres of influence in Europe. The moral side of this treaty, which liberal, and especially Western, historians and politicians pay intense attention to, remains undoubtedly controversial, but it should be recognized that objectively The main culprit of the incident turned out to be the great powers of the West, who hoped to protect themselves from Hitler's aggression with the help of the Munich deal and direct it against the USSR, pitting two totalitarian regimes against each other - communist and Nazi. However, they severely deceived in their calculations.

September- the beginning of World War II (originally - Germany against England and France).

1939-1941 - German occupation or actual subjugation of almost the entire European continent, including the defeat and occupation of France in 1940.

1939-1940 - accession to the USSR, in accordance with the Molotov-Ribbentrop Pact, Western Ukraine (the result of the division of Poland with Hitler), the re-annexation of the Baltic countries (Latvia, Lithuania, Estonia) and Moldova (torn away from Romania). Aggression against Finland and the exclusion of the USSR from the League of Nations. At the same time - the beginning of the preparation of the USSR for the "big war", which primarily resulted in an increase in the military budget by 3 times and the restoration of universal military duty, canceled earlier (in 1924).

Causes of World War II can be formulated as follows:

1. Germany's desire for revenge for the defeat in the First World War, which was facilitated by: a) the preservation of its economic potential; b) infringed national feelings of the Germans; c) the establishment of the militant fascist dictatorship of A. Hitler in 1933 Consequently "Great Depression" - the global economic crisis of 1929-1933, from which democratic governments failed to lead the country.

2. The attempts of the democratic countries - the winners of the First World War and guarantors formed after it Versailles system international relations- push the other two camps together, turned around in the end against them .

Unlike the First World War, the outbreaks of the Second World War arose gradually, and this is more evidence that it could have been prevented. Let's trace the main stages of the collapse of the Versailles-Washington system international relations:

1931 - the occupation of Manchuria (Northeast China) by the militaristic-samurai imperial Japan.

1935 - Restoration by Hitler of universal conscription in Germany and deployment mass army (Wehrmacht) in violation of the terms of the Treaty of Versailles.

1937 - the beginning of the Japanese aggression for the capture of all of China.

1938 - Hitler's annexation of Austria.

In the same year - Munich Agreement between England and France, on the one hand, and Hitler, on the other, giving Germany part of Czechoslovakia given that not to make more seizures in Europe (about the USSR it is significant was silent).

1939 - Hitler's capture of all of Czechoslovakia contrary to the treaty.

In the same year, August - Molotov-Ribbentrop pact on non-aggression between Germany and the USSR with a secret protocol on the division of spheres of influence in Europe.

September Hitler's conquest of Poland start of World War II England and France against Germany.

The result was the bankruptcy of Western foreign policy. But even despite this, in the first period of the war, England and France actually did not conduct hostilities(so-called. "strange war"), hoping to still come to an agreement with Hitler and thereby giving him the opportunity to strengthen even more.

1939-1941 - Hitler's conquest of most of Europe (following Austria, Czechoslovakia and Poland - Denmark and Norway, Belgium and Holland, in 1940 France, then Yugoslavia and Greece) and the creation of a fascist bloc of Germany, Italy and the countries that joined them - satellites (Hungary, Romania, Finland). Parallel (in 1939-1940) - the occupation by the Soviet Union of Western Ukraine, the Baltic states and Moldova.

The bloody war of the USSR against Finland in the winter of 1939/40 showed the comparative backwardness of the Soviet military equipment and the weakness of the military organization. After that, since 1939, the USSR began to seriously prepare for the “big war”: the military budget increased 3 times, universal military duty was restored, plans were drawn up preventive(preemptive) strike against Germany (kept in deep secrecy and declassified only after the collapse Soviet system, they refuted the common version that Stalin "did not prepare" for war).

June 22, 1941 attack by Nazi Germany and its satellites on the Soviet Union (in violation of the non-aggression pact) began The Great Patriotic War, which became a defining component of the Second World War (no matter how they tried to belittle its significance for political reasons Western historians).

extraordinary governing bodies of the country during the war years become: economic(under the conditions of the transfer of the economy to the service of the front) - GKO(State Defense Committee), military –Bid Supreme Command. Posts supreme commander and the chairman of the GKO were united in their hands by I.V. Stalin (during the war he became a marshal of the Soviet Union, and at the end of it - a generalissimo).

Hitler's war plan plan "Barbarossa"”) consisted in a simultaneous powerful strike to a continuous depth along the entire length of the front, in which the main role was played by cutting tank wedges, with the aim of quickly encircling and defeating the main forces of the Soviet army already in border battles. This plan, brilliantly tested by the Germans in previous military campaigns against Western countries, was called "blitzkrieg" ( blitzkrieg). Upon achieving victory, it was planned to partially exterminate, partially enslave the Slavic peoples, according to Hitler's "racial theory" considered an "inferior race" (below them in the "racial pyramid" of the Nazi "ideologists" were only some peoples of Asia and Africa, as well as Jews and gypsies who were subject to complete annihilation).

The initial period of the war (summer-autumn 1941) was marked by the retreat of the Soviet troops along the entire front, a series of “cauldrons” and encirclements of the Soviet armies, the largest of which was the Kiev “cauldron”, where the entire Southwestern Front was surrounded. During the first 3 months of the war, the Germans occupied all the western republics of the USSR and part of the interior territories of Russia, reaching Leningrad in the north, Moscow in the center, and the Don in the south (and in 1942, the Volga).

Causes The heavy defeats of the Red Army at the initial stage of the war were:

1) the suddenness of the German attack (Stalin hoped to the last to delay the war for at least another year);

2) the best organization and most advanced tactics of the German army;

3) combat experience worked out during the conquest of Europe;

4) almost double superiority of the Wehrmacht in terms of numbers and technology, Consequently the fact that, firstly, Germany began preparations for war earlier, and secondly, all conquered Europe worked for it;

5) the weakening of the Red Army by mass repressions of the late 30s (most liberal historians consider this reason to be decisive, but this opinion is refuted by the catastrophic defeat of the potentially powerful and repressive democratic France in 1940).

However, already in the autumn it became clear that the idea blitzkrieg fails (Hitler's previous military campaigns in the West lasted no more than a month and a half each). It was finally thwarted by two major events.

The first event was lasting from September 1941 to January 1943. Leningrad blockade, squeezed into the ring of the environment. Despite hundreds of thousands of victims of a terrible famine, the second capital withstood an incredible, unparalleled siege in history and was not surrendered to the enemy.

The main event that marked the collapse blitzkrieg, became Battle for Moscow, the main events of which unfolded from October to December 1941. Having bled the Nazi troops in fierce defensive battles (besides, the latter, like the Napoleonic soldiers in 1812, were not ready for the harsh Russian winter), Soviet army launched a counteroffensive and drove them back from Moscow. The battle for Moscow became first strategic defeat of the Germans during the entire Second World War.

During this most difficult period of the war, Stalin twice secretly offered peace to Hitler: during the battle for Moscow - on terms close to the Brest peace, and after the victory near Moscow - on the terms of pre-war borders. Both proposals were rejected, which was the beginning of the end of the Third Reich. Hitler repeated the mistake of Napoleon, deepening into Russia and not calculating either its vast expanses or human potential.

Despite the defeat near Moscow, the German army regrouped its forces and inflicted new major defeats on the Red Army in the spring and summer of 1942, the largest of which was the encirclement near Kharkov. After that, the Wehrmacht launched a new powerful offensive in the south and reached the Volga.

To raise discipline in the Soviet troops, the famous Stalinist order "Not a step back!" Was issued. NKVD detachments were introduced to the front, which were placed behind military units and which machine-gunned units retreating without orders.

played a pivotal role in the course of the war Battle of Stalingrad(July 1942 - February 1943) - the bloodiest battle of World War II. After a long fierce defense, the Soviet troops, pulling up reserves, launched a counteroffensive in November and surrounded the German army of Paulus, which, after fruitless attempts to break through the encirclement, freezing and starving, capitulated.

After that, the war finally acquired a global character, all the great powers of the planet were drawn into it. In January 1942 finally took shape anti-Hitler coalition led by the USSR, the USA and England (since France was defeated and mostly occupied by the Germans). Under an agreement with the Allies lend-lease The USSR received military and food supplies from them (primarily from the USA).

However, they did not play the decisive role, but mobilization of the Soviet economy for the needs of the war. The country literally turned into a single military camp. Factories were transferred to the production of military products, the centralization of management and production discipline were sharply tightened, and the 8-hour working day was canceled during the war. In the militarization of the economy Stalin's regime proved to be unsurpassed: for the first six months war, in conditions of severe defeats and occupation of a third of the European part of the country, were evacuated to the east 1.5 thousand factories. And already in 1943, despite on the continued occupation of a significant part of the country and all of Europe by the Germans, the USSR reached advantage in the production of military equipment over Germany and caught up with it in quality, and in certain types weapons and surpassed (suffice it to recall the legendary T-34 tank and the first jet mortars - "Katyushas"). At the same time, despite the formation of the anti-Hitler coalition, the Soviet Union continued to bear on its shoulders the brunt of the war with the main aggressor - Nazi Germany.

The war has become wars of extermination. Now the Soviet government contributed to the rise of patriotism. Under the influence of the collapse of the idea of ​​world revolution and the experience of Hitler, the turn begun by Stalin before the war was completed. in the national question from the traditional Marxist-Leninist cosmopolitanism To patriotism, up to the revival of imperial national traditions (shoulder straps in the army, the renaming of people's commissars into ministers in 1946, the cult of Russian historical heroes, etc.). Integral part this process was the cessation of the persecution of the church and usage her in patriotic work, while saving strict control over it (up to forcing priests to inform on parishioners, following the model of Peter's times).

During the Great Patriotic War, talented commanders came forward who learned how to defeat the best German army in the world: marshals G.K. Zhukov, K.K. Rokossovsky, I.S. Konev, A.M. Vasilevsky and others.

The turning point in the course of the war in favor of the Soviet Union, begun Battle of Stalingrad, ended Battle of Kursk(July-August 1943) - the largest battle in the history of wars in terms of the number of military equipment. After it, the Soviet army goes on the offensive along the entire front, the liberation of the territory of the USSR begins. Hitler's Wehrmacht finally loses the initiative and goes over to total defense.

Parallel starts collapse of the fascist bloc: one after the other in 1943–1945 Italy, Romania, Finland, Hungary withdraw from the war.

Of crucial importance for the peoples of Europe were three conferences of the heads of the great powers of the anti-Hitler coalition– Soviet Union, United States of America and Great Britain (England). The first of these was Tehran Conference(November-December 1943), the main participants of which were I.V. Stalin, US President F. Roosevelt and British Prime Minister W. Churchill. It agreed on the terms for the Allies to open a second front in Europe in exchange for Stalin's statement about the dissolution of the Comintern; formally, it really was dissolved, but actually Stalin retained control over all foreign communist parties and lost nothing.

In June 1944, the Allies finally opened second front in Europe: Anglo-American troops landed in France. Nevertheless, and after that The main theater of the Second World War was the Soviet-German front, on which 2/3 of the German armies continued to be. AND even under this condition the Germans in the winter of 1944/45 dealt a crushing blow to the Americans in the Ardennes; only the Russian offensive in Poland in response to the panicked calls of the allies for help saved them from destruction.

Autumn 1944 the liberation of the territory of the USSR was completed, and also spring the same year, the liberation of Europe by Soviet troops from fascism began.

In February 1945 took place Yalta Conference heads of the great allied powers (in the Crimea) with the same main actors– I.V. Stalin, F. Roosevelt and W. Churchill. She made decisions about the post-war order of the world. The most important of them were: 1) the demilitarization (disarmament) and democratization of Germany; 2) the punishment of Nazi war criminals (the main of them were convicted in 1945-1946 by an international tribunal on Nuremberg Trials), ban worldwide fascist organizations and fascist ideology; 3) the division of Germany after the war into 4 temporary zones of allied occupation (Soviet, American, British and French); 4) the entry of the USSR into the war against Japan 3 months after the victory over Germany; 5) creation United Nations (UN, created in pursuance of the decision of the conference in April 1945); 6) collection reparations from defeated Germany in compensation for the material damage inflicted by it on the winners.

In April-May 1945, there was storming of berlin Russian Soviet troops. Despite the fierce resistance of the German troops to the end, who fought on the orders of Hitler for every house, the capital of the Third Reich was finally taken on May 2. On the eve of Hitler, seeing the hopelessness of the situation, committed suicide.

On the night of May 9, 1945 in the suburbs of Berlin, Potsdam, Germany's unconditional surrender to the USSR and its allies was signed (Marshal Zhukov accepted it from the USSR). This date has become a national holiday of the Russian people - Victory Day. On June 24, a grandiose Victory Parade was held in Moscow, commanded by Marshal Rokossovsky, and Marshal Zhukov hosted the parade.

In July-August 1945, the third and final Potsdam Conference heads of the great victorious powers. Its main participants were: from the USSR - I.V. Stalin, from the USA - G. Truman (who replaced Roosevelt, who died on the eve of the Victory), from Great Britain - first W. Churchill, who, after losing the parliamentary elections, was replaced at the conference by K. Attlee . The Potsdam Conference defined the post-war borders of Europe: the Soviet Union was given East Prussia(now the Kaliningrad region of Russia), and also recognized the entry into its composition of the Baltic States and Western Ukraine.

In August 1945, in accordance with the decision of the Yalta Conference, the USSR entered the war with Japan and a powerful blow from its armies transferred from Europe, with a multiple superiority of forces and equipment, contributed to its final defeat in less than 3 weeks. At the same time, the Americans for the first time in the world used atomic weapon, dropping two atomic bombs on peaceful Japanese cities Hiroshima and Nagasaki with colossal human losses. Although the psychological effect of these barbaric bombardments contributed to the surrender of Japan, they were also aimed at intimidating the whole world, and above all the Soviet Union, with a show of US power.

September 2, 1945 Japan's unconditional surrender was signed end of World War II. As a reward for helping the Americans defeat Japan, the USSR regained southern Sakhalin and the Kuril Islands, lost after the Russo-Japanese War in 1905.

Main results of the Great Patriotic War can be divided into two groups.

positive for the USSR:

1) the gigantic growth of the international weight and military-political power of the Soviet Union, its transformation into one of the two world superpowers (along with the USA);

2) the above-mentioned territorial acquisitions and the establishment of Russia's actual control over the countries of Eastern Europe - Poland, the GDR (East Germany), Czechoslovakia, Hungary, Romania and Bulgaria, which were imposed with the help of the Soviet troops who liberated them, communist regimes.

Negative:

1) 26 million killed by the USSR - the largest number of victims among all the countries participating in the Second World War (55 million in the world);

2) huge material damage caused by the war (during the retreat, the Germans destroyed cities, industrial enterprises and railways, burned villages);

3) a new, post-war split of the world into 2 hostile camps - intensified many times over totalitarian-communist led by the USSR and bourgeois-democratic led by the United States, which led to many years of confrontation on the brink of nuclear war;

12. World War II World War II: Causes, Course, Significance

Reasons and move. "Strange War" Wehrmacht Blitzkrieg. Changes in the system of international relations with the entry into the war of the USSR and the USA. Anti-Hitler coalition. Lend-Lease. Military operations in the Pacific and Atlantic Oceans, in Africa and Asia. "Second Front" in Europe. Technology war. The world order of Yalta and Potsdam. The emergence of a bipolar world.

USSR during the Great Patriotic War

Society during the war. Attitudes towards the war of various national, cultural and social groups: the priority of patriotism or communist ideals? Propaganda and counter-propaganda. The role of traditional values ​​and political stereotypes. Soviet culture and ideology during the war. Everyday life at the front and in the rear. population in the occupied territories. partisan movement. National Policy.

The main stages of military operations. Soviet military art. The heroism of the Soviet people during the war. The role of the Soviet rear.

Political system. The militarization of the apparatus. Economic management in war time. The impact of pre-war modernization of the economy on the course of hostilities.

The decisive role of the USSR in the defeat of Nazism. The meaning and price of the Victory in the Great Patriotic War.

Key concepts: blitzkrieg, anti-Hitler coalition, bipolar world, partisan movement, militarization, heroism, patriotism.

Section 13. The world in the second half of the 20th century "Cold War"

Superpowers: USA and USSR. Mutual interest in shaping the image of the enemy. Contradictions: geopolitics or ideology? Arms race and local conflicts. military blocs. Two Europes - two worlds.

The collapse of the colonial system. Military and political crises in the framework of the Cold War. information wars. Technogenic civilization "on the warpath". The collapse of the bipolar world. Consequences of the Cold War.

Toward the Common Market and the Welfare State

European integration. "Welfare State". Role political parties. Christian Democracy. Mass movements: ecological, feminist, youth, anti-war. consumer world. Culture as a way to stimulate consumption. A New Look on human rights.

Scientific and technical progress

Transport revolution. Qualitatively new level of energy availability of society, nuclear power. Breakthrough into space. Development of means of communication. Computer, information networks and electronic media. Modern biotechnologies. Automated production. Industry and nature. Formation of a new scientific picture of the world. Dehumanization of art. Technocracy and irrationalism in the public consciousness of the XX century.

Asia, Africa and Latin America

The Second World War - the crisis of the mother countries. American " great project and "old" empires. Soviet anti-colonialism. Destruction of the colonial myth. Exhaustion of mandate terms in the countries of the Middle East. China is among the winners. The National Liberation Struggle in the Japanese "Prosperity Sphere" and Its Consequences in the Pacific Basin. Liberation of India. Middle East conflict. Asian and African countries in the system of the bipolar world. Non-Aligned Movement. Doctrines of the third way. Problems of developing countries. Latin America. Socialism in the Western Hemisphere.

Key concepts: superpower, local conflicts, "cold war", information war, technogenic civilization, scientific and technological progress, internationalization, "conservative wave", ecumenism, biotechnology, ecology, modernism, technocracy, irrationalism, anti-colonialism, national liberation struggle, non-aligned movement.

44. World War II: causes, periodization, results. Great Patriotic War of the Soviet people.

The Second World War was the bloodiest and most brutal military conflict in the history of mankind and the only one in which nuclear weapons were used. 61 states took part in it. The dates of the beginning and end of this war, September 1, 1939 - 1945, September 2, are among the most significant for the entire civilized world.

Causes World War II was the imbalance of power in the world and the problems provoked by the results of the First World War, in particular territorial disputes. The United States, England, France, who won the First World War, concluded the Treaty of Versailles on the most unfavorable and humiliating conditions for the losing countries, Turkey and Germany, which provoked an increase in tension in the world. At the same time, adopted in the late 1930s by Britain and France, the policy of appeasing the aggressor made it possible for Germany to sharply increase its military potential, which accelerated the transition of the Nazis to active military operations.

The members of the anti-Hitler bloc were the USSR, the USA, France, England, China (Chiang Kai-shek), Greece, Yugoslavia, Mexico, etc.

From Germany, Italy, Japan, Hungary, Albania, Bulgaria, Finland, China (Wang Jingwei), Thailand, Finland, Iraq, etc. participated in World War II. Many states - participants in the Second World War, did not conduct operations on the fronts, but helped by supplying food, medicines and other necessary resources.

Researchers identify the following main stages Second World War.

First stage from September 1, 1939 to June 21, 1941. The period of the European Blitzkrieg of Germany and the Allies.

Second phase June 22, 1941 - approximately mid-November 1942 Attack on the USSR and the subsequent failure of the Barbarossa plan.

Third stage the second half of November 1942 - the end of 1943. A radical turning point in the war and the loss of Germany's strategic initiative. At the end of 1943, at the Tehran Conference, in which Stalin, Roosevelt and Churchill took part, a decision was made to open a second front.

Fourth stage lasted from the end of 1943 to May 9, 1945. It was marked by the capture of Berlin and the unconditional surrender of Germany.

Fifth stage May 10, 1945 - September 2, 1945 At this time, the fighting is fought only in Southeast Asia and the Far East. The United States used nuclear weapons for the first time.

The beginning of World War II fell on September 1, 1939. On this day, the Wehrmacht suddenly began aggression against Poland. Despite the retaliatory declaration of war by France, Great Britain and some other countries, no real assistance was provided to Poland.

Already on September 28, Poland was captured. The peace treaty between Germany and the USSR was concluded on the same day. Having thus received a reliable rear, Germany begins active preparations for war with France, which capitulated as early as 1940, on June 22. Nazi Germany begins large-scale preparations for war on the eastern front with the USSR. The Barbarossa plan was approved already in 1940, on December 18th. The Soviet top leadership received reports of the impending attack, but fearing to provoke Germany, and believing that the attack would be carried out at a later date, they deliberately did not put the border units on alert.

In the chronology of the Second World War, the period of June 22, 1941-1945, May 9, known in Russia as the Great Patriotic War, is of the utmost importance.

Major battles of World War II, which were of great importance for the history of the USSR, are:

The Battle of Stalingrad July 17, 1942 - February 2, 1943, which marked a radical turning point in the war;

Battle of Kursk July 5 - August 23, 1943, during which the largest tank battle of World War II took place - near the village of Prokhorovka;

The Battle of Berlin - which led to the surrender of Germany.

But events important for the course of World War II took place not only on the fronts of the USSR. Among the operations carried out by the allies, it is worth noting in particular: the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor on December 7, 1941, which caused the United States to enter World War II; the opening of a second front and the landing of troops in Normandy on June 6, 1944; the use of nuclear weapons on August 6 and 9, 1945 to strike at Hiroshima and Nagasaki.

The date of the end of the Second World War was September 2, 1945. Japan signed the act of surrender only after the defeat of the Kwantung Army by the Soviet troops. The battles of the Second World War, according to the most rough estimates, claimed, on both sides, 65 million people. The Soviet Union suffered the greatest losses in World War II - 27 million citizens of the country were killed. It was he who took the brunt. This figure is also approximate and, according to some researchers, underestimated. It was the stubborn resistance of the Red Army that became the main reason for the defeat of the Reich.

Results World War II horrified everyone. Military operations have put the very existence of civilization on the brink. During the Nuremberg and Tokyo trials, fascist ideology was condemned, and many war criminals were punished. In order to prevent such a possibility of a new world war in the future, at the Yalta Conference in 1945 it was decided to create the United Nations (UN), which still exists today. The results of the nuclear bombardment of the Japanese cities of Hiroshima and Nagasaki led to the signing of pacts on the nonproliferation of weapons of mass destruction and a ban on their production and use. It must be said that the consequences of the bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki are felt today.

The economic consequences of the Second World War were also serious. For Western European countries, it turned into a genuine economic disaster. The influence of Western European countries has significantly decreased. At the same time, the United States managed to maintain and strengthen its position.

Meaning The Second World War for the Soviet Union is huge. The defeat of the fascists determined future history countries. According to the results of the conclusion of the peace treaties that followed the defeat of Germany, the USSR significantly expanded its borders. At the same time, the totalitarian system was strengthened in the Union. In some European countries, communist regimes were established. Victory in the war did not save the USSR from the mass repressions that followed in the 1950s.

The Great Patriotic War(1941-1945) - the war between the USSR and Germany within the framework of the Second World War, which ended with the victory of the Soviet Union over the Nazis and the capture of Berlin. The Great Patriotic War became one of the final stages of World War II.

Causes of the Great Patriotic War

After the defeat in the First World War, Germany remained in an extremely difficult economic and political situation, however, after Hitler came to power and carried out reforms, the country was able to build up its military power and stabilize the economy. Hitler did not accept the results of the First World War and wanted to take revenge, thereby leading Germany to world domination. As a result of his military campaigns, in 1939 Germany invaded Poland and then Czechoslovakia. A new war has begun.

Hitler's army was rapidly conquering new territories, but until a certain point between Germany and the USSR there was a non-aggression peace treaty signed by Hitler and Stalin. However, two years after the start of World War II, Hitler violated the non-aggression agreement - his command developed the Barbarossa plan, which involves a swift German attack on the USSR and the seizure of territories within two months. In case of victory, Hitler got the opportunity to start a war with the United States, and he also had access to new territories and trade routes.

The company, designed for several months, turned into a protracted war, which later became known as the Great Patriotic War.

The main periods of the Great Patriotic War

The initial period of the war (June 22, 1941 - November 18, 1942). On June 22, Germany invaded the territory of the USSR and by the end of the year was able to conquer Lithuania, Latvia, Estonia, Ukraine, Moldova and Belarus - the troops moved inland to capture Moscow. Russian troops suffered huge losses, the inhabitants of the country in the occupied territories were captured by the Germans and were driven into slavery in Germany. However, despite the fact that the Soviet army was losing, she still managed to stop the Germans on the way to Leningrad (the city was taken under blockade), Moscow and Novgorod. The Barbarossa plan did not give the desired results, the battles for these cities continued until 1942.

The period of a radical change (1942-1943) On November 19, 1942, the counteroffensive of the Soviet troops began, which yielded significant results - one German and four allied armies were destroyed. The Soviet army continued to advance in all directions, they managed to defeat several armies, start pursuing the Germans and push the front line back towards the west. Thanks to the build-up of military resources (the military industry worked in a special mode), the Soviet army was significantly superior to the German one and could now not only resist, but also dictate its terms in the war. From the defending army of the USSR turned into an attacker.

The third period of the war (1943-1945). Despite the fact that Germany managed to significantly increase the power of its army, it was still inferior to the Soviet one, and the USSR continued to play a leading offensive role in hostilities. The Soviet army continued to advance towards Berlin, recapturing the occupied territories. Leningrad was recaptured, and by 1944, Soviet troops moved towards Poland, and then Germany. On May 8, Berlin was taken, and the German troops declared unconditional surrender.

Major battles of the Great Patriotic War

The results and significance of the Great Patriotic War

The main significance of the Great Patriotic War was that it finally broke the German army, preventing Hitler from continuing his struggle for world domination. The war became a turning point in the course of the Second World War and, in fact, its completion.

However, the victory was given to the USSR hard. The country's economy was in a special regime during the war, the factories worked mainly for the military industry, so after the war they had to face a severe crisis. Many factories were destroyed, most of the male population died, people were starving and could not work. The country was in the most difficult condition, and it took many years for it to recover.

But, despite the fact that the USSR was in a deep crisis, the country turned into a superpower, its political influence on the world stage increased sharply, the Union became one of the largest and most influential states, along with the United States and Great Britain.

Please help me, I got a ticket from history!

1. Great geographical discoveries. The beginning of the formation of the colonial system.
2. World War II: causes, stages, resistance movement, results.

Rastago†h

2.briefly
The Second World War began on September 1, 1939 with the perfidious invasion of Nazi Germany troops into Poland. Officially started in 1939. September 3, when the English. and France declared war on Nazi Germany.
Possible REASONS: Germany's acceptance of the humiliating terms of the Peace Treaty (deprivation of most territories, colonies, huge reparations, complete demilitarization)
KEY DATES: 1939 September 3 - Eng. + French declares war on Germany
1940 - "Strange War". The Germans occupy Norway and Denmark. Evacuation from Durkirk. Defeat of France. Italy enters the war. Battle for England.
1941 - Nazis take over Yugoslavia and Greece. Rommel's offensive in the north. Africa. German invasion of the USSR. The Japanese attack Pearl Harbor.
1942 - the defeat of the Germans near Moscow. Rommel's defeat at El Alamein. Allied invasion of French North. Africa.
1943 - the defeat of the Germans near Stalingrad. Allied landing in Italy. The overthrow of Mussolini (in fascist. Italy), the surrender of Italy. The Germans occupy the north of the country
1944 Red Army liberates Ukraine and Belarus. Allied landing in Normandy. Warsaw revolt. Breakthrough of German troops in the Ardennes.
1945 death of Mussolini and Hitler (suicide). Capitulation of Germany.
61 states participated, 80% of the world's population.
3 main periods, STAGES:
1). September 1, 1939 - June 1942 the expanding scale of the war while maintaining the superiority of the forces of the aggressors.
2). June 1942 - January 1944 - a turning point in the course of the war, initiative and superiority in the hands of the countries of the anti-Hitler coalition
3). January 1944 - September 2, 1945 - the final stage of the war, the absolute superiority of the countries of the anti-Hitler coalition, the defeat of the enemy armies, the crisis and the collapse of the ruling regimes of state-in-aggressors.
P.S. Something from NO:
RESISTANCE MOVEMENT is a patriotic anti-fascist movement. The participants published illegal newspapers and leaflets, helped prisoners of war, engaged in reconnaissance, and prepared for armed struggle. People of various political and religious views participated in the resistance movement: communists, social democrats, protestants, Catholics and Orthodox, trade unionists and non-party members. Initially, these were a few scattered groups that had no connection with each other. An important condition for the development of the resistance movement was the unification of anti-fascist forces. Communist parties in 1942 - 1943 after the dissolution of the Comintern, they were able to act as independent national forces. They are actively involved in the resistance movement. The forms of resistance were different:
collection and transfer of valuable information to allies
sabotage
disruption of military supplies
sabotage
In the same years, the first partisan detachments began to be created in Poland, Yugoslavia, Albania, and Greece. One of the first acts of European resistance was the uprising in the Warsaw ghetto in 1943. For almost a month, the poorly armed inhabitants of the ghetto, doomed to destruction, fought heroic battles with the German troops. The overwhelming majority of the participants in the Resistance sought the liberation of their countries, but did not want a return to the pre-war order. All of them wanted to put an end to fascism, restore and expand democratic freedoms, and carry out profound social transformations. At the second stage (approximately from 1942-1943) the resistance movement acquired a more organized character (the creation of governing bodies, the formation of armed detachments), and its participants began a partisan struggle against the invaders. Active participation in this struggle was taken by Russian emigrants and Soviet citizens who were captured or driven away by the occupiers for forced labor, and then fled from places of detention.
RESULTS:
Deepening of the general crisis of the world capitalist system. The beginning of the Cold War, mioitarization, the split of the world into 2 antip. military -polit. systems (under the influence of the USA and the USSR)