A terrible war with large-scale human losses began not in 1939, but much earlier. As a result of the First World War of 1918, almost all European countries acquired new borders. Most were deprived of part of their historical territory, which led to small wars in conversations and in minds.
In the new generation, hatred of enemies and resentment for lost cities were brought up. There were reasons to resume the war. However, in addition to psychological reasons, there were also important historical prerequisites. The Second World War, in short, involved the entire globe in hostilities.
Causes of the war
Scientists identify several main reasons for the outbreak of hostilities:Territorial disputes. The winners of the 1918 war, England and France, divided Europe with their allies at their own discretion. The collapse of the Russian Empire and the Austro-Hungarian Empire led to the emergence of 9 new states. The lack of clear boundaries gave rise to great controversy. The defeated countries wanted to return their borders, and the victors did not want to part with the annexed territories. All territorial issues in Europe have always been resolved with the help of weapons. It was impossible to avoid the start of a new war.
Colonial disputes. The defeated countries were deprived of their colonies, which were a constant source of replenishment of the treasury. In the colonies themselves, the local population raised liberation uprisings with armed clashes.
Rivalry between states. After the defeat, Germany wanted revenge. It was always the leading power in Europe, and after the war it was limited in many ways.
Dictatorship. The dictatorial regime in many countries has strengthened significantly. The dictators of Europe first developed their armies to suppress internal uprisings and then to seize new territories.
The emergence of the USSR. The new power was not inferior to the power of the Russian Empire. It was a worthy competitor to the USA and leading European countries. They began to fear the emergence of communist movements.
Start of the war
Even before the signing of the Soviet-German agreement, Germany planned aggression against the Polish side. At the beginning of 1939, a decision was made, and on August 31 a directive was signed. State contradictions in the 1930s led to the Second World War.The Germans did not recognize their defeat in 1918 and the Versailles agreements, which oppressed the interests of Russia and Germany. Power went to the Nazis, blocs of fascist states began to form, and large states did not have the strength to resist German aggression. Poland was the first on Germany's path to world domination.
At night September 1, 1939 German intelligence services launched Operation Himmler. Dressed in Polish uniforms, they seized a radio station in the suburbs and called on the Poles to rebel against the Germans. Hitler announced aggression from the Polish side and began military action.
After 2 days, England and France declared war on Germany, having previously entered into agreements with Poland on mutual assistance. They were supported by Canada, New Zealand, Australia, India and the countries of South Africa. The war that began became a global one. But Poland did not receive military-economic assistance from any of the supporting countries. If British and French troops were added to the Polish forces, then German aggression would be instantly stopped.
The population of Poland rejoiced at the entry of their allies into the war and waited for support. However, time passed and no help came. The weak point of the Polish army was aviation.
The two German armies “South” and “North”, consisting of 62 divisions, opposed 6 Polish armies of 39 divisions. The Poles fought with dignity, but the numerical superiority of the Germans turned out to be the decisive factor. In almost 2 weeks, almost the entire territory of Poland was occupied. The Curzon line was formed.
The Polish government left for Romania. The defenders of Warsaw and the Brest Fortress went down in history thanks to their heroism. The Polish army lost its organizational integrity.
Stages of the war
From September 1, 1939 to June 21, 1941 The first stage of World War II began. Characterizes the beginning of the war and the entry of the German military into Western Europe. On September 1, the Nazis attacked Poland. After 2 days, France and England declared war on Germany with their colonies and dominions.The Polish armed forces did not have time to deploy, the top leadership was weak, and the allied powers were in no hurry to help. The result was the complete cupping of Polish territory.
France and England did not change their foreign policy until May of the following year. They hoped that German aggression would be directed against the USSR.
In April 1940, the German army entered Denmark without warning and occupied its territory. Immediately after Denmark, Norway fell. At the same time, the German leadership implemented the Gelb plan and decided to surprise France through the neighboring Netherlands, Belgium and Luxembourg. The French concentrated their forces on the Maginot Line rather than in the center of the country. Hitler attacked through the Ardennes Mountains beyond the Maginot Line. On May 20, the Germans reached the English Channel, the Dutch and Belgian armies capitulated. In June, the French fleet was defeated, and part of the army managed to evacuate to England.
The French army did not use all the possibilities of resistance. On June 10, the government left Paris, which was occupied by the Germans on June 14. After 8 days, the Compiègne Armistice was signed (June 22, 1940) - the French act of surrender.
Great Britain was supposed to be next. There was a change of government. The USA began to support the British.
In the spring of 1941, the Balkans were captured. On March 1, the Nazis appeared in Bulgaria, and on April 6, in Greece and Yugoslavia. Western and Central Europe were under Hitler's rule. Preparations began for an attack on the Soviet Union.
From June 22, 1941 to November 18, 1942 The second stage of the war lasted. Germany invaded the territory of the USSR. A new stage has begun, characterized by the unification of all military forces in the world against fascism. Roosevelt and Churchill openly declared their support for the Soviet Union. On July 12, the USSR and England entered into an agreement on general military operations. On August 2, the United States pledged to provide military and economic assistance to the Russian army. England and the USA promulgated the Atlantic Charter on August 14, to which the USSR later joined with its opinion on military issues.
In September, the Russian and British military occupied Iran to prevent the formation of fascist bases in the East. The Anti-Hitler Coalition is being created.
The German army encountered strong resistance in the fall of 1941. The plan to capture Leningrad could not be carried out, since Sevastopol and Odessa resisted for a long time. On the eve of 1942, the plan for a “lightning war” disappeared. Hitler was defeated near Moscow, and the myth of German invincibility was dispelled. Germany faced the need for a protracted war.
In early December 1941, the Japanese military attacked a US base in the Pacific Ocean. Two powerful powers went to war. The USA declared war on Italy, Japan and Germany. Thanks to this, the anti-Hitler coalition strengthened. A number of mutual assistance agreements were concluded among allied countries.
From November 19, 1942 to December 31, 1943 The third stage of the war lasted. It is called a turning point. The hostilities of this period acquired enormous scale and intensity. Everything was decided on the Soviet-German front. On November 19, Russian troops launched a counteroffensive near Stalingrad (Battle of Stalingrad July 17, 1942 - February 2, 1943) . Their victory provided a strong impetus for subsequent battles.
To regain the strategic initiative, Hitler carried out an attack near Kursk in the summer of 1943 ( Battle of Kursk July 5, 1943 - August 23, 1943). He lost and went into a defensive position. However, the allies of the Anti-Hitler Coalition were in no hurry to fulfill their duties. They expected the exhaustion of Germany and the USSR.
On July 25, the Italian fascist government was liquidated. The new head declared war on Hitler. The fascist bloc began to disintegrate.
Japan did not weaken the group on the Russian border. The United States replenished its military forces and launched successful offensives in the Pacific.
From January 1, 1944 to May 9, 1945 . The fascist army was driven out of the USSR, a second front was being created, European countries were being liberated from the fascists. The joint efforts of the Anti-Fascist Coalition led to the complete collapse of the German army and the surrender of Germany. Great Britain and the United States carried out large-scale operations in Asia and the Pacific.
May 10, 1945 – September 2, 1945 . Armed actions are carried out in the Far East, as well as in Southeast Asia. The US used nuclear weapons.
Great Patriotic War (June 22, 1941 - May 9, 1945).
World War II (September 1, 1939 – September 2, 1945).
Results of the war
The greatest losses fell on the Soviet Union, which took the brunt of the German army. 27 million people died. The resistance of the Red Army led to the defeat of the Reich.Military action could lead to the collapse of civilization. War criminals and fascist ideology were condemned in all world trials.
In 1945, a decision was signed in Yalta to create the UN to prevent such actions.
The consequences of the use of nuclear weapons over Nagasaki and Hiroshima forced many countries to sign a pact banning the use of weapons of mass destruction.
The countries of Western Europe lost their economic dominance, which passed to the United States.
Victory in the war allowed the USSR to expand its borders and strengthen the totalitarian regime. Some countries became communist.
In the lands of the post-Soviet space, this event is usually called the Great Patriotic War and is considered as a feat of the people who rallied overnight to fight the enemy, invader and fascist. For the Soviet Union, the period from 1941 to 1945 was indeed one of the most difficult, but not for it alone.
Horror for the whole world
The Second World War, the causes of which are still being studied by historians, became a real disaster and grief for the entire globe. Starting in 1939, it seemed to cover country after country like an avalanche, destroying thousands, millions of lives, destroying cities, sweeping away everything in its path.
According to currently available information, more than eighty percent of the planet's population was involved in this endless battle, and more than sixty million people died during the fighting. To make the scale of the tragedy clearer, let us take as an example the First World War, during which the losses were 5 times smaller.
Apple from the apple tree
Despite the fact that the battles of 1939-1945 were among the most brutal and bloody in the history of mankind, this event has its own prerequisites. The echo of the first war that captured the whole world had not yet subsided when the Second World War began, the causes of which were almost similar.
The basis of both great tragedies lies, first of all, in the deepest global crisis of international relations. The barely established order of things and the organization of states gave a significant tilt during this period, which served as one of the first impetuses for the outbreak of hostilities.
The military power of Great Britain at this moment weakened significantly, while Germany, on the contrary, gained strength, becoming one of the most powerful and dangerous countries on the globe. This would sooner or later lead to confrontation, which is what happened in the end, as history tells us.
Consequences of certain actions
After the first shock, the world was literally divided into 2 opposing camps: socialist and capitalist. States with opposing ideologies naturally competed and sought to establish a more advantageous order. Partly as a result of this confrontation, the Second World War broke out, the causes of which, as we see, are also the consequences of the first.
Internal fragmentation
If in the case of adherents of the socialist regime there was comparative unanimity, then with the capitalist countries the situation was completely different. In addition to the already different ideology from the opposing one, internal resistance constantly took place in this environment.
The already precarious political situation was aggravated in the mid-30s by a serious split among the capitalists, who were divided into two openly hostile camps. The Second World War, the causes of which are directly related to Germany, began largely because of this split.
In the first camp, in addition to Germany itself, were Japan and Italy, and they were opposed in the political field by the unification of the USA, France and England.
Appeal to fascism
Having exhausted all more or less rational models of government and resistance, Germany is choosing a new path in the matter of establishing its own position. Since 1933, Adolf Hitler has confidently stepped up to the podium, whose ideology quickly finds response and support among the population. Mass discrimination against Jews begins, followed by open persecution.
The causes of World War II become much clearer when one takes a closer look at the policies adopted in countries that turned to fascism. Along with the persecution of representatives of individual nationalities, chauvinism and open anti-democratic ideology were gaining increasing momentum. Naturally, such a development of events could not but entail an aggravation of the global interstate crisis, which is what happened later.
Zero sign position
When listing the causes of the Second World War, one cannot ignore the position that France, the USA and England took at the time of the outbreak of the conflict in opposition to Germany, Italy and Japan.
Wanting to ward off aggression from their own states, their heads came to the conclusion that it was necessary to take a passive and restrained position, which led to an underestimation of the enemy’s forces and the scale of possible aggression.
Random stimulus
There were other causes of the Second World War, which are not particularly commonly remembered in the countries of the post-Soviet space. In this case, we are talking about the foreign policy of the Soviet Union, pursued by I.V. Stalin during a period of increasing danger.
While initially actively opposing fascism, the USSR provided open support to countries suffering from aggression from Italy and Germany. This was expressed both in the provision of military resources and humanitarian assistance.
Moreover, a number of agreements were concluded between the USSR and other countries, according to which, in the event of aggression, all of Europe had to unite to fight the enemy.
Starting from the beginning of 1939, something happened that cannot be ignored when listing the causes of World War II briefly. J.V. Stalin, wanting to avert danger from his country, moves from open resistance to a policy of agreement, trying to find an optimal way out of the brewing conflict for the USSR and Nazi Germany.
Lengthy negotiations finally led to the wrong decision - on August 23, 1939, a non-aggression pact was signed between the countries, according to which the Soviet Union actually became a partner of Nazi Germany, while subsequently laying claim to part of Europe.
Describing the causes of World War II briefly, it should be noted that it was this agreement that became the last, decisive impetus for active hostilities, and already on September 1, 1939, the Third Reich declared war on Poland.
Justifying actions
Despite the obviously large role of the agreement between these countries in the issue of starting a war, this should not be considered the only circumstance of this kind. The causes and nature of the Second World War are complex and multifaceted, so much so that historians are still debating about certain aspects of it.
For example, to hold the USSR responsible for the outbreak of hostilities would not be entirely correct due to the fact that this act simply diverted fire from the state, headed at that time by J.V. Stalin. The whole point is that, according to the “Munich scenario,” it was the Soviet Union that should have been the object of aggression, which subsequently happened. The agreement concluded by the country in August only made it possible to postpone this moment by 2 years.
Ideology and pragmatism
Considering the main causes of the Second World War, we can say the following: the main incentive to end it was, of course, the need to suppress fascism. It is this ideological statement of the fight against evil that is currently considered the main justification for resistance in the Second World War.
However, there were other, no less important aspects regarding the need to fight Nazi Germany. First of all - elementary geographical and political integrity. It cost the whole world enormous sacrifices to preserve the framework and territories that existed at that time. Thus, the economic reasons for the Second World War were combined with ideological ones.
Perhaps it was this feature that helped to win the most brutal, bloodiest and largest battle in the history of all mankind.
War is a huge sorrow
World War II is the bloodiest war in human history. Lasted 6 years. The armies of 61 states with a total population of 1,700 million people, that is, 80% of the total population of the earth, took part in the hostilities. The fighting took place in the territories of 40 countries. For the first time in the annals of mankind, the number of civilian deaths exceeded the number of those killed directly in battles, almost twice as much.finally dispelled people's illusions about human nature. No progress can change this nature. People remained the same as two or a thousand years ago: beasts, only slightly covered with a thin layer of civilization and culture. Anger, envy, self-interest, stupidity, indifference - qualities that manifest themselves in them to a much greater extent than kindness and compassion.
dispelled illusions about the importance of democracy. The people don't decide anything. As always in history, he is driven to the slaughterhouse to kill, rape, burn, and he obediently goes.
dispelled the illusion that humanity learns from its own mistakes. It doesn't learn. The First World War, which claimed 10 million lives, was separated from the Second by only 23 years.
Participants of the Second World War
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Germany, Italy, Japan, Hungary, Romania, Bulgaria, Czech Republic - on the one hand
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USSR, Great Britain, USA, China - on the other
Years of World War II 1939 - 1945
Causes of World War II
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not only drew a line under the First World War, in which Germany was defeated, but its conditions humiliated and ruined Germany. Political instability, the danger of a victory for left forces in the political struggle, and economic difficulties contributed to the rise to power in Germany of the ultra-nationalist National Socialist Party led by Hitler, whose nationalist, demagogic, populist slogans appealed to the German people
“One Reich, one people, one Fuhrer”; "Blood and Soil"; “Germany wake up!”; “We want to show the German People that there is no life without Justice, and Justice without Power, Power without Power, and all Power is within our People,” “Freedom and Bread,” “Death of Lies”; "End corruption!"
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After the First World War, Western Europe was swept by pacifist sentiments. The peoples did not want to fight under any circumstances, not for anything. Politicians were forced to take into account these feelings of voters, who reacted in any way or very sluggishly, yielding in everything, to Hitler’s revanchist, aggressive actions and aspirations
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early 1934 - Plans for the mobilization of 240 thousand enterprises for the production of military products were approved by the Working Committee of the Reich Defense Council
* October 1, 1934 - Hitler gave the order to increase the Reichswehr from 100 thousand to 300 thousand soldiers
* March 10, 1935 - Goering announced that Germany had an air force
* March 16, 1935 - Hitler announced the restoration of the system of universal recruitment into the army and the creation of a peacetime army of thirty-six divisions (about half a million people)
* On March 7, 1936, German troops entered the Rhineland demilitarized zone, violating all past treaties
* March 12, 1938 - Annexation of Austria to Germany
* September 28-30, 1938 - transfer of the Sudetenland to Czechoslovakia by Germany
* October 24, 1938 - German demand for Poland to allow the annexation of the Free City of Danzig to the Reich and the construction of extraterritorial railways and roads on Polish territory to East Prussia
* November 2, 1938 - Germany forced Czechoslovakia to transfer the southern regions of Slovakia and Transcarpathian Ukraine to Hungary
* March 15, 1939 - German occupation of the Czech Republic and its incorporation into the Reich
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In the 20-30s, before World War II, the West watched with great apprehension the actions and policies of the Soviet Union, which continued to broadcast about the world revolution, which Europe perceived as a desire for world domination. The leaders of France and England saw Stalin and Hitler as birds of a feather and they hoped to direct Germany’s aggression to the East, pitting Germany and the USSR against each other through clever diplomatic moves, while they themselves remained on the sidelines.
As a result of the disunity and contradictory actions of the world community, Germany gained strength and confidence in the possibility of its hegemony in the world
Major events of World War II
- , September 1 - the German army crossed the western border of Poland
- 1939, September 3 - Great Britain and France declared war on Germany
- 1939, September 17 - The Red Army crossed the eastern border of Poland
- 1939, October 6 - surrender of Poland
- May 10 - German attack on France
- 1940, April 9-June 7 - German occupation of Denmark, Belgium, Holland, Norway
- 1940, June 14 - The German army entered Paris
- 1940, September - 1941, May - Battle of Britain
- 1940, September 27 - Formation of the Triple Alliance between Germany, Italy, Japan, who hoped to share influence in the world after the victory.
Later, Hungary, Romania, Slovakia, Bulgaria, Finland, Thailand, Croatia, and Spain joined the Union. The Triple Alliance or the Axis countries in World War II were opposed by the Anti-Hitler coalition consisting of the Soviet Union, Great Britain and its dominions, the USA and China.
- , March 11 - Adopted in the USA
- 1941, April 13 - agreement between the USSR and Japan on non-aggression and neutrality
- 1941, June 22 - German attack on the Soviet Union. The beginning of the Great Patriotic War
- 1941, September 8 - the beginning of the siege of Leningrad
- 1941, September 30-December 5 - Battle of Moscow. Defeat of the German army
- 1941, November 7 - The Lend-Lease Law was extended to the USSR
- 1941, December 7 - Japanese attack on the American base at Pearl Harbor. Beginning of the War in the Pacific
- 1941, December 8 - US entry into the war
- 1941, December 9 - China declares war on Japan, Germany and Italy
- 1941, December 25 - Japan captured British-owned Hong Kong
- , January 1 - Washington Declaration of 26 states on cooperation in the fight against fascism
- 1942, January-May - heavy defeats of British troops in North Africa
- 1942, January-March - Japanese troops occupied Rangoon, the islands of Java, Kalimantan, Sulawesi, Sumatra, Bali, part of New Guinea, New Britain, the Gilbert Islands, most of the Solomon Islands
- 1942, first half - defeat of the Red Army. The German army reached the Volga
- 1942, June 4-5 - the defeat of part of the Japanese fleet at Midway Atoll by the US fleet
- 1942, July 17 - the beginning of the Battle of Stalingrad
- 1942, October 23-November 11 - defeat of the German army from Anglo-American troops in North Africa
- 1942, November 11 - German occupation of southern France
- , February 2 - defeat of fascist troops at Stalingrad
- 1943, January 12 - breaking the siege of Leningrad
- 1943, May 13 - surrender of German troops in Tunisia
- 1943, July 5-August 23 - defeat of the Germans near Kursk
- 1943, July-August - landing of Anglo-American troops in Sicily
- 1943, August-December - offensive of the Red Army, liberation of most of Belarus and Ukraine
- 1943, November 28-December 1 - Tehran Conference of Stalin, Churchill and Roosevelt
- , January-August - the offensive of the Red Army on all fronts. Its access to the pre-war borders of the USSR
- 1944, June 6 - landing of allied Anglo-American troops in Normandy. Opening of the Second Front
- 1944, August 25 - Paris in the hands of the Allies
- 1944, autumn - continuation of the offensive of the Red Army, liberation of the Baltic states, Moldova, Northern Norway
- 1944, December 16-1945, January - heavy defeat of the Allies during the German counter-offensive in the Ardennes
- , January-May - offensive operations of the Red Army and allied forces in Europe and the Pacific Ocean
- 1945, January 4-11 - Yalta Conference with the participation of Stalin, Roosevelt and Churchill on the post-war structure of Europe
- 1945, April 12 - US President Roosevelt died, he was replaced by Truman
- 1945, April 25 - the assault on Berlin began by units of the Red Army
- 1945, May 8 - Germany surrenders. The end of the Great Patriotic War
- 1945, July 17-August 2 - Potsdam Conference of the Heads of Government of the USA, USSR, Great Britain
- 1945, July 26 - Japan rejected the offer to surrender
- 1945, August 6 - atomic bombing of the Japanese cities of Hiroshima and Nagasaki
- 1945, August 8 - USSR Japan
- 1945, September 2 - Japanese surrender. End of World War II
World War II ended on September 2, 1945 with the signing of the Instrument of Surrender of Japan
Major battles of World War II
- Air and naval Battle of Britain (July 10-October 30, 1940)
- Battle of Smolensk (July 10-September 10, 1941)
- Battle of Moscow (September 30, 1941-January 7, 1942)
- Defense of Sevastopol (October 30, 1941-July 4, 1942)
- Japanese fleet attack on US naval base Pearl Harbor (December 7, 1941)
- Naval battle at Midway Atoll in the Pacific Ocean between the US and Japanese fleets (June 4-June 7, 1942)
- Battle of Guadalcanal Island in the Solomon Islands archipelago in the Pacific Ocean (August 7, 1942-February 9, 1943)
- Battle of Rzhev (January 5, 1942-March 21, 1943)
- Battle of Stalingrad (July 17, 1942-February 2, 1943)
- Battle of El Alamein in North Africa (23 October – 5 November)
- Battle of Kursk (July 5-August 23, 1943)
- Battle of the Dnieper (crossing of the Dnieper September 22-30) (August 26-December 23, 1943)
- Allied landings in Normandy (6 June 1944)
- Liberation of Belarus (June 23-August 29, 1944)
- Battle of the Bulge in southwest Belgium (December 16, 1944 – January 29, 1945)
- Assault on Berlin (April 25-May 2, 1945)
Generals of World War II
- Marshal Zhukov (1896-1974)
- Marshal Vasilevsky (1895-1977)
- Marshal Rokossovsky (1896-1968)
- Marshal Konev (1897-1973)
- Marshal Meretskov (1897 - 1968)
- Marshal Govorov (1897 - 1955)
- Marshal Malinovsky (1898 - 1967)
- Marshal Tolbukhin (1894 - 1949)
- Army General Antonov (1896 - 1962)
- Army General Vatutin (1901-1944)
- Chief Marshal of the Armored Forces Rotmistrov (1901-1981)
- Marshal of the Armored Forces Katukov (1900-1976)
- Army General Chernyakhovsky (1906-1945)
- General of the Army Marshall (1880-1959)
- Army General Eisenhower (1890-1969)
- General of the Army MacArthur (1880-1964)
- General of the Army Bradley (1893-1981)
- Admiral Nimitz (1885-1966)
- Army General, Air Force General H. Arnold (1886-1950)
- General Patton (1885-1945)
- General Divers (1887-1979)
- General Clark (1896-1984)
- Admiral Fletcher (1885-1973)
The Second World War (1939-1945) marked a six-year bloody streak in the history of civilization and became a common disaster for the population of 61 countries - 80% of the Earth's inhabitants, of which more than 50 million died. At the end of the Second World War, humanity reached out to nuclear weapons that were qualitatively new in their destructive power, which gave the political results of the war special significance in the history of international relations.
In the two decades after the First World War, acute economic, socio-political and national problems have accumulated in the world, especially in Europe. As in the 19th century, one of the main geopolitical problems of Europe was the objective desire of a significant part of the Germans, who historically lived in addition to Germany: in Austria, Czechoslovakia, France, to unite in a single national state. In addition, Germany, which experienced national humiliation after its defeat in the First World War, according to many German politicians, sought to regain its lost position as a world power. Thus, especially favorable conditions were created for a new wave of growth of German expansionism. The rivalry between other powers and their desire to redistribute spheres of influence in the world also persisted. World economic crises of the 20-30s. accelerated the growth of military-political confrontation in the world. Realizing this, many politicians and statesmen in Europe, America and Asia sincerely sought to prevent or at least delay the war. In the 1930s, negotiations were held on the creation of a collective security system, agreements on mutual assistance and non-aggression were concluded. And at the same time, again, two opposing blocs of powers were gradually but steadily emerging in the world. The core of one of them consisted of Germany, Italy and Japan, who openly sought to solve their internal economic, social, political and national problems through territorial seizures and plunder of other countries. The second bloc, which was based on England, France and the United States, supported by large and small countries, adhered to a policy of containment.
As we know from the entire previous history of mankind, under these conditions, it was historically inevitable and normal in the pre-nuclear era to resolve the conflict of interests of the great powers through war. In this respect, the Second World War differed from the First World War only in the increased scale of military operations and the associated disasters of peoples, and it is often presented as another round or rematch in the struggle of old geopolitical opponents. However, along with the obvious similarities between the first and second world wars, there were significant differences.
In the First World War, the warring parties did not fundamentally differ in their goals - both set the task of improving their geopolitical and economic situation by slightly changing state borders in their favor and redistributing spheres of influence. In the Second World War, the aggressive bloc of Germany, Italy and Japan sought not just another redistribution of the world between powers, but the establishment of a fascist “new order” on the entire planet. This, in particular, meant the complete or partial destruction of entire peoples and the cruelest oppression of those who remained. Under these conditions, the opposing bloc of bourgeois-liberal states of Great Britain, France, the USA and others objectively defended not only their own national interests, but also the values of civilization that had already been verified by that time: national equality, religious and ideological tolerance, representative government.
In addition, Soviet Russia (USSR) became a new factor in European and world politics. The Communist Party, which reigned supreme in the USSR, openly proclaimed its goal to build socialism and communism not only in Russia, but throughout the world, which objectively was a threat to the existence of socio-political regimes in other countries. Therefore, the bourgeois elite and politicians of these countries initially viewed the USSR as a strategic enemy and did not believe the peace-loving statements of the Stalinist leadership. At the same time, they could not help but reckon with the USSR due to its real military-economic power. In turn, the attitude of the then leadership of the USSR towards the bourgeois-liberal states was overshadowed by a very recent historical experience - the intervention of the armies of Great Britain, France, and the USA during the civil war in Russia with the aim of overthrowing Soviet power. For a long time, fascist politicians managed to use the very justified mutual distrust of the USSR and the bourgeois-liberal state to achieve their goals: first, under the guise of “the need to protect civilization from the communist threat from the east,” they received permission to restore the military-economic potential of Germany, and then, achieving ever new ones concessions, blackmailing both of them with the threat of entering into a conspiracy with the opposing party.
None of the pre-war diplomatic events now arouses such interest as the Soviet-German non-aggression pact of August 23, 1939. Much has been written about it by Soviet historians. When considering a contract, it is important to proceed from the reality that existed at its conclusion, and not to be guided by considerations taken out of the context of time.
In accordance with the initial plans, the Nazis planned to begin the main military operations to ensure “living space” in 1942-1945. But the current situation brought the start of these operations closer. Firstly, the militarization of Germany and the rapid growth of its armed forces created internal difficulties for the Nazis: the country was threatened by a financial and economic crisis, which could cause discontent among the population. The Nazis saw the simplest and fastest way to overcome the difficulties that arose in expanding the economic base by seizing the wealth of other countries, and for this it was necessary to start a war as soon as possible.
Secondly, Germany and other fascist-militarist states were pushed to a more rapid transition to aggressive actions by the connivance of the ruling circles of the Anglo-French-American camp. The compliance of the ruling circles of the Western powers to the fascist aggressors was especially clearly demonstrated by the Munich Agreement in September 1938. By sacrificing Czechoslovakia, they deliberately pushed Germany against the USSR.
In accordance with the concept of conquest adopted by the military-political leadership, Germany intended to deliver successive attacks on its opponents with the goal of defeating them one by one, first the weaker ones, and then the stronger ones. This meant the use not only of military means, but also of various methods from the arsenal of politics, diplomacy and propaganda with the task of preventing the unification of Germany’s opponents.
Knowing about the expansionist plans of Nazi Germany, the Western powers sought to direct its aggression against the USSR. Their propaganda tirelessly spoke about the weakness of the Red Army, the fragility of the Soviet rear, and presented the USSR as a “colossus with feet of clay.”
In the Nazi press one could also find many statements about the weakness of the USSR. This fueled the hopes of the ruling circles of the Anglo-French-American camp that German expansion would be directed eastward. However, the German General Staff in 1938-1939. (unlike 1940-1941) he assessed the Red Army as a very serious enemy, a clash with which he considered undesirable for now. “The Russian armed forces in wartime,” said, for example, in the report of the 12th Department of the General Staff dated January 28, 1939, “numerically represent a gigantic military instrument. The combat equipment is generally modern. Operating principles are clear and specific. The country’s rich sources and depth of operational space are good allies (of the Red Army).”
Characteristic in this regard is the opinion of the generals - the Chief of Staff of the Supreme High Command of the Wehrmacht, W. Keitel, and the Commander-in-Chief of the Ground Forces, W. Brauchitsch. When Hitler asked how things would end if the Reich attacked Poland and France and England came to its aid, both generals replied that Germany would finish off Poland within a month, Keitel also believed that Germany would then defeat France and England as well. If the Soviet Union also comes out against Germany, then, according to Brauchitsch, it will “suffer defeat.”
Based on an assessment of the strength of its opponents, the fascist leadership identified Poland as the first victim of aggression, although shortly before this, Ribbentrop suggested that the Polish government pursue a “common policy towards Russia.” And when Poland refused to be a vassal of Berlin, the Nazis decided to deal with it militarily, taking into account the fact that the war with the Soviet Union, as a very strong enemy, was postponed by them to a later date.
From the beginning of 1939, intensive preparations for a military campaign against Poland began in Germany. A plan was developed, called "Weiss". It provided for delivering “unexpected strong blows” and achieving “quick successes.” By order of the Chief of Staff of the Supreme High Command of the German Armed Forces. V. Keitel dated April 3, 1939 the implementation of Plan Weiss was to begin "at any time beginning on September 1, 1939." The political leadership of Germany sought to “isolate Poland as much as possible” and to prevent interference in Polish affairs by England, France and the Soviet Union.
The measures taken by Germany to prepare an attack on Poland were no secret to the governments of England, France, the USSR and other countries. The world was aware of the danger of fascist aggression. Sincerely striving to create a collective front for the defense of peace, to unite the forces of non-aggressive countries, on April 17, 1939, the Soviet government turned to England and then to France with specific proposals to conclude an agreement on mutual assistance, including a military convention, in the event of aggression in Europe . It proceeded from the fact that the most decisive and effective measures are needed to prevent war, especially a firm position of the great powers regarding the problem of collective salvation of the world.
The governments of England and France greeted the Soviet proposals with restraint. At first they took a wait-and-see attitude, and then, realizing the danger that threatened them from Germany, they changed their tactics somewhat and agreed to negotiations with Moscow, which began in May 1939.
The seriousness of the USSR's intention to reach an equal agreement on military cooperation with England and France was especially evident at the special negotiations of the military missions of the three powers, which began on August 12, 1939 in Moscow. The negotiating partners were provided with a detailed plan, according to which the USSR pledged to field 136 divisions, 9-10 thousand tanks and 5-5.5 thousand combat aircraft against the aggressor in Europe.
In contrast to the Soviet Union, the governments of England and France, as we now know from open archives, acted insincerely at the negotiations in Moscow and played a double game. Neither London nor Paris wanted to establish equal allied relations with the USSR, as they believed that this would lead to the strengthening of the socialist state. Their hostility towards him remained the same. Agreement to negotiations was only a tactical step, but did not correspond to the essence of the policy of the Western powers. From exhorting and encouraging fascist Germany with concessions, they moved on to intimidating it, trying to force Germany to come to an agreement with the Western powers. Therefore, in negotiations with the USSR, England and France proposed agreements that would only put the Soviet Union at risk, and were not bound by their obligations towards the USSR. At the same time, they tried to secure his support in case Germany, contrary to their wishes, moved not to the east, but to the west. All this testified to the desire of England and France to put the Soviet Union in an unequal, humiliating position, and to their reluctance to conclude an agreement with the USSR that would meet the principles of reciprocity and equality of obligations. The failure of the negotiations was predetermined by the position taken by the governments of Western countries.
The ineffectiveness of the Anglo-French-Soviet negotiations negated the efforts of the USSR government to create a coalition of non-aggressive states. The Soviet Union continued to remain in international isolation. He was in danger of a war on two fronts with very strong opponents: Germany in the west and Japan in the east. From the point of view of the leadership of the USSR, the danger of an anti-Soviet conspiracy by the entire imperialist camp also continued to exist. In this extremely difficult situation, fraught with grave consequences, the government of the USSR had to think first of all about the security of its own country.
Since May 1939, when negotiations between the USSR and England and France began, employees of the German Foreign Ministry persistently entered into contacts with representatives of the USSR in Berlin, and in various unofficial ways made it clear that Germany was ready to move closer to the USSR. Until mid-August 1939, while there was hope for concluding an Anglo-Franco-Soviet treaty on mutual assistance, the Soviet government left the German side’s probing unanswered, but at the same time closely monitored its actions.
On August 20, Hitler addressed a personal message to Stalin, proposing to receive on August 22 or at the latest August 23 the German Foreign Minister, who “will be invested with all emergency powers to draw up and sign a non-aggression pact.” Thus, a minimum of time was allocated for making extremely important decisions.
The Soviet government was faced with a direct question: to reject the German proposal or to accept it? The proposal, as is known, was accepted. On August 23, 1939, a Soviet-German non-aggression pact was signed for a period of 10 years. It meant a sharp turn in the foreign policy of the Soviet Union, had a significant impact on the military-political situation in the world, and also to some extent influenced internal life in the USSR.
The agreement was accompanied by a secret protocol that delimited the parties' spheres of influence in Eastern Europe: Estonia, Latvia, Finland, and Bessarabia were included in the Soviet sphere; in German - Lithuania. It did not directly talk about the fate of the Polish state, but in any case, the Belarusian and Ukrainian territories included in it under the Riga Peace Treaty of 1920 should have gone to the USSR.
When Stalin made the decision to conclude an agreement with Germany, the Japanese factor also played a role. Japan was an open enemy of the USSR. In August 1939, there were stubborn battles between Soviet and Japanese military groups on the river. Khalkkin-Gol. Japan was in an alliance with Nazi Germany. For the Soviet Union there was a clear threat of war on two fronts, if not in 1939, then in a later period, which did not change the essence of the matter. The treaty with Germany, according to Stalin, saved the USSR from such a threat. Japan, shocked by the “betrayal” of its ally, later also signed a Non-Aggression Treaty with the USSR.
One of Stalin’s long-range, strategic goals when concluding an agreement with Germany was, although this was not openly stated, to pit two warring factions against each other and, thus, preserve peace for the Soviet Union, if not for the entire time, then for a sufficiently long period. The non-aggression treaty with Germany provided more opportunities for the USSR to stand aside from the war than the treaty with England and France on mutual assistance, so, if it was signed, the Soviet government would be forced to join the war with Germany immediately after its attack on Poland. The war with Germany was dangerous for the USSR even with such allies as England and France. Moreover, the Soviet leadership did not have much confidence in these allies. He remembered the events of 1938 related to Czechoslovakia, when France abandoned allied obligations to protect Czechoslovakia and chose, together with England, to come to an agreement with Hitler, completely ignoring the interests of the Soviet Union.
The decision of the USSR government to conclude a non-aggression pact with Germany was forced, but quite logical in the conditions of that time. In the current situation, the Soviet Union had no other choice, since it was not possible to achieve the signing of a mutual assistance treaty with England and France, and there were only a few days left before the predetermined date for Germany’s attack on Poland.
From a moral point of view, the Soviet Union, having concluded a non-aggression pact with Germany, suffered certain damage in world public opinion, as well as in the international communist movement. The unexpected change in the policy of the USSR and in relations with Nazi Germany seemed unnatural to progressive-minded people. They could not know everything that was known to the Soviet government.
The attitude of the Soviet people towards the pact was ambiguous. They trusted their government and believed it did the right thing. At the same time, not everyone understood the sudden turn in relations with Nazi Germany. Much seemed inexplicable. Some Soviet people, especially those who fought against the fascists in Spain, felt a certain confusion, even embarrassment and awkwardness in front of our like-minded people in other countries, who saw in the Soviet Union the main support in the fight against world fascism.
On November 11, 1918, the First World War ended. Two major military-political blocs opposed each other: the Entente (England, France, Russia) and the Triple Alliance (Germany, Austria-Hungary, Prussia). For the first time, military operations took place on land and sea on three continents: Europe, Asia and Africa. About 9 million people died on the battlefields; more than 20 million were injured. The war caused serious material damage to many countries and peoples.
This war showed that the latest achievements of science and technology can be used not only as means of creation, but also for destruction (the use of poisonous gases, tanks, aviation, heavy artillery). Having seen the consequences of the war, the world had to realize the danger that further contradictions between the major powers could bring. But it was the First World War that sowed the seeds of the even more terrible and destructive Second World War.
Typically, historians identify two main reasons for the outbreak of World War II:
The rise to power of fascist regimes in a number of countries.
Exacerbation of contradictions between the countries of the capitalist world (USA, England, France) and the USSR.
There is a third reason. We'll talk about her specifically. Let's look at the first reason:
The emergence of fascism and its spread occurred at a time when Western European civilization was experiencing a severe post-war crisis.
In March 1919, the first fascist party was created, led by Mussolini. Already in October 1922 they organized a campaign against Rome. Without waiting for the outcome of this event, the king of Italy abdicates the throne and transfers power into the hands of Mussolini. Italy becomes one of the most aggressive countries of the fascist bloc. Its goal is to transform Italy into a modern Roman Empire.
In October 1919, the German Workers' Party emerged in Germany.
In 1920, Adolf Hitler became the leader of the party. In 1933 he comes to power in the country. In March 1935, Germany began general military mobilization and created aviation. In June of the same year, an agreement was signed between England and Germany, according to which Germany received the right to increase its fleet five times, and also begin to create a submarine fleet.
It was from this time that Germany took the path of military conquest and enslavement of other peoples.
A new step towards the outbreak of World War II was the Italian-German intervention in Spain, where in 1936 a fascist organization led by Franco rebelled against the Spanish Republic. Germany and Italy not only supplied the rebels with weapons and money, but also sent their armed forces (more than 200 thousand people) to Spain.
The USSR did not stand aside. Throughout the civil war, he officially supplied weapons to the Spanish Republican forces and unofficially sent military forces there.
In the summer of 1938, the governments of France and England officially recognized Franco's fascist government.
By the beginning of the twentieth century, Japan was making an unprecedented leap in the development of productive forces. In a short time, numerous factories and factories, railways, shipyards, and a modern fleet appeared.
Since the late 80s of the XIX century, racist views have been widely developed (the idea of the superiority of the Japanese over other peoples appears). Under the pretext of protection from the Europeans, Japan begins to prepare for the invasion of Asia. Not being a fascist country, Japan is embarking on the path of aggressive external expansion.
In November 1936, Germany and Japan concluded the “Anti-Comintern Pact,” which Italy joined a year later.
Thus, by 1937, the formation of the bloc of fascist states Germany - Italy - Japan, which was embarking on an active aggressive foreign policy, had ended in the world.
Let's look at the second reason:
October 25, 1917 is a turning point in the history of Russia. Four years later, a new state appeared on the map - the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics, which declared itself the bearer of a new socialist culture. The USSR became the enemy of the rest of the capitalist world.
In turn, capitalist countries treated the USSR in the same spirit. They regarded the thesis of the All-Union Communist Party (Bolsheviks) about the inevitability of the world socialist revolution as a program of Soviet expansionism and did not distinguish between the totalitarian regimes in Germany and the USSR.
Based on their point of view, Western countries pursued the so-called policy of appeasement.
Now let's look at the third reason. In my opinion, it is not just the main one, but the only one; moreover, it is radically different from those mentioned earlier.
So, the third reason:
One of the main culprits in unleashing the Second World War is the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics.
Marx and Engels predicted a world war, but they did not call on the proletariat to prevent it; on the contrary, the coming world war is necessary. War is the mother of revolutions, world war is the mother of world revolution. The results, Engels believed, would be “general exhaustion and the creation of conditions for the final victory of the working class.”
Marx and Engels did not live to see the World War, but they found a successor - Lenin.
In the fall of 1914, Lenin adopted a kind of minimum program: if as a result of the First World War the revolution does not occur, then it is necessary to capture at least one country, and then use it as a base for the subsequent world revolution.
By putting forward a minimum program, Lenin did not lose perspective. But according to the program, as a result of the First World War, revolution is possible in only one country. How then will the world revolution happen? Resulting in? In 1916, Lenin gives the answer to this question: as a result of the Second Imperialist War (“Military Program of the Proletarian Revolution”).
As we remember, a year later there is a revolution in Russia, Lenin urgently returns from abroad. In Russia, he and his small but militarily organized party seize state power. Lenin's moves are simple, but precisely calibrated. At the first moment of the formation of a communist state, he announces the “Decree of Peace.” This is very good for propaganda. But Lenin needed peace not for peace, but in order to stay in power.
In March 1918, Lenin concluded the Treaty of Brest-Litovsk with Germany. At this time, Germany's position was already hopeless. Does Lenin understand this? Of course, that’s why the peace is signed by:
Frees Lenin's hands to fight for the strengthening of the communist dictatorship in the country.
Gives Germany significant resources and reserves to continue the war in the West.
The defeat of Germany was already close, and Lenin concluded a “peace”, according to which Russia not only renounced its rights to the role of winner, on the contrary, without a fight, Lenin gave Germany a million square kilometers of fertile land and industrial areas of the country, and also paid indemnity in gold. For what?!
But why. The Brest-Litovsk “peace” made millions of soldiers unnecessary, who became uncontrollable by anyone. The Brest-Litovsk “Peace” became the beginning of a brutal civil war, much bloodier than the First World War. While everyone fought against everyone, the communists strengthened and expanded their power, and then a few years later they subjugated the entire country.
Lenin’s calculation was accurate: the exhausted German Empire could not withstand the intense war. The war ended with the collapse of the empire and revolution. In devastated Europe, on the ruins of the empire, communist states are emerging that are strikingly similar to Lenin’s Bolshevik regime (suffice it to recall the Soviet republics in Hungary, Slovakia, Bavaria, numerous armed uprisings of workers under the slogans: “All power to the Soviets!”). Lenin exults: “We are on the threshold of a world revolution!”
Lenin creates the Comintern, which defines itself as the World Communist Party and aims to create a World Soviet Socialist Republic.
But the world revolution did not follow. The communist regimes in Bavaria, Slovakia, and Hungary turned out to be unviable, and Lenin could only support them morally at that time. Although the Red Army in Ukraine was ordered to begin advancing in the direction of Hungary in order to provide it with the necessary assistance.
It was only in 1920 that Lenin, who had sufficiently strengthened his position within Russia, immediately sent huge forces to Europe to push the revolution.
Russia was gripped by the excitement of the imminent world revolution. So, back on May 9, 1920, Pravda published an appeal: “To the West, workers and peasants! Against the bourgeoisie and landowners, for the international revolution, for the freedom of all peoples!” Newspapers wrote enthusiastically about the storming of Warsaw by the Western Front (under the command of Tukhachevsky), about the battles on the outskirts of Lvov, which were waged by the Southwestern Front (where J.V. Stalin was a member of the Revolutionary Military Council), published Tukhachevsky’s order to his troops: “Fighters of the workers’ revolution! Direct your gaze to the West. In the West, the fate of the world revolution is being decided. Through the corpse of white Poland lies the path to a world fire. On bayonets we will bring happiness and peace to working humanity. To the West! To decisive battles, to resounding victories!"
The banners of the combat units of the Western Front sparkled with the slogans: “To Warsaw!”, “To Berlin!”, meetings and rallies of the Red Army soldiers ended with a choral cry: “Give Warsaw!”, “Give Berlin!”.
The manifesto of the Second Congress of the Comintern was published to the whole world: “The Communist International is the party of the revolutionary uprising of the international proletariat: Soviet Germany, united with Soviet Russia, would immediately be stronger than all capitalist states combined. The Communist International declared the cause of Soviet Russia its cause. The International Proletariat will not sheathe the sword until Soviet Russia joins as a link in the federation of Soviet republics around the world."
But there was no common border between the USSR and Germany, so it is necessary to destroy the dividing barrier - a free and independent Poland. These plans were not destined to come true. The Red Army was defeated and fled.
By the way, why was Germany the target of the USSR? Let's remember 1920. Until recently, Germany was the largest empire, a country that dictated its terms to the rest of the world. Germany in 1920 is disarmed and humiliated, the country is in a severe economic crisis. The Treaty of Versailles, signed on June 28, 1919, turned Germany into a third-rate state. Germany lost 67.3 thousand square kilometers of territory in Europe and all its colonies. The military articles turned out to be especially humiliating: the army should not exceed 100 thousand people, the officer corps - 4 thousand, there should be no heavy artillery, aviation, tanks, submarines in service, the General Staff, all military educational institutions were liquidated, universal conscription was abolished ; Germany was not allowed to have military missions in other countries, and its citizens were not allowed to undergo military training in the armies of other states. It was necessary to pay multimillion-dollar reparations to the Entente. The country is ready for the proletarian revolution. According to the leader of the USSR, Germany is the key to power in Europe.
Was the Soviet-Polish war an aggressive one on the part of Poland? Józef Pilsudski, the head of the Polish state, and his entourage interpreted Lenin’s decree on the abolition of the secret 18th-century treaties regarding the partitions of Poland as an automatic restoration of the Polish state within the borders of 1772. This interpretation (in relation to the Russian side) was, in general, fair, because the text of the Decree of the Council of People's Commissars of August 29, 1918 on the renunciation of agreements between the government of the former Russian Empire and the governments of the German and Austro-Hungarian empires, the kingdoms of Prussia and Bavaria, the duchies Hesse, Oldenburg and Saxe-Meiningham and the city of Luben read as follows: “Article 3. All agreements and acts concluded by the government of the former Russian Empire with the governments of the Kingdom of Prussia and the Austro-Hungarian Empire, in view of their contradiction to the principle of self-determination of nations and the revolutionary legal consciousness of the Russian people, who recognized the inalienable right of the Polish people to independence and unity are hereby irrevocably revoked.”
In February 1919, Pilsudski and his supporters passed through the Sejm Commission on Foreign Affairs a demand for the withdrawal of Soviet troops (the resolution of the All-Russian Central Executive Committee dated June 1, 1919, signed by M.I. Kalinin, proclaimed the formation of a military union of Soviet republics: Russia, Ukraine, Latvia, Lithuania, Belarus to repel the advance of common enemies) “beyond the borders of 1772.” Without waiting for an answer, the Polish government decided to expel Soviet troops from the territory of the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth.
The defeat of Tukhachevsky's hordes in Poland had very unpleasant consequences for the Bolsheviks. Russia, which the Bolsheviks had seemingly completely drowned in blood and brought under their control, suddenly stirred up in a desperate attempt to overthrow the communist dictatorship. The workers of St. Petersburg, the cradle of the revolution, went on strike. Workers demand freedom. A squadron of the Baltic Fleet is on the side of the rebels. The sailors of Kronstadt, the same ones who gave power to Lenin, demand that the Soviets be cleansed of communists. A wave of peasant protests swept across the country. In the Tambov forests, peasants create an anti-communist army (remember how the opponents of Soviet power would later be called “Tambov wolves”).
Tukhachevsky washes away the shame of his strategic failure with someone else's blood. Tukhachevsky's atrocities in Kronstadt became legendary. The monstrous extermination of peasants in the Tambov province is one of the most terrible pages in the history of Russia.
On September 25, 1920, after the unsuccessful war with Poland, Lenin spoke at the IX All-Russian Conference of the RCP (b). The text of his speech was not published until 1992, although the approximate content of Lenin’s speech was well known abroad. Let me give you an excerpt:
“We have a new task ahead of us. The defensive period of the war against world imperialism is over, and we can and must use the martial law to start an offensive war. We beat them when they attacked us. We will now try to attack them to help the Sovietization of Poland ". We will help the Sovietization of Lithuania and Poland... We decided to use our military forces to help the Sovietization of Poland. From here the further general policy followed. We did not formulate this in an official resolution recorded in the minutes of the Central Committee and representing the law for the party until the new congress. But We said among ourselves that we must test with bayonets whether the social revolution of the proletariat has matured in Poland.”
In 1923, almost all power was concentrated in the hands of Stalin. Stalin's point of view was similar to Lenin's.
As we see, from the moment of its creation, the USSR pushed Europe into chaos and destruction in order to realize the great dream - the World Socialist Revolution. This leads to the inevitable conclusion: the Second World War was simply necessary for the Bolsheviks.