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Differences Between Hitler And Stalin

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The Hitler-Stalin Pact of 1939 shocked the world, but no one knew what Hitler really desired from the Soviets until he commenced Operation Barbarossa in June, 1941. The War in the East began with much confusion on the Soviet side, but in the end, they prevailed and the Germans were unable to achieve Lebensraum. Upon examination, the different levels of planning and strategies employed by both leaders guaranteed a Soviet victory, as Hitler overestimated his own forces, while Stalin focused on effective methods. The downfall of the Nazis in the War in the East can be attributed to their poor planning and underestimations of the Soviets. The sheer difference in manpower alone was staggering; while the Nazis mobilized around 18 million soldiers …show more content…

It was common knowledge that the Soviet Union was behind the other powers in terms of industrialization, and to prepare for a war that was inevitable, Stalin attempted to solve this by implementing a war economy as early as 1931, which meant that the Soviets were fully prepared for World War II when it began. Once the Nazis invaded, however, they were taken completely by surprise, and this led to Stalin utilizing different strategies with his own citizens. After a patriotic message from foreign minister, Vyacheslav Molotov , Stalin himself gave a few speeches that resonated with the people, by calling them to work together to defend against the Fascists as “brothers and sisters”. After the first few months of constant defeat, however, Stalin decided to take more desperate measures with Orders 227 and 270. Order 270 from August, 1941 stated that any Red Army soldiers who surrendered to the Nazis would be severely punished. Soldiers were to fight to their deaths, and anything they did otherwise was unacceptable. Stalin even proved to be a man of his word as he disowned his own son for being a prisoner of war. Order 227 of July, 1942 eliminated the option of retreating in battle, as it only encouraged their enemies to push further into Soviet territory . These decisions were extremely controversial, but no one can argue their

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