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Federal State Educational Institution Cadet Boarding School "Morozovsky A.V. Suvorova Cossack Cadet Corps"

Abstract on history

On the topic: World War II: causes, participants, stages, results and consequences

Performed by cadet 9 “A” class Evgeniy Kuts.

Head History teacher and

social studies Negorozhin V.I.

Introduction

I chose this topic for the essay because this topic is close to me, my family - this is the topic about my native Fatherland. This year, just like 70 years ago, Nazi Germany attacked Soviet Union, but in our hearts the memory of the Great Feat of our people will never fade. Despite the distance of past events, this topic remains relevant to this day.

Great Patriotic War showed the essence of the soul of the Russian person, a deep sense of patriotism, colossal, deliberate sacrifice. It was the Russian people who won the Second World War. It was “Russian Vanka” who pushed the entire decayed militaristic system of Germany to the wall. Our grandfathers proved once again that our land is inaccessible. “Whoever comes to us with a sword will die by the sword!” - said great Alexander Nevsky.

I believe that an essay on a subject such as history should be replete with evidence of events. In my essay I tried to highlight specific examples, specific heroes of the Russian land. Also, I want to note that I relied on lesser-known examples, but behind each such event is the fate of a person who, at times, sacrificed his life for us, for the sake of the future of his children.

I tried to clearly develop a practical plan for my work on the abstract. I think that the plan given in my work is the most best option presentation of the content of this topic.

Plan

1. Causes of the Second World War

a) Contradictions between the victorious powers in the First World War and defeated Germany

b) Contradictions in the camp of the victorious powers themselves

Anglo-French controversy

Anglo-American contradictions

Italian-French contradictions in the Mediterranean and Africa

American-Japanese contradictions in the Far East

c) Relations between the Western powers and the Soviet Union in the interwar period

d) Militarization of the economy and subsequent exposure, as a way to lead national powers out of the “Great Crisis and subsequent depression”

e) Theories of racial superiority of Hitler's Germany and Militarist Japan

2. Main participants and warring countries

a) Formation of a bloc of aggressive states

b) Formation of the Anti-Hitler Coalition

3. Main stages. World War II and their contents

4. The defeat of the fascist bloc and the results of the war. The decisive role of the Soviet Union in the defeat of Germany and militaristic Japan

Conclusion

List of used literature and sources

1. Causes of World War II

a) Contradictions between the victorious powers in the First World War and defeated Germany

The First World War ended on November 11, 1918 with the signing of an armistice between the warring countries in the Compiegne Forest near Paris. The final results of the war were recorded in the Treaty of Versailles, signed on June 28, 1919, on the five-year anniversary of the Sarev murder. The First World War was imperialist in nature. And it could only end in an imperialist world, despite all the pseudo-democratic phraseology.

The Treaty of Versailles was intended to consolidate the redistribution of the capitalist world in favor of the victorious powers. According to the Treaty of Versailles, Germany transferred Alsace and Lorraine to France (within the borders of 1870), Belgium - the districts of Malmedy and Eupen, Poland - Poznan, parts of Pomerania and other Western territories. Prussia; The city of Danzig (Gdansk) was declared a free city, the city of Memel (Klaipeda) was transferred to the jurisdiction of the victorious powers (in February 1923 it was annexed to Lithuania). The question of the statehood of Schleswig, the southern part of the East. Prussia and Upper Silesia were to be resolved by plebiscite (the northern part of Schleswig passed to Denmark in 1920, part of Upper Silesia in 1922 to Poland; other disputed territories remained with Germany). Small area Silesian territory went to Czechoslovakia. The original Polish lands are on the right bank of the Oder, Nizhny. Silesia, most of Upper Silesia, etc. remained with Germany. The Saarland came under the control of the League of Nations for 15 years, and then its fate was to be decided by a plebiscite. The coal mines of the Saar were transferred to the ownership of France, and Germany also pledged to respect the independence of Austria and recognized the independence of Czechoslovakia and Poland. The German part of the left bank of the Rhine and a strip of the right bank 50 km wide were subject to demilitarization. Germany's colonies were divided among the main victorious powers.

According to the treaty, the German armed forces were to be limited to 100 thousand ground troops, compulsory service was abolished, the bulk of the remaining military navy to be transferred to the winners. Germany pledged to compensate in the form of reparations for the losses suffered by the governments and individual citizens of the Entente countries as a result of military actions; the total amount of reparations amounted to 132 billion marks.

The German Navy must consist of no more than:

Armadillos 6 pcs.

Light Cruisers 6 pcs.

Destroyers 12 pcs.

Destroyers 12 pcs.

The fleet personnel should be recruited on a voluntary basis and number no more than 23 thousand people. The General Staff was disbanded. Germany was prohibited from owning and producing: tanks, aircraft, heavy artillery and submarines. In addition, Germany transferred to the winners a huge number of aircraft, heavy weapons, locomotives and rolling stock, and cars. The German fleet was sunk after the signing of the Treaty of Versailles by its crews at the English naval base of Scapa Flow and in Kiel Bay.

“According to Article 116, Germany recognized the independence of all territories that were part of the Russian Empire by August 1914, as well as the abolition of the Brest-Litovsk Peace Treaty of 1918, as well as the treaties concluded by it with the Soviet government. Article 117 of the V.M.D., which revealed the authors’ plans designed to destroy Soviet power and dismember the territory of the former Russian Empire, obliged Germany to recognize all treaties and agreements allied and united with states that were formed or are being formed on all or part of the territory of the Russian Empire.”

V.M.D. the most important among the treaties that formed the basis of the Versailles-Washington system, aimed not only against the defeated states, but also against Soviet state and revolutionary movement in capitalist states and national - liberation movements in colonial and dependent countries. V.M.D. preserved the dominance of reactionary imperialist forces in Germany and placed the German working people under the double oppression of their own and foreign imperialists. Discontent of the German population V.M.D. was used by the Nazis to create a mass base for their party. The amount and terms of reparation payments were not revised; The imperialist circles of the United States and some countries provided German monopolies with huge loans under the Dawes Plan of 1924 and the Young Plan of 1929. In 1931, Germany was granted a moratorium, after which the payment of reparation payments was stopped. The highest circles of the Western powers considered Germany as a striking force in the fight against the Soviet state.

b) Contradictions in the camp of the victorious powers themselves

The Second World War

A Anglo-French contradictions

First World War in varying degrees reflected on the victorious European powers. France suffered the most. The loss of more than 2 million people killed and maimed bled the nation, ten departments were ravaged and burned. The country, which created colossal “savings” through the plunder of the colonies, the usurer of Europe as a result of the war, despite the victory, turned into a debtor of American and British capital. In monetary terms, the country's losses were estimated at 134 billion gold francs. Nevertheless, France laid claim to post-war hegemony in Europe. She had every reason for this and, first of all, the largest ground army, which occupied important strategic positions; the ruling circles and a significant part of the population pinned their main hopes for economic recovery on receiving German reparations. The slogan “Germany will pay for everything!” was the main slogan of French Prime Minister Georges Clemenceau at the Versailles Peace Conference. But the excessive strengthening of France on the European continent was in no way included in the plans of its Entente partner, Great Britain. Great Britain sought to maintain a relatively strong Germany as a counterweight to French influence in Europe. England prevented the seizure of territory on the left bank of the Rhine from Germany and the creation of an “autonomous state” there, as France proposed. France was unable to achieve accession to the coal-rich Saar Basin; France's position to transfer all of Upper Silesia to Poland was defeated. Subsequently, in the pre-war years, it was Great Britain that contributed to the weakening of France’s position in Europe. This first happened in 1924; as is known, in 1923, taking advantage of a temporary cessation of reparations payments by Germany, the troops of France and Belgium occupied the Ruhr. France's calculation was based on the subsequent merger of German and French steel companies with the leading role of France. Great Britain, in alliance with the United States, achieved the convening of an international conference in London and the adoption of the Dawes Plan, according to which Germany was exempted from most of the reparation payments and, in addition, received large British and American loans to restore its economic potential. This directly affected the interests of France, since the latter had the right to receive 52% of all reparation payments. The next plan that caused aggravation of relations between France and England was the issue of proportions in the navies. As you know, the Versailles Peace Treaty determined the size of the German fleet at 23 thousand. people, Germany was allowed to have 6 battleships, 6 light cruisers, 12 large and 12 small destroyers. Naturally, such a fleet could not threaten either the French or English sea communications.

The total tonnage of the English and French fleets was determined by the proportion 5:1.75, respectively. This proportion was established by a five-power treaty at the Washington Conference in 1922. Without coordinating its position with the French, England in 1935 signed a naval agreement with Germany, according to which Germany received the right to have a fleet equal to 35% of the English one. This is exactly the tonnage of the French fleet, the number submarines was determined in 45% of the number of English ones and significantly exceeded the number of French ones. This was literally a torpedoing of the terms of the Versailles Peace Treaty. Relying on economic and, in fact, political support in Great Britain, the Hitler regime managed to falsify the results of a plebiscite of the population of the Saar region and annex it to Germany in 1935. In the same year, Germany introduced universal conscription, and on March 7, 1936, it sent its troops into the Rhineland demilitarized zone. The British government limited itself to verbal protests. The ruling circles of France at this time were already fully following the foreign policy courses dictated from London, and did not take any independent steps. In the near future, this course led France to the shameful Munich and actually gave German fascism a free hand in its aggression in the East, and then against France and England.

A Anglo-American contradictions.

The First World War did not affect the American continent, and the United States did not know the massive destruction of productive forces that took place in Europe. The American army took part in hostilities only from the spring of 1918. The human losses of the United States were small compared to other countries: about 120 thousand killed and died from disease and about 230 thousand wounded.

Payment for huge military orders placed in America by the Entente countries reduced the US debt that existed in the pre-war years. By 1919, European long-term investment in the United States amounted to about $3 billion, and the amount of American private investment in the European economy amounted to about $6.5 billion. At the same time, the US increased its capital exports enormously. Its main form was war loans. By the beginning of the 20s, their amount amounted to 11 billion dollars. Consequently, during the war, the United States turned from a debtor to a creditor.

The sharp increase in the share of the United States in international economic relations created the conditions for a more active intervention of the United States in the sphere of world politics. American imperialism sought to prevent Britain and France from becoming too strong. To this end, he advocated maintaining a sufficiently strong Germany, which would be under the influence of the United States.

However, in its quest for world hegemony, the United States faced stubborn opposition from England and France. The results of the 1919 peace conference were unfavorable for the United States.

The main objects of the post-war world were transferred to the control of England, France and Japan. The United States did not receive any of the mandate territories. American proposals on the status of Germany in post-war Europe were not accepted. In the League of Nations, the leading position was occupied not by the United States, but by England and France. The failure of the US plans was explained by the fact that in terms of the size of the army and navy, the size of colonial possessions and the strength of military-political ties with other countries, the United States was significantly inferior to its European rivals. However, later the United States began to win position after position from England. The United States received its first success at the Washington Conference (November 12, 1921 - February 1922). They managed to achieve the abolition of the Anglo-Japanese Treaty of 1902, which was largely directed against the United States. The Five Powers Treaty (Great Britain, USA, Japan, Italy and France) dealt with naval bases and the limitation of naval armaments. The powers received the right to strengthen their island possessions in the Pacific region, pledged not to build super-heavy battleships and limit the tonnage of military fleets. The fleets of the USA - England, Japan, France and Italy were related to each other respectively in the following proportions: 5: 5: 3: 1.75: 1.75. For the first time in history, Great Britain recognized the right of another state (the United States) to have a navy equal to its own fleet. The United States managed to oust its British rivals in China. The position of American imperialism in Europe has significantly strengthened. The adoption of the Dawes Plan at the London Conference in 1924 and the wide flow of American loans to Germany, according to the plans of the US ruling circles, were to ensure the establishment of lasting US hegemony in Germany, and then throughout Europe.

The crisis of 1929–1933 significantly weakened the international position of the United States. During the crisis, a fierce struggle unfolded for sales markets and areas for investment of capital. The results of this struggle were generally unfavorable for the United States. England significantly displaced the United States in Canada and Latin America. In 1933, the United States was forced to abandon the gold standard, which devalued the currencies of more than 50 countries and began a currency war between the pound and the dollar.

The results of Anglo-American rivalry in the field of naval construction were more successful for the United States. The London Naval Conference of 1930 extended the principle of parity between England and the United States not only to the battle fleet, as was done at the Washington Conference in 1922, but also to cruisers, destroyers and submarines.

Subsequently, the rivalry between the USA and England faded away and gave way to an alliance between them. Quite influential forces in the United States were of the belief that the formation of a bloc of fascist states created a serious threat to America and that, ultimately, a clash between the United States and this bloc was inevitable. On this basis, the conclusion was made about the need for rapprochement with the bourgeois-democratic states of Western Europe and, first of all, with England.

AND Talo-French contradictions.

Italy entered the First World War, counting on a significant increase in its territory, guaranteed to it by secret agreements with England and France. However, during the fighting, the Italian army showed itself to be unprepared and weak and was more than once on the verge of defeat. These circumstances played a major role in the fact that at the end of the war, the Allies not only did not fulfill their promises, but also significantly cut Italy’s “share”. Thus, the country’s interests were infringed, and it itself found itself in the position of “loser among the victors.” Humiliation of national pride and severe economic situation caused a rise in radical and national sentiments in post-war Italy.

The former prominent figure of the Socialist Party, Benito Mussolini, became the head of the fascist organization. At the end of October 1922, Mussolini announced an ultimatum to the government and, mobilizing his troops, organized a campaign against Rome. The police and army took no action, although a small force was enough to disperse the poorly armed rebels. The government resigned. Then the king invited Mussolini to Rome and entrusted him with the formation of a new cabinet. So Italy became the first country in which the fascists came to power.

Having come to power, the Italian fascists began to implement their expansionist policies. The Italian elite came up with the idea of ​​turning the Mediterranean into “ Italian lake" In this region, the mutual interests of Italy and France collided. Italy was ready, on occasion, to return Nice and Savoy, given to France in the 19th century, Italian fascists looked with lust at French Tunisia, relations between Italy and France in the area of ​​the so-called Horn of Africa (near French Somalia with its capital in the city of Djibouti) worsened.

However, in the first years of his reign, Mussolini acted very carefully. Nevertheless, by 1935 he considered that the situation in Europe was very favorable for the start of Italian expansion. In 1935, Italy invaded Ethiopia, the only country that had not yet been colonized in Africa. The capture of Ethiopia strengthened Italy's position on the routes of communication with the Middle East and the Indian Ocean region not only of France, but also of England. The next stage on the path of military adventures of Italian fascism was the intervention in Spain.

The joint adventure in Spain brought fascist Italy closer to Hitler's Germany. In October 1936, Italian Foreign Minister Ciano signed an agreement in Germany on political cooperation between the two fascist regimes. In one of his speeches, Mussolini called this agreement the axis around which, in his opinion, the European powers should unite. This is how the notorious “Berlin-Rome axis” arose, generated by the commonality of imperialist aspirations of two aggressive states. Under the terms of the agreement, the Mediterranean Sea was considered the sphere of Italian interests, and Italy recognized the right of Germany to establish a “new status” in Central Europe. A special point concerned the cooperation of the fascist powers in the “anti-Bolshevik struggle.” In October 1937, Italy joined the Anti-Comintern Pact, which Germany and Japan had signed the year before. In December of the same year, Mussolini announced that Italy was leaving the League of Nations and would never return there.

A American-Japanese contradictions in the Far East.

The Anglo-Japanese Alliance, which existed since 1902, greatly complicated relations between England, the USA and Japan. and subject to renewal in 1921. Before the First World War, this alliance was directed against Russia and Germany, but after the war, Japan’s main enemy, in addition to its “ally” England, was the United States, and therefore the alliance turned out to be objectively directed against the United States. Japan relied on it when implementing its expansionist policy in China and the Far East. The United States was interested in eliminating the Anglo-Japanese alliance. In addition, in order to expand into Far East The United States needed a strong navy capable of resisting the Japanese fleet, and, as long as the Anglo-Japanese alliance existed, the united Anglo-Japanese fleet in the area. Japanese fleet. Thus, there was a close connection between the situation in the Far East, the Anglo-Japanese alliance and the Anglo-American-Japanese struggle in the field of naval weapons.

In order to smooth out the acute contradictions that arose between the great powers after the First World War, on November 12, 1921, an international conference was convened in Washington, on the initiative of the United States, with the participation of the United States, England, Japan, France, Italy, Belgium, Holland, Portugal and China.

The Washington Conference fixed the balance of power between the imperialist countries in the Far East that emerged after the First World War. At the conference, the issue of the Anglo-Japanese alliance was immediately resolved. The British delegation arrived in Washington, having already come to terms with the need to abandon this alliance. The solution to the issue was prompted not only by the fact that the United States was pushing for this, but also in connection with the position of the British dominions. Canada, Australia, New Zealand and South Africa also considered the need to liquidate the union. They feared that maintaining the alliance might in the future force the British dominions to side with Japan in the event of war between Japan and the United States. And this did not suit them at all. On December 13, 1921, an agreement was signed between 4 powers, one of the articles of which provided for the termination of the Anglo-Japanese Alliance. It was a major defeat for England, a major success for the United States.

Under the treaty, the 4 powers of the USA, England, France and Japan agreed to respect the right of each of them to island possessions in the Pacific Ocean and agreed on mutual consultations if these rights were endangered by any other power. The main points in the agreement were articles on the mutual guarantee of island possessions, which meant the recognition by the United States of the distribution of previously German-owned lands made at the Paris Conference. Pacific Ocean islands. Thus, some contradictions between the USA, England, France and Japan in the Far East were eliminated and a quadruple Far Eastern Entente was created under the leadership of the USA. Since at that time the parties to the treaty of four did not have strong imperialist opponents in this area of ​​the world, the treaty was directed, firstly, against Russia and, secondly, against China, where since May 1919 the development of democratic revolution. The treaty was the basis on which other agreements adopted by the conference were reached. When discussing the issue of naval armaments, the British and Japanese tried to negotiate favorable opportunities for naval construction. The Americans sought to introduce serious restrictions in order to slow down the growth rate of the naval fleet of England and Japan. The agreement was reached on the basis of American proposals: England and Japan conceded. On February 6, 1922, five powers - the USA, England, Japan, France and Italy - concluded a treaty on the limitation of naval armaments. The ratio between the battle fleets of these powers was established in the following proportion: 5: 5: 3: 1.75: 1.75. The United States, Britain and Japan agreed to maintain the status quo regarding fortifications and naval bases on the Pacific island possessions. Attempts to agree on limiting the number of submarines ended in vain.

The Five Power Treaty meant the first victory of the United States over England in the struggle for supremacy in the seas.

On February 6, 1922, the Washington Conference adopted an agreement between nine powers - the USA, England, France, Japan, Italy, Belgium, Holland, Portugal and China - which proclaimed the principle of respect for the sovereignty and integrity of Chinese territory. It was an empty declaration, not supported by any practical measures. The treaty did not abolish the system of unequal treaties between the imperialist powers and China. At the same time, the treaty obliged all nations to adhere to the principle of “equal opportunity” in trade and industrial development throughout China. This was already a concrete agreement on the joint robbery of China by a group of imperialist powers, which managed to force imperialist Japan to make some room in China in their favor. Japan signed the treaty, but did not stop the struggle for the preemptive and monopoly right to rob China.

c) Relations between the Western powers and the Soviet Union in the interwar period

Particular attention in international politics in the 1930s was occupied by the issue of relations between the Western powers and the Soviet Union.

The Western powers watched with unflagging attention how the Bolshevik experiment in Russia would end and were not averse to arming Germany, to a certain extent, in order to then use it as a striking fist in the fight against the USSR. For its part, the Soviet Union sought to overcome international isolation by any means. In addition, Stalin and his circle in the 30s carried out the modernization of the country and for this they really needed a calm, peaceful situation in Europe.

In the early 30s, the USSR proposed concluding the so-called “Eastern Pact” to guarantee the inviolability of its western borders, as well as the borders of small European states: Poland, Romania, Czechoslovakia, Lithuania, Latvia, Estonia and Finland. An offer to join such a pact was also made to Germany. However, after the death in October 1934 of the French Foreign Minister, Louis Barthou, at the hands of terrorists, who was a supporter of this pact, the idea of ​​the “Eastern Pact” died out. Instead, regional agreements were concluded between the USSR, France and Czechoslovakia on mutual assistance in the event of aggression by Germany. However, in the agreement with Czechoslovakia there was a condition according to which the USSR provided assistance to it only if France provided such assistance. However, in Munich in 1938, France renounced Czechoslovakia, and the treaty did not work.

The position of the West, which constantly made concessions to Germany and rejected an alliance with the USSR, caused severe irritation in the Kremlin since the mid-1930s. It especially intensified in connection with the conclusion of the Munich Agreement, which in Moscow was regarded as a conspiracy directed not only against Czechoslovakia, but also against the USSR, to whose borders the German threat had approached.

The failure of the Munich strategy and the increase in German aggression forced the West to search for contacts with the USSR. England and France proposed to the Soviet government to hold negotiations on collective opposition to German aggression. On April 16, Litvinov received the British ambassador in Moscow and spoke in favor of signing a trilateral Anglo-French-Soviet treaty of mutual assistance, to which Poland could join. The parties to the treaty were required to provide guarantees to all countries of Eastern and Central Europe that were threatened by German aggression.

France expressed its readiness to conclude an agreement between the three powers on the immediate assistance of any of them that would find itself in a state of war with Germany “as a result of actions taken to prevent any violent change in the situation existing in Central or Eastern Europe. But Paris's foreign policy was almost entirely dependent on London. Meanwhile, England was slow to respond."

The rapprochement with the USSR deeply disgusted Chamberlain, who wrote in a private letter back in March 1939: “I must admit that Russia inspires me with deep distrust. I don’t have much faith in her ability to carry out an effective offensive, even if she wanted to. I do not trust her motives, which have little to do with our ideas of freedom... Moreover, many of the small states, especially Poland, Romania and Finland, view her with hatred and suspicion.”

USSR considered English sentences unacceptable. England insisted that the USSR undertake to come to the aid of the Western powers if they found themselves involved in a war with Germany in connection with its guarantees to Poland and Romania, but did not mention the West's obligation to help the USSR if it had to fight because of its obligations to any Eastern European country.

“In a word,” wrote G.K. Zhukov, “if we talk about Europe, Hitler’s pressure and the passivity of England and France dominated there. Numerous measures and proposals of the USSR aimed at creating effective system collective security did not find support among the leaders of capitalist states. However, it was natural. All the complexity, inconsistency and tragedy of the situation was generated by the desire of the ruling circles of England and France to pit Germany and the USSR against each other.”

On August 19, a trade agreement was signed between the USSR and Germany in Berlin. The USSR received a loan for 200 million marks and pledged to supply Germany with goods worth 180 million marks within two years. During the same two years, German goods were purchased against the loan.

On the same day, Stalin announced at the Politburo his fundamental decision to sign a pact with Germany. The Soviet government invited the German Foreign Minister to come to Moscow on August 26-27. But Hitler personally appealed to Stalin with a request to receive Ribbentrop no later than August 23. Stalin agreed.

On August 23, Ribbentrop met in Moscow with Stalin and Molotov. The meeting took place in a friendly, almost idyllic atmosphere. Molotov and Ribbentrop put their signatures on the non-aggression pact between the USSR and Germany.

The Soviet-German non-aggression pact is assessed differently by historians. I.M. Maisky, who was the Soviet ambassador in London in 1939, wrote many years later: “Firstly, the possibility of creating a united capitalist front against Soviet country; Moreover, the prerequisites were created for the subsequent formation of an anti-Hitler coalition... The non-aggression pact made it impossible to start the Second World War by attacking the USSR... Secondly, thanks to the agreement with Germany, the threat of an attack on the USSR from Japan, an ally of Germany, disappeared. Without the non-aggression pact with Germany, the USSR could have found itself in a difficult position where it would have had to fight a war on two fronts, since at that moment a German attack on the USSR from the west would mean an attack from Japan from the east.”

There may be different points of view on who benefited more from the August 23 pact, and whether its conclusion was a mistake by the Soviet leadership. One can have different attitudes towards the very fact of concluding an agreement with the Nazi regime. But, of course, the official text of the non-aggression pact did not contradict the norms of law. The USSR, like the Western powers, could independently build relations with one country or another - regardless of its foreign policy.

However, the pact of August 23 was supplemented by a secret protocol, which, unlike the main (published) document, grossly violated international law. That is why Soviet rulers for many years denied the authenticity of the secret protocols, claiming that they were allegedly fabricated by enemies of the USSR. It was only in 1990 that the authenticity of the protocols was officially recognized in our country.

In mid-September 1939, the Stalinist leadership began to implement secret articles non-aggression pact, taking part in the dismemberment of Poland. On September 17, the Red Army entered the territory of Poland under the pretext of “taking under its protection the lives and property of citizens of western Ukraine and Belarus.” Formally, the Soviet Union did not declare war on Poland. The Red Army reached the so-called “Curzon Line” (back in the 20s, internationally recognized as the eastern border of Polish lands). This made it possible for the USSR to annex a huge territory of 200 thousand square meters. km, with a traditionally predominant Ukrainian and Belarusian population of 12 million people. Next, the USSR, in accordance with the provisions of the secret protocol, began to strengthen its positions in the Baltic states. In September-October 1939, the Soviet leadership diplomatically imposed “Mutual Assistance Treaties” on Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania, under the terms of which they provided the USSR with their military bases.

The end result was that after some time Soviet power was established in these countries. Thus, in August 1940, staged “people's revolutions” led to the incorporation of these countries into the USSR.

The border with Finland was a subject of particular concern on the part of the Soviet government. The USSR requested from Finland, first for lease, and then in exchange, for territories close to Leningrad. But Finland rejected this proposal. Having not exhausted all the possibilities for a political, peaceful settlement, the USSR and Finland practically set a course for solving problems by military means. On November 30, 1939, troops of the Leningrad Military District crossed the Soviet-Finnish border. After extremely difficult battles for the Red Army, on March 12, 1940, the war ended with the signing of a peace treaty between the USSR and Finland on Soviet terms. Finland lost the entire Karelian Isthmus, Vyborg and a number of territories in northern Karelia. The consequences of this war were truly tragic for the USSR: the low combat effectiveness of the Soviet troops, which emerged during the war, had a significant impact on Hitler’s overestimation of the military power of the USSR and on his intentions to attack the Soviet Union. Although the USSR strengthened its northwestern borders, it found itself in international isolation: it was expelled from the League of Nations, and the prestige of the state decreased.

d) Militarization of the economy and subsequent expansion, as a way to lead national powers out of the “Great Crisis and subsequent depression”

The German economy in the pre-war years was characterized by the accelerated development of heavy and military industries (where 4/5 of all investments) and autarky tendencies. The military bias not only reflected the revanchist goals of the Nazis, but was also seen as the most important factor in stabilizing the fascist regime. The fascist government saw the main condition for economic “prosperity” in the switching of industry to the production of weapons and the deployment of military construction. By mid-1935, heavy industry had reached pre-crisis levels, and by mid-1939 it had exceeded it by almost 50%. Military spending (in 1933-1939) increased 10 times and amounted to 58% of the budget in 1938/39. The production of consumer goods never reached the level of 1928. In 1936, a 4-year plan was adopted. Its purpose was officially defined as follows; “The German army must be ready for action in four years. The German economy must become ready for war in four years." The core of the new plan was the creation of its own raw material base to meet the needs of military production. The state provided huge loans (primarily to IG Farbenindustry) to develop research into the production of synthetic fuel (from brown coal), synthetic rubber, aluminum, subsidized the construction of relevant factories, and guaranteed the sale of synthetic products at high prices for 10 years.

Industrial plants were categorized as “militarily critical” and “militarily important.” They were primarily supplied with raw materials, labor, and loans. Enterprises that did not fall into these categories experienced serious difficulties. In the interests of military monopolies, the Nazis neglected the needs of industries serving the population. It was forbidden, for example, to invest in the jute, paper, wool, and cotton industries. Since the interests of preparing for war were at the forefront of the policy of the fascist state, the industries that were the basis of militarization (primarily heavy industry) had significant privileges and received huge profits. For example, the profit of the IG Farbenindustry concern increased almost 4 times from 1932 to 1938; Krupp, which had no profit in 1932, earned 380 million marks from military production in the first six years of the fascist regime. Along with the old industrial elite, militarization and preparations for war also enriched the fascist nouveau riche.

The state policy of patronage of large monopolies was also reflected in the forced concentration of production and capital. The same goal was largely served by “Aryanization”, i.e. confiscation of property of persons of Jewish origin, which enriched the fascist elite and its supporters (this is how, in particular, the G. Goering concern arose). In general, by the end of the 30s, 6 banks and 70 largest joint stock companies controlled over 2/3 of Germany's industrial potential.

Analysis of political and socio-economic structure fascist Germany indicates that, firstly, the full power in the country was concentrated in the hands of the National Socialist clique, and the overwhelming mass of workers were deprived of the democratic rights and freedoms won in many years of struggle; secondly, in the system of state-monopoly regulation, which covered all spheres of the economy and social relations, decisive positions were in the hands of the largest industrial magnates, vested with prerogatives by law state power; thirdly, political, administrative and economic reorganization resulted in the creation of a mechanism of totalitarian dictatorship - an instrument for mobilizing the “rear” in order to prepare for an aggressive war.

d) Theories of racial superiority of Hitler's Germany and Militarist Japan

In the process of preparing for war, the fascist regime, having created an extensive and powerful apparatus, launched the ideological indoctrination of the population on an unprecedented scale. “After the Nazis came to power,” notes the Australian author E. Bramsted, “their propaganda acquired a total character; it was not limited only to the immediate political sphere, but covered the entire area of ​​cultural activity of the state... had to penetrate into all pores of society.” In 1933, the Ministry of Propaganda was formed, headed by Goebbels, one of the main torchbearers of the Second World War. The ministry took control of public education, the press, radio, libraries, museums, theaters, cinema - all means of spiritual culture and put them at the service of the aggressive policy of the Nazis.

The main efforts of Goebbels's propaganda were concentrated on the ideological and psychological preparation of the masses for a war of conquest. First gradually, and then more and more openly, she instilled the idea of ​​the necessity and inevitability of the struggle for “living space.” The German people were declared “a people without space,” undeservedly deprived of history. This is how the Nazis explained economic difficulties and the decline in the living standards of workers. To the population, especially land-poor and landless peasants, they pointed out the “path to the East” as the only possible way fulfillment of their hopes.

To justify the “legitimacy” of aggression and the “right” of the fascist state to capture and enslave other peoples, racial theory and national-chauvinist ideas closely related to it were used. By instilling in the Germans that they, as the “chosen people,” were determined by “fate” and “blood” to dominate, Nazi propaganda fostered an arrogant attitude and contempt for other peoples. Racial theory was repeatedly rebuilt by the Nazis in accordance with the needs of current foreign policy. Thus, as they became closer to Italy and Japan on the basis of joint preparations for aggression, there was a “reassessment” of the racial qualities of the Italians and Japanese. The Italians, whom the Nazis had previously classified as a “low-value Mediterranean” race, were soon declared “worthy” descendants of the proud Romans, and the Japanese, previously called contemptuous nicknames, were placed on the pedestal of the “chosen race” of Asia, the “Aryans of the East.” The attitude towards the Slavs remained unchanged as representatives of the “inferior race”, whom the fascist barbarians planned to enslave and exterminate, and populate their lands with Germans.

By identifying the racial struggle as the main driving force of social development, the Nazis sought to distract working people from the class struggle. They tried to turn the hatred of the workers and other strata towards the capitalists into hatred of other nations. In Germany itself, the Jews, whom fascist propaganda declared guilty of all the ills of the German people, were supposed to serve as such a “lightning rod”.

Racial theory was also used by the Nazis to justify the dominance of fascism and its ideology. In 1933, at the Nazi Party Congress, Hitler declared racial purity to be the only prerequisite for a “correct” worldview: “A racially pure people, in accordance with its pure essence, instinctively takes adequate positions in all vital questions ... guided only by an innate sense of self-preservation.” In a state that includes various racial elements, everything depends on which worldview will prevail in the ideological struggle. The merit of National Socialism, the Führer argued, “first of all is that it helped to win the victory of a worldview that reflected the instinctive needs of the German blood.” In this regard, racist theory was widely used to justify terror and brutal repressions against dissidents. All who fought against fascism were declared racially “unclean” and, as carriers of a worldview “alien” to the German race, were subject to extermination.

At the Nazi Party Congress in 1935, racial “science” was declared “the most important basis of the National Socialist understanding of nature and human history”, “the basis ... of the legislation of the National Socialist Reich.” The main theorist of racism, Professor G. Günther, was awarded the “science prize” first established by this congress.

Fascist leaders and diplomats insisted that Germany was arming itself only to ensure security and to protect other Jewish states from the “threat of Bolshevism.” Thus, on December 18, 1935, Hitler told the Polish ambassador in Berlin that his only desire was to prevent “Russia’s advance to the West”, that he was “for the solidarity of the countries of Europe, but it should not go beyond the Polish-Soviet border....How can you bind yourself With Soviet Russia, which preaches world revolution? At the same time, he told his associates something else: “I will have to play ball with capitalism and restrain the Versailles powers with the help of the specter of Bolshevism, forcing them to believe that Germany is last stronghold against the red flood. For us, this is the only way to survive the critical period, deal with Versailles and arm ourselves again.” According to the English sociologist Ziman, the Fuhrer's simple tricks ensured his complete success, because those who wanted to be deceived turned out to be deceived. Anti-communist propaganda convinced Europeans that Hitler's dictatorship was acceptable and that Germany, the bulwark against Bolshevism, should be allowed to increase its power. In the first months, Hitler was still afraid of the opposition of the Western powers, and this kept him from taking excessive risks, but, convinced of their connivance, he acted more and more with the arrogance inherent in fascists.

2. Main participants and warring countries

a) Formation of a bloc of aggressive states

The main culprits for the outbreak of the Second World War were the states of the fascist bloc: Germany, Italy and Japan. The core of the aggressive coalition was Germany, which, after the Nazis came to power, embarked on the path of military preparations and created a powerful military machine. Its potential allies, Japan and Italy, also headed for a war. These countries were the first to start putting together a political and then a military coalition.

On November 25, 1936, in Berlin, representatives of Germany and Japan signed the so-called Anti-Comintern Pact. Under this pact, Germany and Japan pledged to work in close cooperation against the Comintern and invited “third states whose internal tranquility is threatened by the activities of the Communist International to take defensive measures in the spirit of this agreement or to join the present pact.” The spearhead of the Anti-Comintern Pact was directed against the USSR. A secret additional protocol signed simultaneously with the pact provided that in the event of a war or threat of war between the USSR and one of the contracting parties, the other party “will not take any measures, the implementation of which could alleviate the situation of the USSR.” The parties also agreed not to conclude any political agreements with the USSR that would contradict the spirit of the pact during the period of the Anti-Comintern Pact. The pact was initially concluded for 5 years, and in 1941 it was extended for another 5 years. On November 6, 1937, Italy joined the Anti-Comintern Pact, on February 24, 1939 - Hungary and the puppet state of Manchukuo, on March 27, 1939 - Spain, in 1941 - Bulgaria, Finland, Romania, Denmark, the puppet governments of Slovakia, Croatia and Japanese-occupied part of China. Germany and Japan, under the guise of fighting the Comintern, used the pact to prepare a war for World Domination. The ruling circles of the Western powers, with their policy of non-intervention and “pacification” of aggressors, inciting them against the USSR, actually contributed to the creation and strengthening of this bloc. On September 27, 1940, the foreign ministers of Germany, Italy and Japan, namely Ribbentrop, Ciano, Kurusu, signed an agreement for a period of 10 years. Developing the main provisions of the Anti-Comintern Pact of 1936, this treaty provided for the division of the world between the three powers. According to the Berlin Pact, Germany and Italy were assigned a leading role in establishing the so-called “new order” in Europe, and Japan in Asia. The agreement established the mutual obligations of the 3 countries to provide economic, political and military assistance. The German-dependent governments of Hungary (November 20, 1940), Romania (November 23, 1940), Slovakia (November 24, 1940), and Bulgaria (March 1, 1941) joined the Berlin Pact. On March 25, 1941, Yugoslavia joined the treaty, but on March 27, the Simovic government, which came to power as a result of a coup, did not approve this act. Later, Finland, Spain, Thailand, the puppet governments of Croatia, Manchukuo, and Wang Jing-Wei in China also joined the Berlin Pact. Nazi Germany used the Berlin Pact primarily to attack the USSR, as well as to strengthen military-political control over the European satellites (allies).

Thus, the bloc of aggressive states in political, economic and military terms took shape organizationally much earlier than the anti-Hitler coalition, which gave the aggressor states a significant advantage in initial stage Second World War.

b) Formation of the Anti-Hitler Coalition

The attack of Hitler's Germany on the USSR and the failure of the lightning war radically changed the military-political situation in the world. From the very first hours of the Soviet-German war, it became clear that Hitler’s calculations for the international isolation of the USSR did not come true. On the start day fascist aggression Churchill, despite his categorical rejection of communism, declared: “Everyone who fights against Hitler is a friend of England, everyone who fights on his side is an enemy of England.” July 12, 1941 In Moscow, an agreement was signed between the governments of the USSR and England on joint actions, which recorded mutual obligations to provide assistance and renounce a separate peace with the enemy. This agreement marked the beginning of the creation of a broad anti-Hitler coalition. Soon the United States made its final choice, rapidly moving to the forefront in many sectors of the economy and especially in military-industrial production. US President Franklin Roosevelt announced the United States' intention to support the USSR and other countries of the anti-Hitler coalition with all means at their disposal. August 14, 1941 The leaders of the USA and England signed the famous “Atlantic Charter” - a program of goals and specific actions in the fight against German fascism.

By the end of 1941 The Japanese leadership made a choice of the direction of the strategic strike. The Japanese considered the destruction of Pearl Harbor, the main American naval base in the Pacific, to be the key to success in the struggle for control of the Pacific Ocean. The losses of the American fleet were enormous: 5 battleships and 3 other warships were sunk, and another 10 ships were seriously damaged. A few days later, Germany and Italy also declared war on the United States.

January 1, 1942 US President Roosevelt, British Prime Minister Churchill, USSR Ambassador to America Litvinov and the representative of China signed the Declaration of the United Nations in Washington, which was based on the Atlantic Charter. Another 22 states immediately joined it. The Declaration, in particular, said: “Each government undertakes to use all its resources, military or economic, against those members of the Tripartite Pact (Germany, Italy and Japan) and those who have joined it ... to cooperate with other governments that have signed this, and not to conclude a separate truce or peace with enemies...” This most important historical document finally determined the composition and goals of the forces of the anti-fascist coalition. By 1943 The declaration had already been signed by 32 states, and by 1945. - more than 50.

3. The main stages of the Second World War and their content

Conventionally, historians divide the Second World War into five periods:

The first period of the war (September 1, 1939 – June 21, 1941). The beginning of the war and the invasion of German troops into Western Europe.

The Second World War began on September 1, 1939 with the attack of Nazi Germany on Poland. On September 3, Britain and France declared war on Germany; The Anglo-French coalition included the British dominions and colonies (September 3 - Australia, New Zealand, India; September 6 - Union of South Africa; September 10 - Canada, etc.)

The incomplete deployment of the armed forces, the lack of assistance from Great Britain and France, and the weakness of the top military leadership put the Polish army before a disaster: its territory was occupied by German troops. The Polish bourgeois-landowner government secretly fled from Warsaw to Lublin on September 6, and to Romania on September 16.

The governments of Great Britain and France, after the outbreak of the war until May 1940, continued the pre-war foreign policy course in only a slightly modified form, hoping to direct German aggression against the USSR. During this period, called the “Phantom War” of 1939-1940, the Anglo-French troops were virtually inactive, and the armed forces of Nazi Germany, using the strategic pause, were actively preparing for an offensive against the countries of Western Europe.

On April 9, 1940, formations of the Nazi army invaded Denmark without declaring war and occupied its territory. On the same day, the invasion of Norway began.

Even before the completion of the Norwegian operation, the military-political leadership of Nazi Germany began to implement the Gelb plan, which provided for a lightning strike on France through Luxembourg, Belgium and the Netherlands. German main blow fascist troops struck through the Ardennes Mountains, bypassing the Maginot Line from the North through Northern France. The French command, adhering to a defensive strategy, placed large forces on the Maginot Line and did not create a strategic reserve in the depths. Having broken through the defenses in the Sedan area, tank formations of fascist German troops reached the English Channel on May 20. On May 14, the Dutch armed forces capitulated. The Belgian army, the British expeditionary force and part of the French army were cut off in Flanders. On May 28, the Belgian army capitulated. The British and parts of the French troops, blocked in the Dunkirk region, managed to evacuate to Great Britain, having lost all their heavy military equipment. At the beginning of June, fascist German troops broke through the front hastily created by the French on the Somme and Aisne rivers.

On June 10, the French government left Paris. Having not exhausted the possibilities of resistance, the French army laid down its arms. On June 14, German troops occupied French capital. On June 22, 1940, hostilities ended with the signing of the act of surrender of France - the so-called. Compiègne Armistice of 1940. According to its terms, the territory of the country was divided into two parts: a Nazi occupation regime was established in the northern and central regions, the southern part of the country remained under the control of the anti-national government of Pétain, which expressed the interests of the most reactionary part of the French bourgeoisie, oriented towards fascist Germany (t .n. produced by Vichy).

After the defeat of France, the threat looming over Great Britain contributed to the isolation of the Munich capitulators and the rallying of the forces of the English people. The government of W. Churchill, which replaced the government of N. Chamberlain on May 10, 1940, began organizing a more effective defense. The US government gradually began to reconsider its foreign policy course. It increasingly supported Great Britain, becoming its “non-belligerent ally.”

Preparing a war against the USSR, Nazi Germany carried out aggression in the Balkans in the spring of 1941. On March 1, Nazi troops entered Bulgaria. On April 6, 1941, Italo-German and then Hungarian troops launched an invasion of Yugoslavia and Greece, occupied Yugoslavia by April 18, and the Greek mainland by April 29.

By the end of the First Period of the War, almost all countries of Western and Central Europe found themselves occupied by Nazi Germany and Italy or became dependent on them. Their economy and resources were used to prepare for war against the USSR.

The attack of Nazi Germany on the USSR, the expansion of the scale of the war, the collapse of Hitler's Blitzkrieg doctrine.

On June 22, 1941, Nazi Germany treacherously attacked the Soviet Union. The Great Patriotic War of the Soviet Union 1941 - 1945 began, which became the most important part of the 2nd World War.

The entry of the USSR into the war determined its qualitatively new stage, led to the consolidation of all the progressive forces of the world in the fight against fascism, and influenced the policies of the leading world powers.

The governments of the leading powers of the Western world, without changing their previous attitude towards social order socialist state, seen in alliance with the USSR the most important condition their security and the weakening of the military power of the fascist bloc. On June 22, 1941, Churchill and Roosevelt, on behalf of the British and US governments, issued a statement of support for the Soviet Union in the fight against fascist aggression. On July 12, 1941, an agreement was concluded between the USSR and Great Britain on joint actions in the war against Germany. On August 2, an agreement was reached with the United States on military-economic cooperation and providing material support to the USSR. On August 14, Roosevelt and Churchill promulgated the Atlantic Charter, to which the USSR joined on September 24, expressing a special opinion on a number of issues directly related to the military actions of the Anglo-American troops. At the Moscow meeting (September 29 - October 1, 1941), the USSR, Great Britain and the USA considered the issue of mutual military supplies and signed the first protocol. To prevent the danger of creating fascist bases in the Middle East, British and Soviet troops entered Iran in August–September 1941. These joint military-political actions marked the beginning of the creation of the Anti-Hitler coalition, which played an important role in the war.

During the strategic defense in the summer and autumn of 1941, Soviet troops offered staunch resistance to the enemy, exhausted and bled the forces of the Nazi Wehrmacht. The fascist German troops were unable to capture Leningrad, as envisaged by the invasion plan, and were shackled for a long time by the heroic defense of Odessa and Sevastopol, and stopped near Moscow. As a result of the counter-offensive of Soviet troops near Moscow and the general offensive in the winter of 1941/42, the fascist plan for a “lightning war” finally collapsed. This victory had world-historical significance: it dispelled the myth of the invincibility of the fascist Wehrmacht, confronted fascist Germany with the need to wage a protracted war, inspired the European peoples to fight for liberation against fascist tyranny, and gave a powerful impetus to the Resistance movement in the occupied countries.

On December 7, 1941, Japan launched a war against the United States with a surprise attack on the American military base at Pearl Harbor in the Pacific Ocean. Two major powers entered the war, which significantly affected the balance of military-political forces and expanded the scale and scope of the armed struggle. On December 8, the USA, Great Britain and a number of other states declared war on Japan; On December 11, Nazi Germany and Italy declared war on the United States.

The entry of the United States into the war strengthened the anti-Hitler coalition. On January 1, 1942, the Declaration of 26 States was signed in Washington; Later, new states joined the Declaration. On May 26, 1942, an agreement was signed between the USSR and Great Britain on an alliance in the war against Germany and its partners; On June 11, the USSR and the USA entered into an agreement on the principles of mutual assistance in waging war.

Having carried out extensive preparations, the fascist German command in the summer of 1942 launched a new offensive on the Soviet-German front. In mid-July 1942 began Battle of Stalingrad 1942 - 1943 one of the greatest battles of the 2nd World War. During the heroic defense in July - November 1942, Soviet troops pinned down the enemy strike group and inflicted heavy losses and prepared the conditions for launching a counteroffensive.

In northern Africa, British troops managed to stop the further advance of German-Italian troops and stabilize the situation at the front.

In the Pacific Ocean in the first half of 1942, Japan managed to achieve supremacy at sea and occupied Hong Kong, Burma, Malaya, Singapore, the Philippines, the most important islands of Indonesia and other territories. At the cost of great efforts, the Americans managed to defeat the Japanese fleet in the Coral Sea and at Midway Atoll in the summer of 1942, which made it possible to change the balance of forces in favor of the allies, limit Japan's offensive actions and force the Japanese leadership to abandon their intention to enter the war against the USSR.

Third period of the war (November 19, 1942-December 31, 1943). A radical turning point in the course of the war. The collapse of the offensive strategy of the fascist bloc. The 3rd period of the war was characterized by an increase in the scope and intensity of military operations. The decisive events in this period of the war continued to take place on the Soviet-German front. On November 19, 1942, a counteroffensive of Soviet troops began near Stalingrad, which ended with the encirclement and defeat of a 330-thousand group of troops of the pr-ka. The victory of Soviet troops at Stalingrad shocked Nazi Germany and undermined its military and political prestige in the eyes of its allies. This victory became a powerful stimulus for the further development of the liberation struggle of the peoples in the occupied countries, giving it greater organization and purpose. In the summer of 1943, the military-political leadership of Nazi Germany made a last attempt to regain the strategic initiative and defeat the Soviet troops

in the Kursk region. However, this plan was a complete failure. The defeat of fascist German troops in the Battle of Kursk in 1943 forced fascist Germany to finally switch to strategic defense.

The USSR's allies in the anti-Hitler coalition had every opportunity to fulfill their obligations and open a 2nd front in Western Europe. By the summer of 1943, the strength of the armed forces of the United States and Great Britain exceeded 13 million people. However, the strategy of the USA and Great Britain was still determined by their policies, which ultimately counted on the mutual exhaustion of the USSR and Germany.

On July 10, 1943, American and British troops (13 divisions) landed on the island of Sicily, captured the island, and in early September they landed amphibious assault forces on the Apennine Peninsula, without encountering serious resistance from Italian troops. The offensive of the Anglo-American troops in Italy took place in the context of an acute crisis in which the Mussolini regime found itself as a result of the anti-fascist struggle of the broad masses led by the Italian Communist Party. On July 25, Mussolini's government was overthrown. The new government was headed by Marshal Badoglio, who signed an armistice with the United States and Great Britain on September 3. On October 13, the government of P. Badoglio declared war on Germany. The collapse of the fascist bloc began. Anglo-American forces landed in Italy launched an offensive against the Nazi troops, but, despite their numerical superiority, they were unable to break their defenses and suspended active operations in December 1943.

During the 3rd period of the war, significant changes occurred in the balance of forces of the warring parties in the Pacific Ocean and in Asia. Japan, having exhausted the possibilities of further offensive in the Pacific theater of operations, sought to gain a foothold on the strategic lines conquered in 1941-42. However, even under these conditions, the military-political leadership of Japan did not consider it possible to weaken the grouping of its troops on the border with the USSR. By the end of 1942, the United States made up for the losses of its Pacific Fleet, which began to surpass the Japanese fleet, and intensified its operations on the approaches to Australia, in the northern part of the Pacific Ocean and on Japan's sea lanes. The Allied offensive in the Pacific Ocean began in the fall of 1942 and brought the first successes in the battles for the island of Guadalcanal (Solomon Islands), which was abandoned by Japanese troops in February 1943. During 1943, American troops landed on New Guinea, drove the Japanese out of the Aleutian Islands, and a number of significant losses to the Japanese navy and merchant fleet. The peoples of Asia rose more and more decisively in the anti-imperialist liberation struggle.

The fourth period of the war (January 1, 1944 – May 9, 1945). The defeat of the fascist bloc, the expulsion of enemy troops from the USSR, the creation of a second front, liberation from the occupation of European countries, the complete collapse of fascist Germany, and its unconditional surrender. The most important military-political events of this period were determined by the further growth of the military-economic power of the anti-fascist coalition, the increasing force of the blows of the Soviet Armed Forces and the intensification of the actions of the allies in Europe. On a larger scale, the offensive of the armed forces of the United States and Great Britain unfolded in the Pacific Ocean and Asia. However, despite the well-known intensification of allied actions in Europe and Asia, the decisive role in the final destruction of the fascist bloc belonged to the Soviet people and their Armed Forces.

The course of the Great Patriotic War irrefutably proved that the Soviet Union was capable of, on its own, achieving a complete victory over Nazi Germany and liberating the peoples of Europe from the fascist yoke. Under the influence of these factors, significant changes took place in the military-political activities and strategic planning of the United States, Great Britain and other participants in the anti-Hitler coalition.

By the summer of 1944, the international and military situation was such that a further delay in the opening of the 2nd Front would have led to the liberation of all of Europe by the USSR. This prospect worried the ruling circles of the United States and Great Britain and forced them to rush to invade Western Europe across the English Channel. After two years of preparation, the Normandy landing operation of 1944 began on June 6, 1944. By the end of June, the landing troops occupied a bridgehead about 100 km wide and up to 50 km deep, and on July 25 went on the offensive. It took place in a situation when France was especially intensified anti-fascist struggle Resistance forces, numbering up to 500 thousand fighters by June 1944. On August 19, 1944, an uprising began in Paris; By the time the allied troops arrived, the capital was already in the hands of French patriots.

At the beginning of 1945, a favorable environment was created for the final campaign in Europe. On the Soviet-German front it began with a powerful offensive of Soviet troops from the Baltic Sea to the Carpathians.

The last center of resistance to Nazi Germany was Berlin. At the beginning of April, Hitler’s command pulled the main forces to the Berlin direction: up to 1 million people, St. 10 thousand guns and mortars, 1.5 thousand tanks and assault guns, 3.3 thousand combat aircraft, on April 16, the Berlin operation of 1945, grandiose in scope and intensity, began with troops of 3 Soviet fronts, as a result of which the Berlin pr-ka grouping. On April 25, Soviet troops reached the city of Torgau on the Elbe, where they united with units of the 1st American Army. On May 6-11, troops from 3 Soviet fronts carried out the Paris Operation of 1945, defeating the last group of Nazi troops and completing the liberation of Czechoslovakia. Advancing on a broad front, the Soviet Armed Forces completed the liberation of the countries of Central and South-Eastern Europe. Carrying out a liberation mission, Soviet troops received gratitude and active support European peoples, all democratic and anti-fascist forces of the countries occupied by the fascists.

After the fall of Berlin, capitulation in the West became widespread. On the eastern front, Nazi troops continued their fierce resistance where they could. The goal of the Dönitz government, created after Hitler’s suicide (April 30), was to, without stopping the fight against the Soviet Army, conclude an agreement with the United States and Great Britain on partial surrender. Back on May 3, on behalf of Dönitz, Admiral Friedeburg established contact with the British commander Field Marshal Montgomery and obtained consent to surrender the Nazi troops to the British “individually.” On May 4, the act of surrender of German troops in the Netherlands, North-West Germany, Schleswig-Holstein and Denmark was signed. On May 5, fascist troops capitulated in Southern and Western Austria, Bavaria, Tyrol and other areas. On May 7, General A. Jodl, on behalf of the German command, signed the terms of surrender at Eisenhower's headquarters in Reims, which was to take effect on May 9 at 00:01. The Soviet government expressed categorical protest against this unilateral act, so the Allies agreed to consider it a preliminary protocol of surrender. At midnight on May 8, in the Berlin suburb of Karlshorst, occupied by Soviet troops, representatives of the German High Command, led by Field Marshal W. Keitel, signed an act of unconditional surrender of the armed forces of Nazi Germany. Unconditional surrender was accepted on behalf of the Soviet government by Marshal of the Soviet Union G.K. Zhukov together with representatives of the USA, Great Britain and France.

Fifth period of the war (May 9 – September 2, 1945). Defeat of imperialist Japan. Liberation of the peoples of Asia from Japanese occupation. End of World War 2. Of the entire coalition of aggressive states that started the war, only Japan continued to fight in May 1945. From July 17 to August 2, the Potsdam Conference of 1945 heads of government of the USSR (I.V. Stalin), the USA (G. Truman) and Great Britain (W. Churchill, from July 28 - K. Attlee) took place, at which, along with a discussion of European problems, a great deal of attention was paid to the situation in the Far East. In a declaration dated July 26, 1945, the governments of Great Britain, the United States and China offered Japan specific terms of surrender, which the Japanese government rejected. The Soviet Union, which denounced the Soviet-Japanese neutrality pact in April 1945, confirmed at the Potsdam Conference its readiness to enter the war against Japan in the interests of quickly ending World War II and eliminating the source of aggression in Asia. On August 8, 1945, the USSR, true to its allied duty, declared war on Japan, and on August 9. The Soviet Armed Forces began military operations against the Japanese Kwantung Army concentrated in Manchuria. The entry of the Soviet Union into the war and the defeat of the Kwantung Army accelerated the unconditional surrender of Japan. On the eve of the USSR's entry into the war with Japan, on August 6 and 9, the United States used new weapons for the first time, dropping two atomic bombs for years Hiroshima and Nagasaki are beyond any military necessity. About 468 thousand residents were killed, wounded, irradiated, or went missing. This barbaric act was intended, first of all, to demonstrate the power of the United States in order to put pressure on the USSR in solving post-war problems. The signing of the act of surrender of Japan took place on September 2. 1945. World War 2 ended.

4. The defeat of the fascist bloc and the results of the war. The decisive role of the Soviet Union in the defeat of Germany and militaristic Japan

In 1943 the allies achieved a general turning point in the war in the West. Victory in North Africa allowed them to deliver a decisive blow to Italy. The Italian army was in a state of disintegration caused by the defeat of its best divisions in Russia and Africa. When in July an Anglo-American landing force landed on Sicily, Italy's key stronghold in the Mediterranean, from sea and air, only the German units there offered resistance.

The Pacific region remained the last hotbed of the Second World War. Japan, having suffered a number of defeats, was nevertheless still strong. It retained Korea, Thailand, Malaysia, almost all of Indonesia, and a significant part of China under its rule. Its total number ground forces exceeded 4 million people. After Germany's surrender, the Japanese government stated that this did not in any way change the military goals of the empire. England and the USA believed that the war with Japan could last until 1947. That is why they were interested in the USSR entering the war as soon as possible.

On July 26, 1945, the USA, England and China presented Japan with an ultimatum demanding immediate unconditional surrender. He was rejected. On August 6, the Americans dropped atomic bombs on Hiroshima, and on August 9, over Nagasaki. As a result, two cities with their entire population were virtually wiped off the face of the earth. On August 9, 1945, after denouncing the Non-Aggression Pact and declaring war, the Soviet Union moved its divisions into Manchuria, a Japanese-occupied province of China. On August 14, Japan surrendered. The official act of surrender was signed aboard the American battleship Missouri on September 2, 1945. representatives of the USA, England, USSR and Japan. The defeat of Japan confirmed the final defeat of the bloc of aggressive states.

“The Second World War, which lasted six years, became a thing of the past, leaving behind terrible figures: in 1939-1945. the world lost from 55 to 75 million people, i.e. 5-7 times more than in the First World War." The main historical result of the Second World War is that countries and peoples threatened by fascism defended their right to existence and sovereignty. The growth of national self-awareness in third world countries during the war initiated the beginning of the collapse of the world colonial system.

The decisive role in the victory over fascism undoubtedly belongs to the USSR. The victory of the USSR in the Great Patriotic War predetermined the outcome of the Second World War. The victory of the USSR was quite natural. It was based on the height of the moral potential of the people and the army, patriotism, faith in the friendship of peoples and in the superiority of socialism as a more advanced social system.

Of the states participating in the Second World War, the Soviet Union bore the main burden. The Soviet-German front diverted 2/3 of Germany's armed forces. The length of the Soviet-German front ranged from 3 to 6 thousand km, the front in North Africa and Italy - 300-350 km, the Western Front - 800 km. On the Soviet-German front there were from 190 to 270 enemy divisions, in North Africa - from 9 to 206, in Italy - from 7 to 26. Soviet troops destroyed, captured and defeated more than 600 divisions of Nazi Germany and its allies. The USA and England defeated 176 Nazi divisions. The USSR lost at least 14 million killed, England and the USA - several hundred thousand each. More than 1 million Soviet soldiers and officers died in the battles for liberation from the fascist occupation of the states of Eastern Europe. The economic damage to the USSR from the war amounted to more than 2.5 trillion. rubles in pre-war prices.

The victory of the Soviet Union in the war over Nazi Germany was due to a number of reasons. In the extreme conditions of the wartime, the Soviet economy was able to quickly switch to the production of weapons and surpass the industrial power of the fascist bloc. During the war years, the military art of both the top leadership of the army and the middle and junior ones grew officers. The country's ruling Communist Party enjoyed the trust and support of the majority of the country's population. The war for the USSR was defensive and fair. This contributed to the rise of traditional Russian and Soviet patriotism.

More than 11.5 thousand people received the title of Hero of the Soviet Union.

The victory of the USSR was also facilitated by logistical, technical, and military assistance from its allies in the anti-Hitler coalition.

Conclusion

During the war years, the international influence of the USSR increased sharply. Together with the United States, the Soviet Union became one of the world leaders. The internal political system of Soviet society also strengthened. Politically, the USSR emerged from the war as a stronger state than when it entered it. The growth of such influence of the USSR caused extreme concern among the leadership of the Western powers. As a result, two strategic tasks were identified in relation to the USSR: at a minimum, to prevent further expansion of the sphere of influence of the USSR, for which purpose create a military-political union Western countries led by the United States (NATO, 1949), place a network of US military bases near the borders of the USSR, and support anti-socialist forces within the countries of the Soviet bloc.

The measures taken by the USSR were adequate (Warsaw Pact Organization, 1955). The leadership of the Soviet Union regarded the new foreign policy course of the former military allies as a call to war.

The world was entering the Cold War era.

Bibliography

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Great Encyclopedia of Cyril and Methodius 2010.

Conventionally, historians divide the Second World War into five periods:

The first period of the war (September 1, 1939 - June 21, 1941). The beginning of the war and the invasion of German troops into Western Europe.

The Second World War began on September 1, 1939 with the attack of Nazi Germany on Poland. On September 3, Britain and France declared war on Germany; The Anglo-French coalition included the British dominions and colonies (September 3 - Australia, New Zealand, India; September 6 - Union of South Africa; September 10 - Canada, etc.)

The incomplete deployment of the armed forces, the lack of assistance from Great Britain and France, and the weakness of the top military leadership put the Polish army before a disaster: its territory was occupied by German troops. The Polish bourgeois-landowner government secretly fled from Warsaw to Lublin on September 6, and to Romania on September 16.

The governments of Great Britain and France, after the outbreak of the war until May 1940, continued the pre-war foreign policy course in only a slightly modified form, hoping to direct German aggression against the USSR. During this period, called the “Phantom War” of 1939-1940, the Anglo-French troops were virtually inactive, and the armed forces of Nazi Germany, using the strategic pause, were actively preparing for an offensive against the countries of Western Europe.

On April 9, 1940, formations of the Nazi army invaded Denmark without declaring war and occupied its territory. On the same day, the invasion of Norway began.

Even before the completion of the Norwegian operation, the military-political leadership of Nazi Germany began to implement the Gelb plan, which provided for a lightning strike on France through Luxembourg, Belgium and the Netherlands. The fascist German troops delivered the main blow through the Ardennes Mountains, bypassing the Maginot Line from the North through Northern France. The French command, adhering to a defensive strategy, placed large forces on the Maginot Line and did not create a strategic reserve in the depths. Having broken through the defenses in the Sedan area, tank formations of fascist German troops reached the English Channel on May 20. On May 14, the Dutch armed forces capitulated. The Belgian army, the British expeditionary force and part of the French army were cut off in Flanders. On May 28, the Belgian army capitulated. The British and parts of the French troops, blocked in the Dunkirk region, managed to evacuate to Great Britain, having lost all their heavy military equipment. At the beginning of June, fascist German troops broke through the front hastily created by the French on the Somme and Aisne rivers.

On June 10, the French government left Paris. Having not exhausted the possibilities of resistance, the French army laid down its arms. On June 14, German troops occupied the French capital without a fight. On June 22, 1940, hostilities ended with the signing of the act of surrender of France - the so-called. Compiègne Armistice of 1940. According to its terms, the territory of the country was divided into two parts: a Nazi occupation regime was established in the northern and central regions, the southern part of the country remained under the control of the anti-national government of Pétain, which expressed the interests of the most reactionary part of the French bourgeoisie, oriented towards fascist Germany (t .n. produced by Vichy).

After the defeat of France, the threat looming over Great Britain contributed to the isolation of the Munich capitulators and the rallying of the forces of the English people. The government of W. Churchill, which replaced the government of N. Chamberlain on May 10, 1940, began organizing a more effective defense. The US government gradually began to reconsider its foreign policy course. It increasingly supported Great Britain, becoming its “non-belligerent ally.”

Preparing a war against the USSR, Nazi Germany carried out aggression in the Balkans in the spring of 1941. On March 1, Nazi troops entered Bulgaria. On April 6, 1941, Italo-German and then Hungarian troops launched an invasion of Yugoslavia and Greece, occupied Yugoslavia by April 18, and the Greek mainland by April 29.

By the end of the First Period of the War, almost all countries of Western and Central Europe found themselves occupied by Nazi Germany and Italy or became dependent on them. Their economy and resources were used to prepare for war against the USSR.

The attack of Nazi Germany on the USSR, the expansion of the scale of the war, the collapse of Hitler's Blitzkrieg doctrine.

On June 22, 1941, Nazi Germany treacherously attacked the Soviet Union. The Great Patriotic War of the Soviet Union 1941 - 1945 began, which became the most important part of the 2nd World War.

The entry of the USSR into the war determined its qualitatively new stage, led to the consolidation of all the progressive forces of the world in the fight against fascism, and influenced the policies of the leading world powers.

The governments of the leading powers of the Western world, without changing their previous attitude towards the social system of the socialist state, saw in an alliance with the USSR the most important condition for their security and the weakening of the military power of the fascist bloc. On June 22, 1941, Churchill and Roosevelt, on behalf of the British and US governments, issued a statement of support for the Soviet Union in the fight against fascist aggression. On July 12, 1941, an agreement was concluded between the USSR and Great Britain on joint actions in the war against Germany. On August 2, an agreement was reached with the United States on military-economic cooperation and providing material support to the USSR. On August 14, Roosevelt and Churchill promulgated the Atlantic Charter, to which the USSR joined on September 24, expressing a special opinion on a number of issues directly related to the military actions of the Anglo-American troops. At the Moscow meeting (September 29 - October 1, 1941), the USSR, Great Britain and the USA considered the issue of mutual military supplies and signed the first protocol. To prevent the danger of creating fascist bases in the Middle East, British and Soviet troops entered Iran in August - September 1941. These joint military-political actions marked the beginning of the creation of the Anti-Hitler coalition, which played an important role in the war.

During the strategic defense in the summer and autumn of 1941, Soviet troops offered staunch resistance to the enemy, exhausted and bled the forces of the Nazi Wehrmacht. The fascist German troops were unable to capture Leningrad, as envisaged by the invasion plan, and were shackled for a long time by the heroic defense of Odessa and Sevastopol, and stopped near Moscow. As a result of the counter-offensive of Soviet troops near Moscow and the general offensive in the winter of 1941/42, the fascist plan for a “lightning war” finally collapsed. This victory had world-historical significance: it dispelled the myth of the invincibility of the fascist Wehrmacht, confronted fascist Germany with the need to wage a protracted war, inspired the European peoples to fight for liberation against fascist tyranny, and gave a powerful impetus to the Resistance movement in the occupied countries.

On December 7, 1941, Japan launched a war against the United States with a surprise attack on the American military base at Pearl Harbor in the Pacific Ocean. Two major powers entered the war, which significantly affected the balance of military-political forces and expanded the scale and scope of the armed struggle. On December 8, the USA, Great Britain and a number of other states declared war on Japan; On December 11, Nazi Germany and Italy declared war on the United States.

The entry of the United States into the war strengthened the anti-Hitler coalition. On January 1, 1942, the Declaration of 26 States was signed in Washington; Later, new states joined the Declaration. On May 26, 1942, an agreement was signed between the USSR and Great Britain on an alliance in the war against Germany and its partners; On June 11, the USSR and the USA entered into an agreement on the principles of mutual assistance in waging war.

Having carried out extensive preparations, the fascist German command in the summer of 1942 launched a new offensive on the Soviet-German front. In mid-July 1942, the Battle of Stalingrad began (1942 - 1943), one of the greatest battles of the 2nd World War. During the heroic defense in July - November 1942, Soviet troops pinned down the enemy strike group, inflicted heavy losses on it and prepared the conditions for launching a counteroffensive.

In northern Africa, British troops managed to stop the further advance of German-Italian troops and stabilize the situation at the front.

In the Pacific Ocean in the first half of 1942, Japan managed to achieve supremacy at sea and occupied Hong Kong, Burma, Malaya, Singapore, the Philippines, the most important islands of Indonesia and other territories. At the cost of great efforts, the Americans managed to defeat the Japanese fleet in the Coral Sea and at Midway Atoll in the summer of 1942, which made it possible to change the balance of forces in favor of the allies, limit Japan's offensive actions and force the Japanese leadership to abandon their intention to enter the war against the USSR.

The third period of the war (November 19, 1942-December 31, 1943). A radical turning point in the course of the war. The collapse of the offensive strategy of the fascist bloc. The 3rd period of the war was characterized by an increase in the scope and intensity of military operations. The decisive events in this period of the war continued to take place on the Soviet-German front. On November 19, 1942, a counteroffensive of Soviet troops began near Stalingrad, which ended with the encirclement and defeat of a 330-thousand group of troops of the pr-ka. The victory of Soviet troops at Stalingrad shocked Nazi Germany and undermined its military and political prestige in the eyes of its allies. This victory became a powerful stimulus for the further development of the liberation struggle of the peoples in the occupied countries, giving it greater organization and purpose. In the summer of 1943, the military-political leadership of Nazi Germany made a last attempt to regain the strategic initiative and defeat the Soviet troops

in the Kursk region. However, this plan was a complete failure. The defeat of fascist German troops in the Battle of Kursk in 1943 forced fascist Germany to finally switch to strategic defense.

The USSR's allies in the anti-Hitler coalition had every opportunity to fulfill their obligations and open a 2nd front in Western Europe. By the summer of 1943, the strength of the armed forces of the United States and Great Britain exceeded 13 million people. However, the strategy of the USA and Great Britain was still determined by their policies, which ultimately counted on the mutual exhaustion of the USSR and Germany.

On July 10, 1943, American and British troops (13 divisions) landed on the island of Sicily, captured the island, and in early September they landed amphibious assault forces on the Apennine Peninsula, without encountering serious resistance from Italian troops. The offensive of the Anglo-American troops in Italy took place in the context of an acute crisis in which the Mussolini regime found itself as a result of the anti-fascist struggle of the broad masses led by the Italian Communist Party. On July 25, Mussolini's government was overthrown. The new government was headed by Marshal Badoglio, who signed an armistice with the United States and Great Britain on September 3. On October 13, the government of P. Badoglio declared war on Germany. The collapse of the fascist bloc began. Anglo-American forces landed in Italy launched an offensive against the Nazi troops, but, despite their numerical superiority, they were unable to break their defenses and suspended active operations in December 1943.

During the 3rd period of the war, significant changes occurred in the balance of forces of the warring parties in the Pacific Ocean and in Asia. Japan, having exhausted the possibilities of further offensive in the Pacific theater of operations, sought to gain a foothold on the strategic lines conquered in 1941-42. However, even under these conditions, the military-political leadership of Japan did not consider it possible to weaken the grouping of its troops on the border with the USSR. By the end of 1942, the United States made up for the losses of its Pacific Fleet, which began to surpass the Japanese fleet, and intensified its operations on the approaches to Australia, in the northern part of the Pacific Ocean and on Japan's sea lanes. The Allied offensive in the Pacific Ocean began in the fall of 1942 and brought the first successes in the battles for the island of Guadalcanal (Solomon Islands), which was abandoned by Japanese troops in February 1943. During 1943, American troops landed on New Guinea, drove the Japanese out of the Aleutian Islands, and a number of significant losses to the Japanese navy and merchant fleet. The peoples of Asia rose more and more decisively in the anti-imperialist liberation struggle.

The fourth period of the war (January 1, 1944 - May 9, 1945). The defeat of the fascist bloc, the expulsion of enemy troops from the USSR, the creation of a second front, liberation from the occupation of European countries, the complete collapse of fascist Germany, and its unconditional surrender. The most important military-political events of this period were determined by the further growth of the military-economic power of the anti-fascist coalition, the increasing force of the blows of the Soviet Armed Forces and the intensification of the actions of the allies in Europe. On a larger scale, the offensive of the armed forces of the United States and Great Britain unfolded in the Pacific Ocean and Asia. However, despite the well-known intensification of allied actions in Europe and Asia, the decisive role in the final destruction of the fascist bloc belonged to the Soviet people and their Armed Forces.

The course of the Great Patriotic War irrefutably proved that the Soviet Union was capable of, on its own, achieving a complete victory over Nazi Germany and liberating the peoples of Europe from the fascist yoke. Under the influence of these factors, significant changes took place in the military-political activities and strategic planning of the United States, Great Britain and other participants in the anti-Hitler coalition.

By the summer of 1944, the international and military situation was such that a further delay in the opening of the 2nd Front would have led to the liberation of all of Europe by the USSR. This prospect worried the ruling circles of the United States and Great Britain and forced them to rush to invade Western Europe across the English Channel. After two years of preparation, the Normandy landing operation of 1944 began on June 6, 1944. By the end of June, the landing troops occupied a bridgehead about 100 km wide and up to 50 km deep, and on July 25 went on the offensive. It took place in a situation when the anti-fascist struggle of the Resistance forces, which numbered up to 500 thousand fighters by June 1944, was especially intensified in France. On August 19, 1944, an uprising began in Paris; By the time the allied troops arrived, the capital was already in the hands of French patriots.

At the beginning of 1945, a favorable environment was created for the final campaign in Europe. On the Soviet-German front it began with a powerful offensive of Soviet troops from the Baltic Sea to the Carpathians.

The last center of resistance to Nazi Germany was Berlin. At the beginning of April, Hitler’s command pulled the main forces to the Berlin direction: up to 1 million people, St. 10 thousand guns and mortars, 1.5 thousand tanks and assault guns, 3.3 thousand combat aircraft, on April 16, the Berlin operation of 1945, grandiose in scope and intensity, began with troops of 3 Soviet fronts, as a result of which the Berlin pr-ka grouping. On April 25, Soviet troops reached the city of Torgau on the Elbe, where they united with units of the 1st American Army. On May 6-11, troops of 3 Soviet fronts carried out the Paris Operation of 1945, defeating the last group of Nazi troops and completing the liberation of Czechoslovakia. Advancing on a broad front, the Soviet Armed Forces completed the liberation of the countries of Central and South-Eastern Europe. Carrying out the liberation mission, Soviet troops met with the gratitude and active support of the European peoples, all democratic and anti-fascist forces of the countries occupied by the fascists.

After the fall of Berlin, capitulation in the West became widespread. On the eastern front, Nazi troops continued their fierce resistance where they could. The goal of the Dönitz government, created after Hitler’s suicide (April 30), was to, without stopping the fight against the Soviet Army, conclude an agreement with the United States and Great Britain on partial surrender. Back on May 3, on behalf of Dönitz, Admiral Friedeburg established contact with the British commander Field Marshal Montgomery and obtained consent to surrender the Nazi troops to the British “individually.” On May 4, the act of surrender of German troops in the Netherlands, North-West Germany, Schleswig-Holstein and Denmark was signed. On May 5, fascist troops capitulated in Southern and Western Austria, Bavaria, Tyrol and other areas. On May 7, General A. Jodl, on behalf of the German command, signed the terms of surrender at Eisenhower's headquarters in Reims, which was to take effect on May 9 at 00:01. The Soviet government expressed categorical protest against this unilateral act, so the Allies agreed to consider it a preliminary protocol of surrender. At midnight on May 8, in the Berlin suburb of Karlshorst, occupied by Soviet troops, representatives of the German High Command, led by Field Marshal W. Keitel, signed an act of unconditional surrender of the armed forces of Nazi Germany. Unconditional surrender was accepted on behalf of the Soviet government by Marshal of the Soviet Union G.K. Zhukov together with representatives of the USA, Great Britain and France.

Fifth period of the war (May 9 - September 2, 1945). Defeat of imperialist Japan. Liberation of the peoples of Asia from Japanese occupation. End of World War 2. Of the entire coalition of aggressive states that started the war, only Japan continued to fight in May 1945. From July 17 to August 2, the Potsdam Conference of 1945 heads of government of the USSR (I.V. Stalin), USA (G. Truman) and Great Britain (W. Churchill, from July 28 - K. Attlee) took place, at which, along with the discussion of European problems Much attention was paid to the situation in the Far East. In a declaration dated July 26, 1945, the governments of Great Britain, the United States and China offered Japan specific terms of surrender, which the Japanese government rejected. The Soviet Union, which denounced the Soviet-Japanese neutrality pact in April 1945, confirmed at the Potsdam Conference its readiness to enter the war against Japan in the interests of quickly ending World War II and eliminating the source of aggression in Asia. On August 8, 1945, the USSR, true to its allied duty, declared war on Japan, and on August 9. The Soviet Armed Forces began military operations against the Japanese Kwantung Army concentrated in Manchuria. The entry of the Soviet Union into the war and the defeat of the Kwantung Army accelerated the unconditional surrender of Japan. On the eve of the USSR's entry into the war with Japan, on August 6 and 9, the United States used new weapons for the first time, dropping two atomic bombs. Hiroshima and Nagasaki are beyond any military necessity. About 468 thousand residents were killed, wounded, irradiated, or went missing. This barbaric act was intended, first of all, to demonstrate the power of the United States in order to put pressure on the USSR in solving post-war problems. The signing of the act of surrender of Japan took place on September 2. 1945. World War 2 ended.

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, apart from psychological reasons, there were also important historical prerequisites. The Second World War, in short, involved fighting the entire globe.

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. She was worthy competitor USA and leading European countries. They began to fear the emergence of communist movements.

Beginning 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 Operation Himmler began. 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. Weak side The Polish army had 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. Defenders of Warsaw and Brest Fortress went down in history thanks to their heroism. 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 at the mercy of Hitler. 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 complete collapse 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.

The most brutal and destructive conflict in human history was the Second World War. Only during this war were nuclear weapons used. 61 states took part in the Second World War. It began on September 1, 1939 and ended on September 2, 1945.

The causes of World War II are quite varied. But, first of all, these are territorial disputes caused by the results of the First World War and a serious imbalance of power in the world. The Versailles Treaty of England, France and the USA, concluded on extremely unfavorable terms for the losing side (Turkey and Germany), led to a constant increase in tension in the world. But the so-called policy of appeasing the aggressor, adopted by England and France in the 1030s, led to the strengthening of Germany's military power and led to the start of active military operations.

The anti-Hitler coalition included: the USSR, England, France, the USA, China (leadership of Chiang Kai-shek), Yugoslavia, Greece, Mexico and so on. On the side of Nazi Germany, the following countries took part in the Second World War: Japan, Italy, Bulgaria, Hungary, Yugoslavia, Albania, Finland, China (leadership of Wang Jingwei), Iran, Finland and other states. Many powers, without taking part in active hostilities, helped with the supply of necessary medicines, food and other resources.

Here are the main stages of the Second World War, which researchers highlight today.

• This bloody conflict began on September 1, 1939. Germany and its allies carried out a European blitzkrieg.
• The second stage of the war began on June 22, 1941 and lasted until mid-November of the following 1942. Germany attacks the USSR, but Barbarossa's plan fails.
• The next period in the chronology of the Second World War was the period from the second half of November 1942 to the end of 1943. At this time, Germany is gradually losing strategic initiative. At the Tehran Conference, which was attended by Stalin, Roosevelt and Churchill (late 1943), a decision was made to open a second front.
• The fourth stage, which began at the end of 1943, ended with the capture of Berlin and the unconditional surrender of Nazi Germany on May 9, 1945.
• The final stage of the war lasted from May 10, 1945 to September 2 of the same year. It was during this period that the United States used nuclear weapons. Military operations took place in the Far East and Southeast Asia.

The beginning of the Second World War of 1939 - 1945 occurred on September 1. The Wehrmacht launched an unexpected large-scale aggression directed against Poland. France, England and some other states declared war on Germany. But, nevertheless, no real help was provided. By September 28, Poland was completely under German rule. On the same day, a peace treaty was concluded between Germany and the USSR. Nazi Germany thus provided itself with a fairly reliable rear. This made it possible to begin preparations for war with France. By June 22, 1940, France was captured. Now nothing prevented Germany from beginning serious preparations for military action directed against the USSR. Even then, the plan for a lightning war against the USSR, “Barbarossa,” was approved.

It should be noted that on the eve of World War II, the USSR received intelligence information about preparations for the invasion. But Stalin, believing that Hitler would not dare to attack so early, never gave the order to put the border units on combat readiness.

The actions that took place between June 22, 1941 and May 9, 1945 are of particular importance. This period is known in Russia as the Great Patriotic War. Many of the most important battles and events of World War II took place on the territory of modern Russia, Ukraine, and Belarus.

By 1941, the USSR was a state with a rapidly developing industry, primarily heavy and defense. Much attention was also paid to science. Discipline on collective farms and in production was as strict as possible. A whole network of military schools and academies was created in order to fill the ranks of officers, more than 80% of whom had been repressed by that time. But these personnel could not receive full training in a short time.

The main battles of the Second World War are of great importance for world and Russian history.

• September 30, 1941 - April 20, 1942 - the first victory of the Red Army - the Battle of Moscow.
• July 17, 1942 - February 2, 1943 - a radical turning point in the Great Patriotic War, the Battle of Stalingrad.
• July 5 – August 23, 1943 – Battle of Kursk. During this period, the largest tank battle of World War II took place - near Prokhorovka.
• April 25 – May 2, 1945 – the Battle of Berlin and the subsequent surrender of Nazi Germany in World War II.

Events that had a serious impact on the course of the war occurred not only on the fronts of the USSR. Thus, the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor on December 7, 1941 led to the US entry into the war. It is worth noting the landing in Normandy on June 6, 1944, after the opening of the second front, and the US use of nuclear weapons to strike Hiroshima and Nagasaki.

September 2, 1945 marked the end of World War II. After the Kwantung Army of Japan was defeated by the USSR, an act of surrender was signed. The battles and battles of World War II claimed at least 65 million lives. The USSR suffered the greatest losses in World War II, taking the brunt of Hitler's army. At least 27 million citizens died. But only the resistance of the Red Army made it possible to stop the powerful military machine of the Reich.

These terrible results of the Second World War could not help but horrify the world. For the first time, war threatened the existence of human civilization. Many war criminals were punished during the Tokyo and Nuremberg trials. The ideology of fascism was condemned. In 1945, at a conference in Yalta, a decision was made to create the UN (United Nations). The bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki, the consequences of which are still felt today, ultimately led to the signing of several pacts on the non-proliferation of nuclear weapons.

The economic consequences of the Second World War are also obvious. In many countries of Western Europe, this war provoked a decline in the economic sphere. Their influence has declined while the authority and influence of the United States has grown. The significance of the Second World War for the USSR is enormous. As a result, the Soviet Union significantly expanded its borders and strengthened the totalitarian system. Friendly communist regimes were established in many European countries.

World War 2 began with the attack on Poland on September 1, 1939. The formal reason was a provocation on the border of the two countries. On September 3, England and France declared war on Germany, and later Australia, New Zealand, India, and Canada entered the war.

After Germany began hostilities, the USSR occupied the eastern regions of Poland in accordance with secret part Molotov-Ribbentrop Pact.

In April 1940, Germany occupied Denmark and Norway and

In May, the offensive against France continued, Luxembourg, Belgium, and Holland capitulated. After the capture of the Maginot Line in June, a collaborationist state was created in France, in the occupied territory, under the leadership of Pétain (Vichy regime).

In August 1940, the Germans began air raids on English cities. Italy was advancing on the colonial possessions of England and France in Africa; the retaliatory actions of the British forced the Italian troops to capitulate.

The second stage of the 2nd World War.

During 1941, the Red Army retreated to Moscow, where the first significant victory over the Nazis was won in December. After the outbreak of the Second World War, England declared support for the USSR, and the USA expressed a desire to provide economic assistance. The Atlantic Charter was signed with the participation of the USSR. In December, after Japan attacked Pearl Harbor, the United States also entered the war. Japan occupied countries in the Pacific region. On January 1, 1942, in Washington, 27 states created an anti-Hitler coalition by signing the United Nations Declaration.

The third stage of the 2nd World War.

From the end of 1942 to the end of 1943 Eastern Front The USSR won major victories at Stalingrad and Kursk.

The troops of England and the United States advanced in Africa, liberating Egypt, Cyrenaica, and Tunisia from the Nazis; Italy capitulated in Europe. There was a turning point in the course of the war - the initiative passed to the allies of the anti-Hitler coalition. The structure of the world during the war was decided at international conferences of the heads of the anti-fascist bloc in Moscow and Tehran, and the responsibility of the fascists for the crimes committed was announced.

The fourth stage of the 2nd world war

At the end of 1943, the Soviet Army reached the western borders of the USSR and began the liberation of Eastern Europe - Poland, Romania, Bulgaria, Czechoslovakia. June 6, 1944) the Second Front was opened, Allied troops began the liberation of Western European countries.

In February 1945, at the Yalta Conference, the leaders of England, the USSR and the USA decided the fate of Germany, Poland, Yugoslavia, discussed the creation of the United Nations, and concluded an agreement on the USSR's entry into the war against Japan. Soviet troops took Berlin by storm.