Stalin as Wartime Leader 1941–1945

The Great Patriotic War was the supreme test of Stalin's leadership and of the Soviet system he had created. His performance as wartime leader was deeply contradictory: catastrophic misjudgements in 1941 brought the Soviet Union to the brink of annihilation, yet his ruthless determination, strategic learning, and mobilisation of the country's resources ultimately contributed to one of history's most decisive victories. Evaluating Stalin's wartime role requires balancing the disasters he caused with the victories he achieved.

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The Molotov-Ribbentrop Pact (August 1939)

The Nazi-Soviet Non-Aggression Pact was Stalin's most controversial pre-war decision.

Terms

Provision	Detail
Non-aggression	Ten-year mutual non-aggression agreement
Secret protocols	Division of Eastern Europe into spheres of influence; partition of Poland; Soviet annexation of the Baltic states, Bessarabia, and eastern Finland
Trade	Soviet raw materials (oil, grain, metals) for German manufactured goods

Stalin's Reasoning