In the era of World War Two, there were many influential military figures throughout the globe. Some reaped the benefits of success, and some experienced the bitter taste of defeat. The Soviet Union was one of the victorious countries of this war. Even though many Soviet military officials contributed to this, General Georgy Zhukov was most instrumental to Russian success in World War Two because he designed and implemented many battle strategies that took their opposition by storm.
Georgy Konstantinovich Zhukov was born on December 1, 1896 to a peasant family. He worked in the fields until he was apprenticed to a furrier at the age of twelve. After completing his apprenticeship in 1912, he entered the fur business, but that was short lived, because Zhukov was conscripted into the army for World War I in 1915. He executed his duties in the cavalry commendably, and was awarded the Cross of St. George twice. He served with the 106th Reserve Cavalry and the 10th Dragoon Novgorod Regiment, but his service in World War I ended after he was badly wounded. Soon after, Zhukov joined the Bolshevik Party and enlisted in the Red Army. He remained in the cavalry, serving in the famous 1st Cavalry Army. He was awarded the Order of the Red Banner for his help in crushing the Tambov Rebellion in 1921. Over time, he steadily grew higher in rank, and was first given command of a cavalry division in 1933. Trouble arose from 1937 to 1939 during Stalin’s purge of the Red Army, but Zhukov avoided it and was chosen to command the First Soviet Mongolian Army Group. His goal was to stop Japanese aggression on the Mongolian-Manchurian border, and through the summer of 1939, the two sides scuffled back and forth, with no real ground gained either way...
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... for taking out the Germans. Zhukov was not only a military leader and Soviet patriot, but a symbol of hope to the entire nation of Russia. He is still remembered as a hero today.
Works Cited
"Georgy Konstantinovich Zhukov (Soviet Marshal) -- Britannica Online Encyclopedia." Encyclopedia - Britannica Online Encyclopedia. Encyclopedia Britannica. Web. 19 Dec. 2011. .
"Georgy Zhukov - World War II Georgy Zhukov Biography." Military History - Warfare through the Ages - Battles and Conflicts - Weapons of War - Military Leaders in History. About.com. Web. 19 Dec. 2011. .
Schroeder, Jay. "Georgy Konstantinovich Zhukov." EHistory at OSU | Welcome to EHistory. Web. 19 Dec. 2011. .
In the summer of 1939, Igor Gouzenko was invited to go as an instructor to a Pioneer Camp near Moscow. Shortly after returning to the Architectural Institute, Igor was admitted into The Kuibishev Military Engineering Academy of Moscow. Before even finishing a month at The Academy, Igor was appointed for training as a cipher clerk in the Intelligence Administration. Thus, Igor Gouzenko’s appointment as a cipher clerk would lead to his defection to Canada, the Gouzenko Affair, and the beginnings of the Cold War.
" First World War.com - Primary Documents - Tsar Nicholas II Takes Command of Russian Armies, 5 September 1915. online at Firstworldwar.com. Available at: http://www.firstworldwar.com/source/russia_tsarincommand.htm>. Engel, B., 1997.
boosted the USSR’s economy. Therefore Stalin had created a country which seemed corrupt at the time, but later on it improved by the hard work Stalin had forced upon them.
Overy, Richard. The Dictators: Hitler's Germany and Stalin's Russia. New York: W.W. Norton & Co, 2004. Print.
In September of 1942, the German commander of the Sixth Army, advanced his troops to the city of Stalingrad where Hitler ordered the Wehrmacht to secure the oil fields and take Stalingrad. Stalingrad was a target location due to its manufacturing and center of communications for parts of Russia. Hitler had extra motivation to take Stalingrad because the significance of the name, it was named after the Soviet Russian leader Stalin. Russia had been war torn and devastated from previous attacks and battles from the Germans, they knew they had to persevere and hang on along enough to defeat the German Army. The Soviets did have somewhat of a warning of the German attack, they shipped out cattle, grain, and other main supplies, but most of the civilians stayed. Hitler was very confident he could take this city down without losing major causalities. While Hitler was planning the attack the Soviet Marshall Zhukov was planning a major counterattack. Marshall Zhukov had 6 armies of 1 million men ready to attack the Germans. Both the Germans and Soviets had flaws in their attacks but, t...
World War II was filled with turning points, including Midway, El Alamein, and Moscow. Stalingrad, however, was not simply a turning point. It was the decisive battle of the most violent and destructive war ever fought. It is a fitting testament to the importance of Stalingrad that General Chuikov, the tough-as-nails commander of the 62nd Army that defended the city, would later lead his men in the final battle of the European war, the assault on Berlin.
April 22nd 1870 a legend was born. His legal name was Vladimir Ilich Ulyanov, but most people simply know him as Vladimir Lenin. He excelled at in his education, also was a really persuasive person. Lenin used fear tactics to control, & maintain power amongst his Russian supporters.
The battle of Stalingrad may have very well been the most important battle over the course of World War II. Not necessarily remembered for its course of fighting, the battle is more known for its outcome. Not only did the battle turn out to be a major turning point in the war, it may have saved most of Eastern Europe from incomparable destruction. The battle included two of the biggest political and military icons of their time, Stalin and Hitler.
Even though today Stalin is seen as many people as one the most evil people in all of history, he did change Russia for the better. Overpowering Lenin and Trotsky to become the USSR's leader took their ideas and used them to make one the most powerful countries to date. Although his methods may have been unnecessary, they are what have shaped the world into what it is today.
Joseph Stalin’s official reign of terror ended with his death in 1953, but the effects of his autocratic rule continued for many years to follow. His lasting hold on the people of the former Soviet Union still lingers in a few brainwashed minds. In the article "Stalin’s Afterlife" and the movie "Russia’s War - Blood Upon the Snow", Stalin is portrayed as the monster really was and should be remembered as.
Trotsky’s career as Commissar of War illustrated his capabilities to lead, command and organize a body of individuals, it is undeniable he had the makings to be an exemplar leader. His militarization of grain requisitioning, use of blocking units in battle tactics, establishment of field tribunals to counter the massive desertion problem that had powers to enact the death sentence, his dismissal of the Kronstadt sailor manifesto as “petty bourgeois demands”(Trotsky) and their later massacre by sixty thousand of his own troops as well as his defense of Petrograd in 1918 all illustrate his ability to be a ruthless and successful leader in Russian, and someone fit to succeed Lenin. However, Trotsky lost the power struggle because Stalin was the only member who had influence in all three sectors of governance; Poliburo, Orgburo and Secretariat as General Secretary, a decision put forward by Lenin...
By successfully defending the city of Stalingrad the Soviet Union were able to deny Hitler his summer 1942 objective of paralysing the Soviet war effort by interrupting Russian oil supplies and seizing the Caucasus oil fields. This achievement was made possible through the stubborn and ferocious resistance of the Red Army within the confines of Stalingrad and the meticulously planned counteroffensive which led to the encirclement of the entire 6th army outside the city. In addition, compared with their German counterparts, the Red Army were highly organized, they had superior lines of communication and were better equipped.
Regardless of Allied bombing, the superiority of the Russian army was sufficient to win the war. Overy highlights the fact that “Soviet forces destroyed or disabled an estimated 607 Axis divisions between 1941 and 1945” demonstrating the Russian’s effectiveness in battle even before Allied dominance of the skies. Secondly, the Allied bombing campaign adversely affected the Germans too late in the war to be credited with successes on the Eastern Front. By the time strategic bombing of Germany had a big enough impact to divert resources away from the Eastern Front, Russia was already on the front foot and were positioned to win the war. This is demonstrated by the fact that at the time of Russian victory in Stalingrad (February 1943) British bombing was not yet sufficiently damaging to divert essential German resources away from the Eastern Front. In summary, it must be argued, that despite the inefficiencies of the bombing campaign, it was of enormous significance to the Russian army. Although the strategic bombing campaign alone cannot be credited with Allied victory, it did prove to be the greatest single advantage enjoyed by the Allies as it was instrumental in securing Allied success at D-Day and on the Eastern Front and therefore its significance cannot be
One of the most powerful and murderous dictators in history, Joseph Stalin was the supreme ruler of the Soviet Union for a quarter of a century (www.bbc.co.uk). Joseph Stalin had a major impact on the Soviet Union and the rest of the world. He changed the world by making the Soviet Union a powerful, modern nation, and also the largest state on Earth through his policies and ideas. He also led the killing of millions of people including commoners who spoke out against him (McKenna 94). He also had the Great Purge, which sent anyone who was not “loyal” to him to camps and executed them. In total he killed about seven times as many people as Hitler did which would probably be about twenty to sixty million people. Stalin also changed the world by helping to start the Cold War, and also some of the countries that aligned with the Soviets in the Cold War are still in poverty because their benefactor crumbled. Stalin was the face of the second world for a chunk of the twentieth century and the Cold war. Stalin also created the Five Year Plan, which was a series of nation-wide economic plans in the Soviet Union. The plans were developed by a state planning committee and were general guidelines of the communists used for economic development. During the Cold War Stalin challenged the Allies multiple times trying to win the war and created major damage to a lot of countries including Germany. Competition between the Soviet Union and the United States escalated during the Cold War to a point where nuclear war was not going to be a surprise. Joseph Stalin ended up losing the Cold War, but still created a lasting impression due to his theory of ruling by fear. Stalin also ended the New Economic Plan that Lenin created and then he also forced p...