External threats (DP IB History: HL): Revision Note

Summary

• Stalin faced external threats from:

  • Hostile foreign powers

  • The rise of fascism

  • The outbreak of the Second World War

• Growing international tensions increased fears of invasion and influenced Stalin's economic and military policies

• Nazi Germany became the greatest external threat following Operation Barbarossa (1941)

• The Second World War placed enormous pressure on Stalin's leadership but ultimately strengthened his authority after Soviet victory

• Although external threats challenged Stalin's rule, they also enabled him to justify greater state control and strengthen his position

Capitalist hostility

• Following the October Revolution (1917), many capitalist countries viewed the Soviet Union as a threat because it promoted communist revolution

  • Britain, France, the United States and Japan intervened during the Russian Civil War (1918–21) by supporting the anti-Bolshevik White Armies

• Stalin remained suspicious of Western powers, believing they hoped to destroy the Soviet state

  • This fear encouraged continued investment in heavy industry and military production

  • Capitalist hostility reinforced Stalin's belief that the USSR needed to become economically and militarily self-sufficient

• Fear of foreign intervention strengthened government propaganda, which portrayed the Soviet Union as surrounded by hostile enemies

The rise of fascism

• During the 1930s, the emergence of fascist regimes in Germany and Italy increased the threat to Soviet security

  • Adolf Hitler strongly opposed communism and openly called for the destruction of the Soviet Union

    • The growth of Nazi Germany increased Soviet concerns about future war in Europe

• The Munich agreement in 1938 between Britain, France and Germany demonstrated Western appeasement of Hitler and increased Stalin's fears of soviet isolation

• Stalin accelerated industrial development and military production to prepare for possible conflict

  • Defence became a major priority during the Third Five-Year Plan (1938–41)

• The rise of fascism increased pressure on Stalin's government and encouraged greater central control over the Soviet economy and military

The Nazi-Soviet Pact

• In August 1939, the Soviet Union and Nazi Germany signed the Nazi-Soviet Pact (Molotov–Ribbentrop Pact)

• The agreement promised that neither country would attack the other and it secretly divided Eastern Europe into spheres of influence

  • Stalin hoped the pact would delay war and provide time to strengthen Soviet industry and armed forces

• However, many communists were shocked by cooperation with a fascist regime

  • The pact temporarily reduced the immediate external threat

  • It failed to remove the German threat permanently

The cartoon (below) mocks the Nazi-Soviet Pact (August 1939) by portraying Hitler and Stalin as newlyweds on a "honeymoon." The caption, "Wonder how long the honeymoon will last?", suggests that the artist believed their cooperation was temporary and based on convenience rather than genuine friendship. It shows that Nazi Germany was a genuine threat to Stalin. He signed the pact as he feared German aggression and needed time to prepare the USSR for a future conflict.

[INSERT IMAGE OF NAZI SOVIET PACT HERE]

Operation Barbarossa

• On 22 June 1941, Nazi Germany launched Operation Barbarossa, invading the Soviet Union with over 3 million soldiers

  • The invasion represented the greatest external challenge to Stalin's rule

  • Germany rapidly captured large areas of Soviet territory and millions of Soviet soldiers were taken prisoner

• Early Soviet defeats exposed weaknesses within the Red Army

  • These had been partly caused by the 1937 military purges

• Stalin remained in Moscow and directed the Soviet war effort despite the scale of the crisis, which earned him criticism

• Although Operation Barbarossa threatened the survival of both the Soviet Union and Stalin's regime, Stalin was ultimately victorious at Stalingrad in 1943

  • This success transformed Stalin into a symbol of Soviet resistance and strengthened his authority

The Second World War

• The war caused enormous destruction, with an estimated 27 million Soviet deaths

  • Millions of civilians were displaced and large areas of industry and agriculture were devastated

  • The Soviet economy had to be reorganised to prioritise military production

• However, USSR victory in 1945 established the Soviet Union as a global superpower and strengthened Stalin's legitimacy as leader

Early Cold War tensions

• After 1945, relations between the Soviet Union and the Western Allies deteriorated rapidly

  • Disagreements over Eastern Europe and the spread of communism increased tensions with the United States and Britain

• Stalin responded by tightening political control over Eastern Europe and strengthening Soviet security

• The beginning of the Cold War reinforced official claims that the Soviet Union remained under constant external threat

  • Stalin used this to justify military spending, political repression and state surveillance

[INSERT IMAGE OF EXTERNAL THREATS TIMELINE HERE]

Historiography

Orthodox interpretation

Robert Conquest argues that Stalin's purges weakened the Soviet Union before the German invasion, making the external threat more dangerous.

Revisionist interpretation

Geoffrey Roberts argues that Stalin's leadership during the Second World War was crucial in securing Soviet victory and preserving the regime.

Post-revisionist interpretation

Stephen Kotkin argues that external threats shaped many of Stalin's domestic policies, particularly industrialisation and military expansion, while ultimately reinforcing his authority after 1945.