History of World War II 1939–1945 - From the main editorial committee
From the main editorial committee
The Second World War
raged for six long years. In its entire history, humanity has never experienced
such an acute military conflict between the forces of extreme reaction and the
forces of social progress. Everything that was created by the mind and hands of
generations over the centuries was thrown into the scales of war. It is
terrible to imagine what life on the globe would have turned into if fascist
aggression had not been blocked by the forces of freedom and progress, the main
of which was the material and spiritual might of the Soviet Union. Eternally
imprinted in the grateful memory of mankind is the unprecedented feat of those
who, at the cost of incredible effort, won a great victory over fascism with
their blood and life.
The victory of the progressive forces contributed to the acceleration of the irreversible process of the formation of a new, socialist world. It confirmed the world-historical significance of the Great October Socialist Revolution, its powerful, life-affirming influence on the destinies of mankind. The role of the Soviet state, led by the Communist Party, as the base of the world revolutionary process, the bulwark of the freedom and independence of peoples, has grown even more.
The Second World War
took place in a new era of world history, opened by the October Revolution, in
the era of mankind's transition from capitalism to socialism. The main
historical pattern of this epoch—the revolutionary establishment of a new,
communist social system—steadily overcame the difficulties that arose in its
path and the obstacles placed by the old world. Its irresistible strength was
manifested in the growing successes of the world's first socialist state, in
the strengthening of its influence on the course of international events and
the development of the world revolutionary movement. It showed itself
especially clearly in the fact that it was the Soviet socialist state that made
the decisive contribution to the crushing of the aggressors during the Second
World War.
Soviet historical
science has already done a lot for a comprehensive study of the history of the
Second World War. Historians of the socialist countries have made significant
progress. Much work is being done by progressive authors in capitalist states,
especially those who are guided by Marxist-Leninist methodology.
Collections of
documents, multi-volume studies and books have been published. They examine the
causes of the war, its nature, course, and outcome, show the decisive role of
the masses in the victory over fascism, reveal the true motives of the policies
of various states, deeply analyze military operations on all fronts of the war
and the activities of the rear of the warring states. Soviet historians have
convincingly demonstrated the invincible strength and might of the socialist
social and state system; the leading and guiding role of the Communist Party,
its enormous authority among the masses; steadfastness, military prowess, and
the greatest energy of our people in military affairs and in work.
The past is
inextricably linked to the present and the future. Its assessment is of a class
character. Reactionary writers deliberately distort the events of recent times.
They give them a false interpretation, make every effort to whitewash
capitalism, trying to remove from it the responsibility for the outbreak of
war. Some of them, while recognizing that fascism unleashed the war, deny,
however, the indisputable fact that this terrorist dictatorship of the monopoly
bourgeoisie is a product of imperialism. Some of the falsifiers are even trying
to lay the responsibility for the outbreak of the war on the Soviet Union. To
this end, they are reviving Hitler's version of Germany's "preventive
war" against the USSR.
Reactionary
historiography hushed up the significance of the greatest battles on the
Soviet-German front, in which the back of the fascist German army was broken
and the complete defeat of Nazi Germany was a foregone conclusion. At the same
time, it exalts the operations carried out by the US and British troops on
secondary fronts, and in every possible way justifies and defends the ruling
circles of the US and Britain, which delayed the opening of a second front in
Europe for a long time and evaded fulfilling the solemn obligations assumed by
the Allied Powers during the war years. Its representatives do not hide their
hostility to the Soviet partisan movement and the resistance movement in the
countries of Europe and Asia occupied by the invaders. At the same time, they
extol the bourgeois opposition to the collaborators in these countries and to
the fascist dictatorship in Germany. The liberation mission of the Soviet Armed
Forces is presented in a false light, to which are attributed expansionist
intentions alien to them are attributed to the very social nature of the Soviet
state. The historiography of the Second World War, falsified in this way,
merges into a single whole with the propaganda of outright militarism. This
situation makes it especially necessary to create a scientific history of the
past war.
The great victory of
the freedom-loving peoples over fascism in World War II had a profound effect
on the course of world history, the public consciousness and psychology of the
population of all countries and created new opportunities for the development
of the world revolutionary process.
Almost three decades
separate us from the time when the Second World War ended. The wounds of war
healed long ago on the land scorched by the fire of battles, rose from the
ruins and ashes of the city and village. More than half of the world's
population was born and raised after the war. However, its history, results and
consequences continue to influence the current international situation, social
processes, and are of lasting importance for the military-patriotic education
of our soldiers, all Soviet people. That is why the development on the basis of
the Marxist-Leninist methodology of the multi-volume work "History of the
Second World War" was undertaken.
The history of the
Second World War shows the greatness and irresistible strength of socialism,
the patriotic and international feat of the multinational people of our
country, rallied around the Communist Party, the organizer and inspirer of all
its victories.
Historical experience
calls the peoples to vigilance, to active participation in the struggle to
prevent a new world war.
(…)
A multi-volume work on
the history of the Second World War - a study that examines all aspects and
processes, features and characteristics of the war: its prehistory, origin and
development; the goals of the belligerents, the course of hostilities in all
theaters and continents; partisan movement, anti-fascist struggle and
resistance movement; the level of technical equipment of the armed forces, the
principles and possibilities of their effective management; development of
military science, strategy, operational art and tactics; economy, politics and
ideology in the countries participating in the war; the interweaving of
national liberation and social, as well as internationalist goals of the
working class and all working people in the struggle against fascism; the place
and role of the communist and workers' parties in rallying the masses;
international relations and diplomatic struggle; results, lessons and
consequences of the war. In elucidating all the diverse problems of the war, a
special place is given to showing the role of the masses of the people—the true
creators of history, the activities of communists, workers, and all progressive
parties. All these forces made a decisive contribution to achieving victory
over fascism.
I
The preparation and
unleashing of a second world war by the reactionary and aggressive circles of
imperialism is the gravest crime against the peoples of the entire planet.
The Second World War
did not arise suddenly, it matured during the two decades that separated it
from the end of the First World War. All these years there has been a process
of deepening the general crisis of capitalism, the aggravation of all its
economic and social contradictions. The role of state-monopoly capitalism in
the economy and politics of the bourgeois states increased, militarism intensified,
and the exploiting classes in a number of countries began to resort to fascist
methods of consolidating their rule.
War broke out within
the capitalist world as a result of a sharp intensification of antagonisms
between capitalist countries due to the operation of the law of their uneven
development under imperialism. The responsibility for its emergence lies with
imperialism as a social system, with the ruling classes and the governments of
the major capitalist powers. However, in the new historical conditions
generated by the Great October Socialist Revolution and the existence of the
Soviet state, the contradictions between the capitalist powers and their
groupings were not the only factor in world politics. They developed in
interaction with the fundamental contradiction of the era - between two
opposite social systems: capitalism and socialism.
With the maturing of
war between the two capitalist groupings of powers, their desire to form a
united front against the growing socialism also increased. The ruling circles
of Germany, Italy and Japan were politically speculating on anti-Sovietism.
When, by the will of the monopolists, a fascist dictatorship was established in
Germany, the reactionary circles in the USA, Britain and France considered that
with its help it would be possible to crush the Soviet Union and resolve in
favor of capitalism the main contradiction of the era. That is why the
aggressive fascist regime was provided by them with all possible political,
diplomatic, financial, and economic assistance. That is why the governments of
the USA, Britain and France opposed the creation of a united front to ensure
peace. Under these conditions, Nazi Germany assumed the role of the main
striking force of world imperialist reaction.
The general crisis of
capitalism sharpened the expansionist intentions of the imperialist powers. At
the same time, the opposition of the peoples to the advance of state-monopoly
capital and the threat of war increased, and the revolutionary initiative of
the masses developed. The struggle of the progressive forces, especially the
Soviet Union and the international working class, against the impending
world war created serious obstacles to the militant policy of imperialism.
In the years leading up
to the Second World War, there was a real opportunity to keep the peace. It was
due to the constant strengthening of the economic and defensive might of the
USSR, its peace-loving policy, the general upsurge of the communist,
revolutionary-democratic, national liberation movement, the growth of mass
actions of the working class, broad sections of the population in defense of
peace. Relying on the totality of these factors and conditions, the Soviet Union
vigorously fought to curb fascist aggression. The plan of collective security
put forward by him realistically took into account the balance of forces on our
planet, the vital interest of the peoples in the preservation of peace, and the
prospects for the development of international relations. The implementation of
this plan could block the way for the fascist aggressors.
The progressive public
in all countries understood that the impending war would bring unparalleled
disasters to mankind and would appear reactionary, predatory, imperialist on
the part of the fascist states. And if the unjust nature of the First World War
was determined by the striving of the capitalist participants for the
redivision of the world, then in the Second World War the plans of the fascist
states went much further. They were calculated to eliminate the greatest
socialist achievements of mankind, embodied in the socialist state, to enslave
and exterminate entire peoples, plunging them into the abyss of such inhumanity
as history has never known before. Therefore, the struggle against fascism,
while meeting the fundamental interests of the peoples, acquired a just and
liberating character.
The policy of the
ruling circles of the United States, Britain and France counteracted the objective
possibility of rallying anti-fascist forces on an international scale and
preserving peace. Their encouragement of fascist aggression, bordering on
national betrayal, was covered with a fig leaf of "appeasement" of
Germany. The culminating point of this policy was the Munich Agreement of 1938,
which obligingly handed over the sovereign Czechoslovak state to Hitler to be
torn to pieces and provided the invaders with an advance payment for further
movement to the east.
The Munich agreement
was all the more dangerous because it could lead to the creation of an
aggressive anti-Soviet bloc of Germany and Italy with England and France. In an
effort to prevent such a development of events, which is disastrous for
progressive mankind, the Soviet Union continued to make efforts aimed at
creating collective security and concluding a treaty on mutual assistance
against aggression. However, the Anglo-French-Soviet negotiations in the summer
of 1939 showed that the governments of Britain and France preferred an anti-Soviet
agreement with Germany, with which they had already exchanged non-aggression
pledges, to such a treaty. This forced the USSR to agree to conclude a
non-aggression pact with Germany.
The growing threat of
war was confronted by the international working class. But the unity of his
efforts was undermined by the leaders of the right-wing socialists. When
fascism rushed to power and having seized it, rushed along the path to war,
they abandoned joint actions with the communists and other leftist forces and
actually contributed to the development of aggression. Against the will of the
workers, who constituted the majority of the members of the Social Democratic
parties, the leaders of the right-wing socialists united with the governments
of their countries in pursuing the shameful policy of
"non-intervention" and "neutrality", which condoned
aggression and played a significant role in unleashing a world war.
Under the existing
historical conditions, it was not possible to block the path of imperialist
aggression. The forces that opposed the war acted in isolation and proved
insufficient to avert the military threat hanging over humanity. One of the
main reasons for this was the split in the working class of the capitalist
countries by the leaders of the right-wing socialists. The material might of
socialism was not so great as to independently solve in full the task of
curbing aggression.
However, contrary to
the plans of the ruling circles of England, France and the USA, World War II
began with a clash between two capitalist coalitions.
This happened for a
number of reasons. Firstly, because war was born within the capitalist
world, outside of which it could not have arisen. Secondly, because
the antagonism between the two different social systems by no means ruled out
the growing internal contradictions of imperialism; they intensified still
more, as the capitalist powers fiercely fought for world domination.
Thirdly, in striving for the international isolation of the Soviet Union, the
ruling circles of Britain and France undermined the possible even then unity of
the opponents of the fascist states, weakened their own countries, and brought
them face to face with the hungry predators—German fascism and Japanese
militarism. Fourthly, the constant search by England,
The war that
broke out within the capitalist system, on the part of Germany, Italy, Japan, throughout
its political goals and character was unjust and predatory. The plans and
actions of the bloc of fascist states headed by Germany and Japan
expressed the interests of the most reactionary social forces and
contradicted the progressive course of historical development.
The declaration
of war by England and France on Germany was a forced act on their part, an
acknowledgment of the complete bankruptcy of the pre-war policy of the
governments of these countries. It opened up the possibility of a transition to
a new policy - the policy of rebuffing the aggressor. But this
possibility did not become a reality in those months because the governments of
England and France remained true to their former course of
"non-intervention" in relation to perishing Poland. They did
not want the defeat of German fascism, that system, which even in peacetime was
recognized as meeting their class interests. They persistently continued to
strive to induce Germany to turn its arms against the Soviet Union, to
achieve their mutual weakening in a bloody struggle, to maintain and expand
their positions in the world.
When the flames of war
had already blazed across the expanses of Europe, England and France
did not take any offensive actions against Germany. Their war in
September 1939 - April 1940 was called "strange" by bourgeois publicists,
which emphasized its main feature - the absence of active hostilities on the
part of England and France, contrary to their statements about their intention
to repulse Germany. If the essence of the war lies in the continuation of the
policy of the ruling classes by violent means, then the "strange war"
on the part of England and France continued their Munich policy in a modified
form and in fact without the use of violent means. Thus, the "strange
war" did not contain anything strange. It was a certain political course,
directed against the USSR with its tip and aimed at creating an anti-Soviet
front. While bravura music blared in the bivouacs and in the dugouts of the
French Maginot Line, and the soldiers filled their leisure time with playing
football, the reactionaries of England and France, in deep secrecy from the
peoples, were taking new steps not only towards conspiracy with Germany against
the USSR, but also towards military action. attack on the Soviet Union. As for
fascist Germany, it combined active military operations with strategic pauses,
during which it regrouped and built up its armed forces.
The Second
World War, engendered by the mutual struggle of the capitalist powers, began as
an imperialist war on both sides—on the part of Germany and Japan, and on
the part of Britain and France. In the appeal for the 22nd anniversary of the
Great October Socialist Revolution, the Comintern assessed the war as follows:
"This war is a continuation of many years of imperialist litigation in
the camp of capitalism" {1} . But it could not stop, let alone
eliminate, the objective processes of the gradual intensification of the just
struggle of the peoples against fascist oppression.
The communists and the
truly patriotic forces of Germany, Japan, and Italy, as well as the satellite
countries led by them, stood for the defeat of governments and
totalitarian regimes in an unjust war. The Communist Party of Germany
called on the working people of the country and the soldiers of the Nazi
Wehrmacht to solidarity with the peoples who were victims of aggression, to
deploy a resistance movement "against the internal enemy" {2} .
For Poland, which
became a victim of fascist aggression, the war against Nazi Germany took on the
character of a just, liberation, anti-fascist one. This happened because the
rebuff to the invaders was by no means a continuation of the imperialist,
anti-Soviet policy of the ruling circles of pre-war Poland, but a kind of
denial of it, its complete collapse. An armed rebuff to the Nazis expressed the
fundamental interests of the working class and all working people, of the
entire nation, which was under a real threat of physical destruction. The just
war of the popular masses of China against the Japanese invaders, the patriotic
actions of the working people of Czechoslovakia were also a clear manifestation
of the national liberation struggle. A number of documents of the Comintern
stated the development of the national liberation movement in the Second World
War. The Communist Parties were recommended to do everything possible to
further strengthen this character of the struggle. This is exactly what was
said, in particular, in the directive of G. Dimitrov and K. Gottwald to the
Central Committee of the Communist Party of Czechoslovakia, dated September 14,
1939.{3}
Each new act of
aggression by the fascist states provoked a growing rebuff from the peoples and
led to the ever-greater expansion of the national liberation movement. On the
part of Norway, Belgium and Holland, the war against Germany that attacked them
had a just, national liberation character {4} .
The “strange war” on
the part of England and France was a logical continuation of their Munich
policy. But when Hitler's Germany invaded France, the further
continuation of this policy, despite its recurrences, became impossible,
because it led directly to destruction. The objective course of events put
forward the task of protecting national independence from the threat of fascist
enslavement. The Communist parties of France and England came out with a demand
to change the nature of the war against Nazi Germany, to turn it into a
national liberation, just one. The French Communist Party put forward a defense
program based on the premise that the war was turning into a people's war for
the preservation of the French independent state, for the salvation of the
nation {5}. In the days when the German hordes rushed to Paris, the Communist
Party again demanded "to change the nature of the war, turning it into a
people's war for the freedom and independence of the motherland" {6} .
The peoples of European
countries responded to the invasion of the Nazis by increasing resistance,
giving it a clearly expressed anti-fascist, national liberation
character. It soon became known as the resistance movement. On the
European continent, it arose in Czechoslovakia and Poland, then in Norway,
Holland, Denmark, Belgium, and France. It included the patriots of Yugoslavia,
whose partisan struggle was gaining strength especially quickly, as well as
those of Greece.
The strengthening of
the national liberation character of the war against fascist Germany testified
to the inflexibility of the will of the peoples to resist fascism. The British
government was influenced by the gradual realization that Germany had created a
real threat to the national existence of England and that the path of collusion
with Germany was pernicious. That is why the British government finally decided
to abandon this path, hoping to strengthen its position in the British Empire.
Hitlerite Germany's
attack on the USSR was a direct expression of the policy of imperialism, a
sharp increase in the reactionary nature of the war on its part. The Great
Patriotic War, to which the peoples of the USSR, led by the Leninist party,
rose, became the most important component of the Second World War, the highest
stage of a just war—a war in defense of the socialist Fatherland. The working
class and the working masses of the entire world have acquired a clear program
of struggle for the complete defeat of the aggressors and the destruction of
fascism, the salvation of the peoples from barbarism and atrocities, and the
granting of freedom of socio-economic order to them.
An armed confrontation
was launched between the socialist state, in alliance with the
democratic forces of many countries, against their worst and
treacherous enemies—German fascism and Japanese militarism, which
formed the most reactionary grouping of the capitalist countries. This
confrontation meant a fundamental qualitative change in the socio-political
nature, scale, course, and prospects of the Second World War. It had a
pronounced class character and was an extremely sharp manifestation of the
struggle between two opposing social systems. The struggle between them
unfolded in all spheres: military, political, economic, diplomatic, and
ideological.
In December 1941,
Japan's attack on the United States of America involved the United States in a
war against the fascist states. However, the financial and industrial circles
of the overseas power, no less zealously than the British bourgeoisie, strove
to use military operations for their own class purposes.
The coincidence of the
fundamental national interests of a number of states and the liberation nature
of the war against the bloc of aggressors became the cementing foundation on
which, for the first time in history, an international front of various
socio-political forces was formed. The creation of the anti-Hitler coalition,
in which the heroic Soviet people played the key role, was actively promoted by
Soviet foreign policy. The Land of Soviets followed V. I. Lenin’s behest not to
renounce “military agreements with one of the imperialist coalitions against
the other [XIII] in such cases when this agreement, without violating the foundations
of Soviet power, could strengthen its position and paralyze the onslaught on it
which -either an imperialist power...» {7} .
The military and
political strategy of the US and British governments during the years of the
armed struggle was influenced by their imperialist calculations. But they
were opposed by the program of the democratic resolution of all international
questions, put forward by the Soviet Union in strict accordance with the
liberation goals of the struggle against fascism and supported by the peoples
of the whole world.
It was this noble
program that formed the basis for the decisions of the Teheran, Crimean,
and Potsdam conferences of the leaders of the three great powers—the
USSR, Britain, and the USA. It provided for the complete defeat of fascism, the
democratization of Germany, Italy, and Japan, as well as their satellites, the
granting of freedom and independence to all peoples, the right to choose the
form of government, the preservation and development of international
cooperation between the states of the anti-Hitler coalition. Such measures
opened up the prospect of victory in the war and subsequent peaceful
development for all countries of our planet.
The anti-Hitler
coalition of peoples and states that took shape and strengthened during the
armed struggle included countries with different socio-political systems, which
influenced the political goals of the war, the nature and extent of the
participation of states and peoples in it.
Historically proven and
indisputable is the fact that the Soviet Union withstood the brunt of the war
and made the greatest contribution to the defeat of Nazi Germany and its
accomplices.
II
Faithful to the
precepts of V. I. Lenin, the Communist Party of the Soviet Union has always
reckoned with the threat of imperialist invasion and has shown tireless concern
for strengthening the economic, moral, political and defense might of the
Soviet state. The Second World War showed the historical correctness of
the Leninist policy of the party, under whose leadership, by the will and
energy of the people, the country, lagging behind the more developed by 50-100
years, was transformed into a mighty socialist power in a relatively short
period of time.
The Communist Party and
the Soviet government took into account the possibility of an attack by fascist
Germany on the USSR. The tasks of further strengthening the defense of the
country were deeply substantiated by the 18th Congress of the All-Union
Communist Party of Bolsheviks and enshrined in laws adopted by the Supreme
Soviet of the USSR. The 18th Conference of the All-Union
Communist Party of Bolsheviks, held in February 1941, considered specific
questions of developing defense production, and increasing the combat readiness
of the Soviet Army and Navy.
The additional
twenty-two peaceful months wrested from the reactionary forces as a result
of the conclusion of the Soviet-German non-aggression pact were used
for economic development and for strengthening the military
might of the socialist state.
Implementing the
decisions of the 18th Congress and the 18th Party Conference, the Central
Committee of the CPSU(b), relying on the victory of socialism in the USSR,
carried out work of enormous scale and importance in preparing the country for
defense in the event of an enemy attack. The Party and the government prepared
large production facilities for the development of military production and
actively organized the development of new, highly advanced models of military
equipment and weapons. The transfer of part of the country's productive forces
to the East was of great importance. The Armed Forces developed and improved,
they were relocated to the western borders of the USSR. The party educated
Soviet people in the spirit of hatred for fascism and patriotic readiness to
defend their socialist Fatherland. The party aroused in the Soviet people a
sense of national pride in the great accomplishments of socialism and its
leading role in the world revolutionary process, a sense of personal
responsibility for the fate of socialism that had triumphed in the country.
Thus, under the beneficial influence of communist ideas, those sources of mass
heroism of the Soviet people developed, which so majestically manifested
themselves during the Great Patriotic War.
If, ideologically and
politically, the Soviet people met the war in full patriotic readiness, then by
no means all the planned measures to strengthen the country's defense were
carried out: the time period for this was too short. The miscalculations made
in assessing the possible time of an attack on the Soviet Union by Nazi
Germany, and the omissions in preparing to repel the first enemy strikes, also
played their role.
And yet, blinded by
anti-communism, the fascist rulers, taking the fateful decision for Germany to
attack the USSR, underestimated the economic, moral-political, and military
power of the socialist state, the inexhaustible possibilities inherent in the
socialist state and social system. In the future, such an adventurous policy
and military strategy would inevitably lead to the collapse of Hitler's
aggression, the collapse of the "Third Reich" that seemed invincible.
The miscalculation of the entire world imperialist reaction consisted in
underestimating the possibilities of the socialist state.
In Germany's attack on
the USSR, the class, extremely reactionary, imperialist nature of the
war on the part of the fascist bloc was especially clearly manifested.
German imperialism set itself the goal of liquidating the outpost of socialism
on the globe, seizing the lands and national wealth of the Soviet people,
establishing the dictatorship of the German landlords and capitalists in our country,
and turning its people into slaves, liquidating the national statehood of the
peoples of the USSR, and dividing them, destroying the socialist gains of the
working people, their original national culture and open the way to world
domination. Aggression against the Soviet people, grave crimes of the German
fascist military were meticulously planned in advance by the German government
and the General Staff.
At stake was not only
the independence of our Motherland, but also the prospects for world socialism,
the fate of all mankind, the honor and freedom of the peoples of the earth. The
forced entry of the USSR into the war meant that out of the many contradictions
intertwined in the international arena, the struggle between the two social
systems firmly came to the fore, taking on the character of an armed clash
between German imperialism and the people who had built socialism. This
contradiction determined the uncompromising nature of the armed struggle, the
decisive importance of the Soviet-German front, on which the outcome of the
entire world war depended, and, consequently, the general direction of world
historical development.
For the USA and Great
Britain, the contradictions with Germany and Japan were
of a different social nature and therefore were not so
irreconcilable, leaving an opportunity for agreements with the ruling
circles of the countries of the fascist bloc, primarily at the expense of the
USSR. The difference in the socio-political system of the states of the
anti-Hitler coalition also predetermined the unequal degree of mobilization of
forces for the needs of the war, the unequal political, strategic goals of the
armed struggle and the possibilities of military efforts.
The Great Patriotic War
of the Soviet Union was the war of the country of victorious socialism against
the shock forces of international reaction. It was a heroic struggle
consistently combining patriotism and proletarian internationalism for the fate
of socialism and strengthening the basis of the world revolutionary process, in
defense of social progress and human civilization. The goals of the Great
Patriotic War were exceptionally humane and close to the peoples of all
countries. They boiled down to defending the very existence of the socialist
Fatherland from the enemy, to defeat the fascist invaders and to carry out the
great mission of liberating enslaved Europe, including Germany, from the
fascist obscurantists, to provide the peoples with the opportunity to decide
for themselves the issues of state and socio-economic structure.
The further the
terrible events of the war go into the past, the more obvious the fact becomes
that no other country, having found itself in the position of the Soviet Union,
would have withstood such difficult trials. Only the heroic Soviet people,
which, under the leadership of the Communist Party, carried out the Great
October Socialist Revolution, won the war against the White Guards and foreign
interventionists, overcame devastation, built socialism surrounded by hostile
capitalist elements, could stand as an indestructible wall in the way of the
German fascist aspirants to world domination, and then crush their armed
forces.
The socialist mode of
production, the planned nature of the national economy and the scientific
nature of its management, the might of the Soviet state, the leading role of
the Communist Party, the socio-political and ideological cohesion of all
classes and nations of society — these are the objective foundations that
predetermined the decisive contribution of the USSR to the defeat of the enemy.
. The Soviet people not only defended their socialist gains with honor, but
also saved world civilization from fascist barbarism, thereby giving powerful
support to the liberation struggle of the peoples.
At the head of the
Soviet Union, which fought against fascist Germany, was the Leninist Party, the
militant vanguard of the working class and the entire Soviet people. The
Central Committee of the All-Union Communist Party of Bolsheviks, realizing its
historical responsibility for the fate of the people and the state, for the
cause of socialism, showed wisdom and great courage in overcoming the colossal
difficulties caused by the war, mobilized all the material and intellectual
forces of society, inspired, and organized the Soviet people to defeat the
enemy and winning a complete victory. The solidarity of the entire people under
the banner of the Communist Party is one of the main sources of the
invincibility of the socialist power, the most important condition for its
decisive contribution to the defeat of the enemy.
The Soviet Army played
a major role in the armed struggle against the Nazi Wehrmacht. Our Armed Forces
are part of the Soviet people; they rely on the material, political, social,
and spiritual might of the socialist state created by him, embody the
achievements of advanced Soviet military science, the foundations of which were
laid by V. I. Lenin. Domestic weapons and equipment were continuously improved.
During the war, Soviet strategy, operational art, and tactics developed. In the
Armed Forces, scientific work was constantly carried out to study and
generalize the experience of the war. The most important condition for the
rapid creative development of military art was the patriotic upsurge of the
entire personnel of the army, aviation, and navy, their activity, combat skill,
and readiness to relentlessly smash the hated enemy.
At the beginning of the
Great Patriotic War, the Soviet Army and all the people had to experience the
bitterness of failure. The Armed Forces of the USSR were forced to fight in the
most unfavorable, most difficult conditions, when material superiority was on
the side of the enemy, who also enjoyed the element of surprise in his
treacherous attack.
Later in the course of
the war, the superiority of the Soviet military strategy affected. Strategic
defense was skillfully used to wear down and bleed large enemy groupings, gain
time to create and bring up reserves, and prepare the conditions for launching
a powerful offensive. The offensive operations of the Soviet troops were
distinguished by their thoughtfulness, taking into account the real situation,
and extensive use of the advantages of the socialist system and its military
organization. These operations were characterized by a huge spatial scope,
[XVII] innovation, maneuver to encircle large enemy groupings. The operational
plans of the Soviet command combined decisive action with a skillful choice of
the directions of the main attacks and the corresponding massing of forces and
means.
The Headquarters of the
Supreme High Command developed and conducted major strategic operations on the
war fronts. Its activities proceeded under the leadership of the Politburo of
the Central Committee of the All-Union Communist Party of Bolsheviks and the
State Defense Committee, which was chaired by the secretary of the Central
Committee of the All-Union Communist Party of Bolsheviks and chairman of the
Council of People's Commissars of the USSR I. V. Stalin. In planning and
carrying out operations, the Headquarters relied on the General Staff and the
command of the fronts. It promptly worked out and adopted operational-strategic
decisions that best suited its main political goals at one stage or another of
the war, created and skillfully used strategic reserves, which made it possible
to successfully influence the course and development of events, the general
military-political situation and change it in favor of Soviet army.
In the prewar years,
and especially during the war, Soviet generals grew up, displaying their
knowledge and talent in all their brilliance. Under their leadership, many
commanders went through the school of military affairs, who demonstrated the ability
to control troops in difficult combat conditions, to generalize combat
experience and draw lessons from it for the further development of military
art. The Armed Forces had a remarkable cadre of political workers, among whom
were prominent figures of the party and the state. By multiplying the military
traditions and the glory of Soviet weapons, the commanding and political cadres
ensured the successful preparation and conduct of operations to defeat the
enemy.
A significant
contribution to the victory was made by the Soviet partisans and the party
underground in the territory occupied by the enemy, where a nationwide struggle
against the invaders unfolded.
Combat operations were
dynamic. Military operations were influenced by the level of technical equipment
of the branches of the armed forces and combat arms, the degree of their
motorization, the development of the most effective strike forces and means,
and their firepower. During the war years, the then-nascent jet and radar
technology was first used.
The peoples and
armies of not only the European continent, but also Great Britain, the United
States of America and China took part in the struggle against the Nazi invaders and
the Japanese militarists. In these armies, the advanced forces of the nation
fought actively: workers, peasants, and intellectuals; communists, social democrats,
and representatives of other mass organizations of workers. Among the political
and military leaders of the countries allied with the USSR, there were many who
sincerely strove for genuine cooperation with the Soviet state, selflessly
fought against a common enemy.
However, for
the capitalist states that were part of the anti-Hitler coalition,
the war did not mean the elimination of the antagonisms inherent in the
exploiting system. V. I. Lenin wrote that “both in wartime, and in
war, and in a military way, class contradictions that tear people apart
continue to exist and will manifest themselves” {8} .
The bourgeois
governments of the countries participating in the anti-Hitler coalition
throughout the war were not sufficiently loyal to the socialist state, which
became their ally. The second front in Europe was opened only in June
1944, when it became absolutely obvious that the Soviet Union,
having won decisive victories on the Eastern, the main front of the world war,
was able, together with the fighters of the Resistance movement, to complete
the defeat of fascist Germany and liberate all of Europe.
The landing of
Anglo-American troops in Normandy had a certain positive significance: the
troops of the states of the anti-Hitler coalition finally stood up together
against a common enemy, Germany was squeezed into the vise of two fronts, and
its defeat was accelerated.
But even when the
second front was created, the main burden of the war still lay on the
USSR. The ruling circles of the United States and Britain, opening a
second front, sought not only to take part in achieving victory over Germany,
but also to strengthen their class positions in Europe, to achieve goals that
did not correspond to the liberating nature of the war, but were aimed at
asserting the shattered dominance of financial and the industrial exploiting
elite, to win a stronger position at the table of future conferences on
post-war settlement in Europe and beyond.
The divergence
between the policy of the United States and Britain and the liberation
character of the Second World War was particularly acute in
the military operations in North Africa and then in the Pacific. The offensive
of the Anglo-American troops against Japan was carried out in such a way that
its domination over the colonial peoples would pass into the hands of the
United States and Britain. At the beginning of August 1945, the American ruling
circles committed a monstrous atrocity - atomic bombs were dropped on the
Japanese cities of Hiroshima and Nagasaki. This criminal act was aimed at
intimidating the peoples of the world, primarily the Soviet Union; its goal was
to open the way for the US to world domination based on monopoly possession of
weapons of mass destruction.
Heroically fought
against the Nazi troops during the Second World War, the people's liberation
armies of Yugoslavia and Albania, the troops of Poland and Czechoslovakia, and
at the final stage of the war, the armies of Bulgaria and Romania. In battles,
the military commonwealth of the armies of these countries with the Soviet
Armed Forces became stronger.
Members of the
resistance movement waged a tense courageous struggle against the invaders,
which, engulfing the deep rear of the occupying troops, significantly weakened
the combat capabilities of the Wehrmacht. The leading national forces, led by
the working class and its militant vanguard, the communist parties, took part
in this movement.
The Communists gave the
patriots a clear perspective and an inspiring program of not only national but
also social liberation. They were among the participants in the resistance
movement the most fearless and selfless fighters against the enslavers.
The German, Japanese, and
Italian patriots, who were in the deep underground, and above all the
Communists, bravely resisted the policy of the ruling circles of their
countries. The Chinese people waged a heroic struggle against Japanese
imperialism, relying on the friendly support of the working people of the
Soviet Union and the Mongolian People's Republic. The peoples of Korea, Vietnam
and other Asian countries also joined the national liberation war in the Far
East.
The attempts of
Anglo-American and West German reactionary historiography to belittle the role
of the Soviet Union in winning victory are explained by certain
social-class and political considerations, bourgeois nationalism, the desire to
raise the prestige of their countries, to obscure the facts of the frequent
inactivity of the US and British troops during the decisive battles of World
War II. An objective assessment of the decisive role of the Armed Forces of the
USSR in defeating the enemy means recognizing the strength and
invincibility of the socialist system. In an attempt to belittle the
contribution of the USSR to the defeat of Hitlerism, the bourgeoisie seeks to
hide from the masses the truth about the enormous vitality of socialism, to
cast doubt on its defensive might, and thereby encourage those imperialist
circles who are still thinking about a third world war.
The recognition of the
fact that the defeat of the aggressive bloc of states headed by fascist Germany
and imperialist Japan in the Second World War was not accidental, but natural, is
of great importance. The storm awakened by the instigators of the Second World
War turned into a hurricane that swept away the war machine of the fascist
aggressors and their political regimes.
The experience of the
struggle between the two systems during the Second World War showed that
socialism is capable of defeating the most reactionary forces of imperialism
and thus hastening social development and revolutionary changes. But this
objective result of the victory of the freedom-loving peoples came at a high
price. Marxist-Leninists never regarded a world war as an indispensable
condition for the revolutionary reorganization of society on socialist lines.
The world-historical
victory of the freedom-loving peoples in the Second World War is not only a glorious
past. It is in organic connection with the contemporary struggle waged by the
peoples against the omnipotence of the monopolies and imperialist violence, for
peace, democracy and socialism, a struggle of vital importance to all the
peoples of the world.
Sacred is the memory of
those who, with the greatest effort of all their strength, fought for the
liberation of people from fascism, went to death for the sake of life on earth.
And as a symbol of the
unrequited debt of all those living to the fallen soldiers in the capitals and
cities of many countries of the world, the Eternal Flame burns on the grave of
the Unknown Soldier, whose feat is immortal. This is a reflection of that
spiritual warmth that all honest people of the land of blessed memory of freedom
fighters give.
The victory in the
Second World War naturally led to fundamental
changes in the balance of world forces and had a significant impact on the
further development of world history.
The Second World War
ended with the complete collapse of the plans for the conquest of world
domination, which were put forward by German and Japanese imperialism,
showing the impracticability of such plans in modern conditions. It did not
stop the progressive course of history, the progressive forces achieved
victory. Thus, once again, in the most difficult days for mankind, when a
mortal threat hung over it, the great historical significance of the October
Socialist Revolution and the victory of socialism in the USSR, which deprived
imperialism of its former opportunity to dispose of the destinies of peoples
and states at its own discretion, was revealed with renewed vigor. The
objective result of the Second World War acquired an anti-imperialist
orientation. The results and instructive lessons of the war serve as a
stern warning to all the aggressive forces of imperialism.
The victory over
fascism vividly confirmed the decisive role of the popular masses
in public life, their greatest will and heroism, and their moral superiority
over world reaction. All post-war world development shows that only a
progressive, revolutionary class, the working class, is capable of solving
those social tasks that correspond to the progressive course of history, to
social progress as a whole. At the same time, it became even more obvious that
the monopoly bourgeoisie had lost its historical perspective.
The main and decisive
result of the Second World War was the most convincing proof that there are no
forces in the world capable of crushing socialism. In a gigantic military clash
with fascism, the Soviet social and state system, the socialist economy, and
the advanced Marxist-Leninist ideology won.
The victory over the
shock forces of world reaction has inflicted irreparable damage on imperialism.
It marked a new important stage in the historical movement of mankind from the
old, obsolete capitalism to a new, socialist system, to which the future
belongs. The results of the struggle against fascism have shown that socialism
is becoming the leading force in international development, that the progress
of mankind and the future of peoples, their very existence, depends on it. In
close cooperation with the peoples fighting against the invaders, the Soviet
Army liberated a number of countries in Central, Eastern and South-Eastern Europe,
[XXI] as well as East Asia. Other countries gained their freedom in a stubborn
national liberation struggle that developed successfully in direct connection
with the defeat of the main forces of the fascist bloc by the troops of the
anti-Hitler coalition.
The Second World War
had a huge impact on the consciousness of people. It was a school for teaching
the masses about politics and contributed to their involvement in active
political life both nationally and internationally. The whole world saw that
imperialism does not abhor any crimes, is deeply hostile to the working people
and brings them torment and suffering, up to and including slavery and physical
extermination. At the same time, the war proved even more forcefully that under
modern conditions only socialism can ensure national and social liberation, peace,
and genuine prosperity for the peoples. It is quite natural, therefore, that
the working people of the countries of Europe and Asia, in the course of the
anti-fascist struggle, sought to radically change their conditions of life,
break with imperialism and colonialism, and switch to the path of revolutionary
democratic and socialist development.
The victorious
offensive of the Soviet Army in 1944-1945. organically merged with the
struggle of the peoples of Europe for fundamental socio-economic and
political changes, with the anti-fascist struggle of broad sections of the
population led by the communists. As a result, people's democratic and
socialist revolutions won in Poland, Czechoslovakia, Romania, Bulgaria,
Hungary, Yugoslavia, and Albania. Soon the revolution won in East Germany,
where the German Democratic Republic was then created by the will of the
people.
The revolutionary
process developed in Italy, France, Belgium, Norway, Denmark, Greece. However,
the presence of British and American troops on the territory of these states
helped the big bourgeoisie to maintain its positions, strengthened the power of
monopoly capital, and prevented profound progressive transformations.
Major historical shifts
were taking place in the countries of Asia, where new socialist countries were
formed - the Democratic Republic of Vietnam, the Democratic People's Republic
of Korea. The intervention of the imperialists led to the fact that Vietnam and
Korea were divided. Until 1949, the people of China waged a civil war that
ended in victory and the formation of the People's Republic of China.
Socialism as a new
social system, represented before the war only by the Soviet Union and the
Mongolian People's Republic, stepped over the previous geographical boundaries
and firmly established itself on the world stage, increasingly strengthening
its position in competition with capitalism. Subsequently, already in the
changed international situation, Cuba was the first of the countries of the
Western Hemisphere to embark on the socialist path of development.
The formation of the
world socialist system was the most important, truly world-historical event
after the Great October Socialist Revolution. It was a natural consequence of
the defeat [XXII] of fascism in the Second World War, evidence of the great
triumph of socialism over imperialism. The results of the Second World War
convincingly showed that imperialism is powerless to regain the monopoly it
lost in October 1917 in resolving international issues and in determining the
prospects for the development of world events. The course of world history has
confirmed the inevitability of the process of mankind's transition from
capitalism to socialism.
The victory over the
fascist aggressors was not easy for the Soviet people. The most severe and
irreparable loss was the death of more than twenty millions of his sons and
daughters. The material damage was also enormous. Enemies believed that decades
would pass before the Soviet country rose from the ruins and ashes and healed
the wounds inflicted by the war. But, having turned their energy and enthusiasm
to peaceful construction, our people, under the wise leadership of the Party,
in common ranks with the peoples of other socialist countries, advanced with
leaps and bounds. The post-war restoration and development of the national
economy was a new historical feat of the Soviet people.
The economic successes
of the socialist countries are the main driving force behind the world revolutionary
process. They are changing the international situation more and more noticeably
in favor of socialism.
The national liberation
struggle of the peoples during the years of the Second World War engulfed a
number of countries in Asia, Africa, and Latin America. In the post-war period,
a mighty tide of national democratic revolutions swept the colonial system of
imperialism out of its path—the system of slavery, exploitation, and
oppression. In place of the former colonies and semi-colonies, more than 70
independent nation-states arose, some of which now adhere to a socialist
orientation.
The Communist and
Workers' Parties, which during the war were in the forefront of the
anti-fascist liberation movement of the peoples, showed themselves in the post-war
period as the most staunch, consistent fighters for national independence and
freedom. Their influence on the general population increased. Despite the fact
that these parties suffered the greatest losses in the fight against fascism,
their numbers and authority steadily increased. The communist and labor
movement has become the most influential political force of our time.
Under the influence of
the anti-fascist struggle and the vigorous activity of the communists, a new
situation was created among the masses in the international democratic
movement. There has been a rapprochement and increased coordination of the
forces of socialism and democracy in their struggle to prevent a world war and
exclude it from the life of society, against the omnipotence of the monopolies
and the rule of imperialism.
The main path of human
development is now being determined by the world socialist system, the
international working class, and all revolutionary forces.
The defeats and losses
suffered by imperialism, the results and lessons of the Second World War were
an important factor in the international situation after the war. However,
during almost a quarter of a century of the "cold war" imperialism
tried to ignore this. In the post-war years, the world has repeatedly found
itself on the brink of a worldwide total war. And if it has not become a fact,
then it is the result of the increased political, economic, and military might
of the USSR and other socialist countries, the active struggle of all peoples
against the criminal plans of imperialism. The Warsaw Treaty Organization,
which emerged as a counterbalance to the aggressive NATO bloc, united the
defense efforts of a number of European socialist countries and became a
powerful shield that ensures the security of the peoples.
***
The socio-political
consequences of the Second World War are forever imprinted on the pages of the
world history of mankind. And if in the difficult war years the Soviet Union
was the bulwark of the struggle of the masses of the people against fascism,
then in the post-war period, in close fraternal unity [XXIV] with the socialist
countries, it rallies and mobilizes the progressive forces that oppose
imperialism, its policy of wars and the enslavement of peoples.
The main editorial committee
of the work "History of the Second World War" believes that the
scientific periodization of the war should be based on fundamental,
qualitative changes in its course, character, and class essence; in
politics, which is continued in a different form by the belligerent state; in
the military-political situation and armed struggle; in the ratio of military,
economic, political, and moral forces of the fighting countries. Such changes
are of a multilateral, comprehensive nature in the sense of their interconnection
in all theaters of military operations and the connection of military events
with political, economic, diplomatic, and ideological events.
Thus, a sharp turn in
the course of the Second World War occurred in connection with the attack of
Nazi Germany on the USSR. The latter led to a huge expansion of the theater of
military operations, fundamental shifts in the very essence of the war against
the fascist bloc, strengthening its just, liberation character and the
political goals corresponding to it. A mighty material, moral and military
force, capable of completely crushing the aggressor and canceling out his plans
for world domination, joined the armed struggle against fascism. All this gives
grounds to consider the beginning of the Great Patriotic War as the most
important milestone in the periodization of the Second World War.
Highlighting the
periods of the war, the Main Drafting Commission took into account the
fundamental changes in military-strategic plans that took place during the
armed struggle in the main and decisive theaters of military operations, the
scope and intensity of operations and campaigns, as well as the actual
quantitative and qualitative ratio of the forces participating in them.
Consideration was given to the solution by states of the tasks of armed
struggle and the realization by them of their political goals.
Scientific
periodization is based on taking into account the
causal relationship and mutual conditioning of phenomena. For example, on the
day when fascist Germany attacked Poland, the war had not yet acquired
worldwide proportions. Nevertheless, this attack was the
beginning of a world war; from that moment, due to the natural
interconnection of phenomena, the scale of the war expanded uncontrollably.
That is why the start date of World War II is September 1, 1939 {12}
.
Within historical
periods, separate stages take place as constituent parts of periods. These
stages are characterized by significant changes in the course of hostilities
and the military-political situation, [XXV] marking the transition from one
component of the period to another; the change of major military campaigns, the
transition from strategic defense to the offensive; the significance of the
stage for creating the prerequisites for changing political and strategic
tasks, preparing the change from one period to another; interaction of events
and phenomena of war within the given period.
When determining the
stages, the following were also taken into account: the course of restructuring
the work of the rear, the successes of the partisan movement and the national
liberation struggle of peoples, the creation of new political structures in
countries.
The main editorial
committee came to the conclusion that it was necessary to single out the
pre-war period, during which imperialism was preparing for the Second
World War. There are two historical stages in this period. The
first stage (until the autumn of 1935) is characterized by the
collapse of the Versailles-Washington system of peace treaties, the birth of
the Second World War, the formation of its centers, the preparation of the
fascist states for a world war, and extensive assistance to them from the
American, British, and French monopolies. The second stage (autumn
1935 - August 1939) is characterized by the transition of European
fascism to open aggression, the formation of a fascist military bloc, the
Munich betrayal of the interests of the world, and the pre-war political
crisis. Throughout the entire pre-war period, the aggressive plans of imperialism
were opposed by the peace-loving policy of the Soviet state, which fought to
prevent war and provide a collective rebuff to aggression. In pursuing this
policy, the Soviet Union relied on its increased defensive might, which the
imperialists could not ignore.
During the Second
World War, five periods are clearly distinguished.
The first period (September
1939 - June 1941) - the beginning of the war and the invasion of German
troops into the countries of Western Europe.
The second period (June
1941 - November 1942) - the attack of fascist Germany on the USSR, the
expansion of the scale of the war, the collapse of the Hitlerite doctrine of
blitzkrieg and the myth of the invincibility of the German army.
The third period (November
1942 - December 1943) was a radical turning point in the course of the
entire Second World War, the collapse of the offensive strategy of the fascist
bloc.
The fourth period (January
1944 - May 1945) - the defeat of the fascist bloc, the expulsion of enemy
troops from the USSR, the creation of a second front, the liberation of the
countries of Europe from the occupation, the complete collapse of Germany and
its unconditional surrender.
The fifth period (May
- September 1945) - the defeat of imperialist Japan, the liberation of
the peoples of Asia from Japanese occupation and the end of the Second World
War.
Taking into account the
objective course of events, the Main Editorial Commission determined the
division of the volumes of the History of the Second World War in the following
way.
The first volume covers
the period from the end of the First World War to the autumn of 1935. Its first
part is devoted to the origin of war in the system [XXVI] of world imperialism,
showing fascism as a striking force of imperialism and militarism, and the
history of the emergence of the first centers of a new world war. The second
part of the volume reveals the world-historical significance of the
construction of socialism in the USSR, the development of its Armed Forces, the
intense struggle of the peace-loving peoples, led by the Soviet Union, against
the danger of a new world war.
The second volume is
devoted to the events connected with the immediate preparation of the second
world war by the imperialist states, the transition of European fascism to open
armed aggression, and the exposure of the policy of condoning the aggressors on
the part of Britain, France, and the United States. The volume highlights the
struggle of the Soviet Union and other progressive forces against fascism and
the threat of war.
The third volume examines
military operations in Europe, the direct preparation of fascist Germany for an
attack on the USSR and the preparation of the Soviet Union to repel aggression.
The fourth volume is
devoted to the political and military events associated with the expansion of
the scale of the war as a result of Germany's treacherous attack on the Soviet
Union and Japan's aggression against the United States and England. The volume
examines the beginning of the Great Patriotic War of the Soviet people, the
disruption of Hitler's plan of "blitzkrieg", the victory of the
Soviet Armed Forces in the winter of 1941/42, the process of forming an
anti-fascist coalition and the activities of communist parties to mobilize the
masses to fight against fascism.
The fifth volume examines
military operations in the summer and autumn of 1942, during which the efforts
of the Soviet people frustrated the plans of Nazi Germany to crush the USSR
this year and expand the front of aggression in the countries of the Near and
Middle East, and also prepared the conditions for a radical change in World War
II .
The sixth volume covers
the events of the most important stage of the past war, when a radical change
began and grew in favor of the anti-Hitler coalition. The volume shows the
decisive role of the USSR and its Armed Forces in creating this turning point.
The seventh volume is
devoted to the study of the military, political and economic processes that
determined the completion of the radical turning point in the war, showing the
decisive role of the USSR in this turning point and the beginning of the
collapse of the fascist bloc.
The eighth volume examines
the events of the first half of 1944, as a result of which Nazi Germany's plans
to prolong the war by stabilizing the Soviet-German front were frustrated. The
activities of the allies in preparation for the opening of a second front in
Europe are covered.
The ninth volume examines
the major victories of the Soviet Armed Forces, which led to the complete
expulsion of the fascist aggressors from Soviet territory and the liberation of
the countries of Eastern and South-Eastern Europe. The volume covers the events
connected with the opening of the second front by the allies, military
operations in the Pacific Ocean and in Asia. [XXVII]
The tenth volume is
dedicated to the final victories of the Soviet Armed Forces and the allied
forces over the Nazi army, which led to the unconditional surrender of Nazi
Germany, to the disclosure of the leading role of the Soviet Union in
decision-making at conferences in Yalta, Potsdam, and San Francisco on the
post-war order of the world.
The eleventh volume reveals
the aggressive policy of Japanese militarism, the defeat and unconditional
surrender of Japan, exposes the reactionary essence of the US nuclear strategy,
and shows the liberation mission of the Soviet Armed Forces in the Far East.
The twelfth volume analyzes
the military, economic, political, and ideological factors that determined the
course and outcome of the Second World War, gives theoretical and practical
conclusions from the history of the war, reveals the fundamental changes in the
balance of power in the world after the Second World War.
The multi-volume work
is being prepared by the Institute of Military
History of the USSR Ministry of Defense jointly with the Institute of
Marxism-Leninism under the Central Committee of the CPSU, the Institutes of
General History and the History of the USSR of the USSR Academy of Sciences. In
accordance with the multilateral complex nature of the work, representatives of
various specialties are involved in the work on it - historians, economists,
philosophers, sociologists, lawyers, statisticians. Prominent military leaders,
party, Soviet and diplomatic workers take an active part in the preparation of
labor. The authors of the work are faced with the task of objectively
highlighting the history of the Second World War, exploring its problems on the
basis of Marxist-Leninist ideology and methodology, from the standpoint of a
materialistic understanding of history.
The main editorial
committee and the entire team of authors hope that their collective work will
help to better understand the complex processes of the Second World War, to
appreciate the unprecedented struggle of freedom-loving peoples against the
reactionary forces of imperialism and militarism and the decisive contribution
of the Soviet Union to the achievement of a world-historic victory, to extract
the necessary lessons in the name of the triumph of progress and peace on
Earth.
2. Aggravation of contradictions between the imperialist states
3. The growth of armaments in the capitalist countries
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