How far do you agree that the USSR won WW2 because of the mobilisation of the Russian people and economy?

The Russian economy was far from perfect when the war began, but it proved to be vital to the success of World War Two – with help from the allies.  Russia was more prepared than Britain and France due to the economic progress made during the first two five year plans.  They compared favourably to the Nazi system, which was facing its own problems with being unable to produce armaments on a scale necessary to defeat Russia and capitalise on the resources won through conquest.  Central planning proved highly effective during the Second World War; by 1942 56% of Russia’s national income was devoted to war, a much higher figure than in Germany, Britain and America.  The production of armaments almost doubled between 1941-1944, remarkable given the fact that for this entire period a great deal of Russian territory and industry was in German hands.  This could be further evidence to support the statement that the mobilisation of the Russian people was the cause of the success of World War 2.

Lend-Lease, the scheme established by Roosevelt to supply the British with American resources to fight the Nazis, was vital to Russia’s success and therefore contributed to the USSR’s defeat of Germany in the Second World War.  Lend-lease was highly significant in terms of food and transport, wheat and tinned goods such as SPAM from America and Canada were vital to the Red Army.  By 1943 approximately 17% of the calorie intake of the Red Army was supplied by the Americans.   The impact of Allied help also affected transport greatly, American ‘jeeps’ formed two thirds of all those used by the Red Army and out of 2000 trains used during the war 1900 were American.   Without the support of America, Russia would have faced many difficulties preventing them from processing in the war.

German mistakes, economical and tactical, cannot be overlooked when considering the reason for the USSR’s defeat of Germany.  The Nazis had been preparing for war since 1933 so logically speaking they should have been well prepared, however the Nazi economy lacked direction.  Senior Nazis had a series of competing priorities which hampered the effective preparation for war, for example insisting that living standards should take priority.  Goering made a number of mistakes which hampered war production such as opposing the introduction of mass production in the German aircraft industry.  Therefore, by 1943, Hitler reckoned that the German economy was four years behind schedule.  Hitler’s self confidence grew, unfortunately for him so did his inability to guide the war effectively.  Launching a war against Russia whilst still fighting Britain was over-ambitious.  Operation Barbarossa was launched later than German strategists had anticipated and for this reason the Germany army reached Moscow during Winter finding themselves unprepared for the harsh conditions.  Secondly, Hitler decided to lay siege Leningrad and Moscow rather than taking them by force.  This prolonged the war and gave the armed forces time to regroup and mount a successful counter-offensive.