Was Stalin a good war leader?

Yes

1. He learned from mistakes and ran the war effort with a single-minded determination

2. He acted as a figurehead rather than a military commander

3. He was willing to take advice and give responsibility to others

                - The Stavka was set up two days after the German invasion and directed strategic and                 military operations

4. He allowed General Zhukov to stand up to him and Party bosses in military decisions

                - Generals could make a genuine contribution to military debate in a way which Hitler                         rarely allowed

5. He had a great propaganda value as a figurehead and inspired the Russian people to fight in a Patriotic War

                - They were joining the struggle to save the traditional Mother Russia

                - Within a fortnight of the German invasion, 10 million Soviet citizens were enlisted in                         the Red Army

6. He allowed the Russia Orthodox Church to have a revival, which allowed him to present a Holy War against Russia’s enemies

                - By the end of 1943 there were over 15,000 functioning Orthodox churches

7. He allowed a limited de-Stalinisation where managers of factories and military commanders were freed from Party supervision

No

1. He underestimated the threat the German invasion posed

2. He drove to his Dacha in late June during Operation Barbarossa, leaving the USSR leaderless

3. He ordered the Red Army to stand and fight

                - He wouldn’t allow a retreat, which allowed them to be easily encircled

THE IMPACT OF HIS EARLY MISTAKES

1. The Blitzkrieg tactic were highly effective

                - Within a few hours, 1200 Soviet aircraft were destroyed

                - The Germans advanced 50 miles a day

BUT: Early German victories led Hitler to become overconfident

                - On the 14^th of July, he ordered the German army to be reduced on the Eastern Front

                - Their barbaric treatment of the Soviet population provoked resistance and 
                partisan groups

2. Khrushchev: “Stalin became a bag of bones in a grey tunic.”

3. In July 1942 Stalin issued Order 227

                - “Not a Step Back”

                - Fight to death or be shot by the NKVD

4. THE ECONOMIC IMPACT OF GERMAN SUCCESS

In the 1^st year of war, the USSR lost:

-          ½ of food-producing land

-          ¾ of coal, iron and steel

-          1/3 of the railway network

-          40% of electricity-generating capacity