Soviet-German Military and Economic Supplies in 1939–1941 and the Motives of the Soviet Leadership

The article examines the Soviet-German economic and military cooperation in 1939–1941 and the motives behind the position adopted by the Soviet leadership at that time. The author believes that the Soviet leaders' choice of military supplies was determined by both the experience of the war in Spain and their ideas about the potential theatre of military operations in Eastern Europe. The defeat of France, the territorial changes of 1940, and the growing threat of a military clash with Germany were among significant influences on the adjustment of the Soviet position. The Soviet leadership's ideas about the beginning of the war turned out to be largely erroneous, which led to a different contribution of German military supplies to the Soviet victory. The role of the Navy in the coming war was overestimated. A bid to overcome the technical backlog of Soviet aviation, demonstrated during the war in Spain, was successful. The role of tanks was underestimated. The author traces the course of negotiations on supplies and demonstrates the role of Soviet intelligence in reaching an agreement. Germany invested in the current needs of the population's consumption and supplying industry, primarily military. The USSR invested mainly in the future, which in the conditions of the Second World War, the Soviet leadership linked to the development of weapons production. German supplies played a role in the further general technical modernization of Soviet industry, which was a valuable contribution to the victory and contributed to the post-war development of Soviet industry.

Keywords

USSR, Germany, World War II, Stalin, Hitler, Mikoyan, Tevosyan, Goering

Received

19.03.2021

Publication date

05.08.2021

Number of characters

46504

Cite

GOST	Shubin A. Soviet-German Military and Economic Supplies in 1939–1941 and the Motives of the Soviet Leadership // Novaia i noveishaia istoriia – 2021. – Issue 4 C. 122-136 [Electronic resource]. URL: https://nni.jes.su/S013038640016184-0-1 (circulation date: 19.04.2024). DOI: 10.31857/S013038640016184-0
MLA	Shubin, Aleksander "Soviet-German Military and Economic Supplies in 1939–1941 and the Motives of the Soviet Leadership." Novaia i noveishaia istoriia 4 (2021):122-136. DOI: 10.31857/S013038640016184-0
APA	Shubin A. (2021). Soviet-German Military and Economic Supplies in 1939–1941 and the Motives of the Soviet Leadership. Novaia i noveishaia istoriia (4), pp.122-136 DOI: 10.31857/S013038640016184-0

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