Stalin

Joseph Stalin was an unlikely ally of the U.S. and Britain. He was the leader of the Soviet Union, a Communist state whose government was completely different from--and hostile to--the democracy practiced in America and Britain. Stalin had been a member of the Bolsheviks, the Communist revolutionaries who overthrew the government of Russia in 1917. He robbed banks to provide money for the revolution, ordered people to be killed, and executed political enemies and even fellow Communists whom he felt were disloyal. Stalin basically did whatever he felt was necessary to achieve the Communists' goals. They overthrew the Russian government and renamed Russia as the Soviet Union. Stalin suddenly came to power when Lenin, the revolutionary leader, had a stroke in 1921 and was unable to continue as Soviet premier. Once Stalin became premier, he quickly established a dictatorship and a reign of terror. He ordered many "purges" between 1921 and 1939, when World War II began. These purges were roundups of people whom Stalin considered to be enemies or rivals, all of whom were killed. It is estimated that almost 3 million Soviet citizens were killed in these purges between 1921 and 1953 when Stalin died. Sometimes Stalin "purged" the entire nation: When famine struck the Soviet Union in 1932, Stalin allowed millions of Soviets to die of hunger rather than release grain reserves, claiming that the peasants were hoarding grain and only pretending to be starving. In 1939, Stalin allied with Nazi Germany because the Nazis promised to let him invade eastern Europe and make it part of the Soviet Union.

So how did this man become one of the Big Three Allied leaders? How did he come to meet with FDR and then President Truman to collaborate on a plan for the post-war world? Learn about the steps that led to these nations allying during World War II and the problems within that alliance by reading each line in this table.

The Nazi Invasion

In June 1941, less than two years after the two nations became allies, Germany invaded the Soviet Union. This caused Stalin two problems. First, he had refused to believe his advisers when they warned him that Germany would invade, so he had not allowed any defenses to be set up on the Soviet Union's western border. This lack of defenses allowed the Germans to advance far into the country very quickly. Second, he had purged the Soviet Red Army several times during the 1930s so that by the time Germany invaded, the Red Army had few officers and few experienced soldiers, and was very weak.

The Alliance

Churchill saw an opportunity in the invasion. If the Soviets could fight back, they would create a second front for Germany (a "front," also called a "theater" of war, refers to the areas around or beyond a boundary). Germany would have to fight Britain in the west and the Soviet Union in the east. This would weaken Germany and make it easier to defeat. Churchill urged Stalin to join the Allied nations fighting fascism in Europe.

The Motive

Stalin agreed to join the Allies, but not because he was dedicated to their goal of fighting fascism and establishing democracy in Europe. He joined because he wanted money, equipment, and other help fighting the German invasion. Stalin never abandoned his original plan to occupy and annex eastern Europe, making it part of the Soviet Union. For him, World War II was a chance for expansion and nothing else.

The U.S.

FDR was suspicious of Stalin, but he decided to be friendly with him, convinced that Stalin was bluffing about being willing to start another war over Europe. FDR also agreed with Churchill that it was crucial to open a second front in the war, and the Soviets were creating that second front. The U.S. accepted the Soviet Union as an ally.

The Post-War Plan

Each time FDR, Churchill, and Stalin met during World War II, Stalin made no secret of the fact that he did not plan to remove his armies from the lands they occupied in Europe. Churchill was convinced that global conflict would not end with the defeat of Nazi Germany because Stalin would fight a war for control over Europe. FDR continued to believe that Stalin would never really start another war over it.

Complete this activity to check your knowledge of the evolution of the Soviet Union from enemy to ally and back again over the course of World War II.

The Soviet Union is
invaded by Germany.

The Soviet Union allies
with Nazi Germany.

The Red Army opens up a second front for Germany in the east.

Stalin occupies eastern
European countries.

Stalin makes his plans for expansion clear to FDR and Churchill.

Churchill urges Stalin to ally with Britain and the U.S.

FDR accepts the Soviet
Union as an ally.

Great job! You got them all!

The ones with X's are incorrect. Try again.

Who was the Soviet leader?