| ID | 135930 |
| Title Proper | Stalin’s strategic intentions, 1941–1945 |
| Other Title Information | Soviet military operations as indicators of Stalin’s postwar territorial ambitions |
| Language | ENG |
| Author | Glantz, David M |
| Summary / Abstract (Note) | One of the most controversial questions in regard to the Soviet Union’s conduct of the war against Hitler’s Nazi Germany (1941–1945) was the extent to which Joseph Stalin, the country’s ruler, conducted military operations designed to advance the country’s post-war political objectives. Historians, who have long debated this matter, have generally based their judgments on the reality of the post-war structure in Europe—specifically, the establishment of Communist puppet governments behind what Winston Churchill described as the ‘iron curtain’. Truth regarding Stalin’s political intent has generally eluded them because archival documents necessary to validate their conclusions have been unavailable. Now, however, the slow but steady opening of the Soviet Union’s (Russian) military archives provides fresh evidence upon which to judge Stalin’s wartime intent. This article surveys this evidence, principally wartime directives issued by the USSR’s State Defense Committee and Stavka (Supreme High Command), which indicate that Stalin did indeed orchestrate the Red Army’s military operations to secure distinct political objectives within and outside the borders of the pre-war Soviet Union. By no means definitive in its conclusions, the article summons further debate and discussion on this important historical matter. |
| `In' analytical Note | Journal of Slavic Military Studies Vol.27, No.4; Oct-Dec.2014: p.676-720 |
| Journal Source | Journal of Slavic Military Studies Vol: 27 No 4 |
| Standard Number | Military Operations |