Soviet Foreign Policy - Pt. 2

Author: Linda DeLaine
Website: RL Online
Department:
Page: 1   ( 4) pages

Summary: This installment begins with events leading up to Barbarossa, Soviet Russia's contributions to the defeat of Hitler, the Yalta Conference and defeat of Japan.

Stalin scheduled his third Five-Year Plan from 1938-1941. During this time, the Soviet Union was preparing for war, believing this to be inevitable as the Nazi threat continued. More and more resources were poured into the military and war related industry. This five-year plan was cut somewhat short by the 1941 Nazi invasion of Soviet Russia. It was then that most of the nation's industry was moved from western Russia to the Urals to guard against future war damage. Stalin's fourth Five-Year Plan occurred from 1946 through 1950 and focused on the rebuilding of areas of the nation devastated by war.

Stalin's dealings with eastern Poland were nothing short of brutal. In October of 1939, he had his secret police order the, so called, election of new local authorities in Poland, Polish Ukraine and Belorussia. Most of these individuals were criminals who were more than happy to grab control of respectable citizens. They were encouraged to take property away from the land owners and, in the name of land reform, make the peasants divide up the lands and loot among themselves.

Many of the candidates in these trumped up elections were not even from the district that they would be representing. Local residents were driven by Soviet secret police to the polls out of fear and anyone who dared not vote suffered dire consequences. The ballots had only one candidate or group of candidates with the option to vote yes or no. To insure a positive outcome, the no votes were thrown out and replaced with phony yes ballots.

After the election, the newly elected officials begged the Supreme Soviet to admit Western Ukraine and Western Belorussia into their fold. In November of 1939, their petition was granted. From that point on, the Soviet governments have insisted that these people, via democratically elected representation, wanted to be a part of the USSR.

The annexation of these regions was not enough for Stalin. He did, what he did several times, decided to mix people up so as to keep them in a state of confusion and fear. In January of 1940, a series of mass deportations began. After three deportations and by June of 1941, roughly 1.25 million people had been moved from Soviet Poland, Ukraine and Belorussia to Soviet Central Asia, the Far East and Arctic regions. About 52 percent were Poles with the remaining 48 percent being Ukrainians, Belorussians and Jews. They totaled roughly 10 percent of the original population of their homelands and most were educated, once well-off and merchants. Most of the merchants were Jews. These enemies of the Soviet State were hauled out of their homes in the dark of night, taken to a rail station and crammed into cattle cars.

The journey was long and they were given little food and water. Most who were old, sick or very young perished along the way. It is estimated that about 200,000 Poles died before Hitler attacked Russia in June of 1941. In fact, more Eastern Poles died at the hands of the Soviets than Western Poles who were brutalized by Hitler. From September 1939 to June 1941, the Nazis killed roughly 100,000 Jews and about 10,900 Christian Poles plus another ca. 10,000 Christian Poles died in prisons. The Nazis caused the deaths of roughly 121,000 Poles, most of which were Jews. This compares to an estimated total of 325,000 Poles killed by the Soviets during the same 21 month time period.

This scheme of elections followed by deportations and killing of state enemies worked so well that the Soviets did the same thing in the Baltic States and Bessarabia (formerly northeast Romania, modern day Moldova). All of these regions were annexed by June of 1940.

Next Page > Stalin Ignores Warnings > Page 1, 2, 3, 4

Enemy at the Gates

Russia at War: 1941-1945

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