Operation Barbarossa, the invasion of the Soviet Union by Germany, was a massive undertaking by an ambitious dictator during World War Two. It was an undeclared attack, breaking a non-aggression agreement, and came as a smashing blow to the Stalin and a welcome development to the Chamberlin. It changed the course of the war, affecting foreign relations, resulting in the Axis and Allied Alliances we know today. The failure of Operation Barbarossa is commonly seen as a direct cause of Hitler’s downfall as it opened a two front war for Germany, created a massive enemy out of an ally and ultimately led to the Big Three Alliance that came together to end the war. Although Operation Barbarossa is notoriously viewed as one of Hitler’s greatest blunders,
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“He stated more than once that the Red Army did not exist just to protect Soviet security and that it was an instrument in the world revolution.”9 His beliefs and motives were ingrained, thus, he was a man run by his ideological convictions. “Marxist-Leninist teachings informed everything in his life, from his politics to his military strategy and personal values.”10 This molded his behavior and decisions as he became a brutal totalitarian dictator. He was ruthless, and willing to eliminate anyone whom he believed was against communism. In a 1937 speech, following mass executions by the secret police, Stalin proclaimed, “We will mercilessly exterminate anyone, Bolsheviks or not, who with deeds or thoughts threatens the unity of the socialist state… Here’s to the extermination of all enemies, themselves and their kin!”11 This statement makes clear that no peace between Nazis and Communists could ever had lasted, and war between the two great nations was certain. It was just a matter of who would strike first, and when.
To begin, Hitler set out to grow his power and army though conquering other, smaller, nations. To make this possible he had to remove the possible danger of Soviet Union retaliation. Despite underlying distrust, the opposing dictators were able to come to an agreement of peace for the sake of conquest, and signed the treaty of non-aggression in 1939. As unlikely as it may seem that these two dictators could have peace, they were men of political savvy and both had underlying motives for the
“He stated more than once that the Red Army did not exist just to protect Soviet security and that it was an instrument in the world revolution.”9 His beliefs and motives were ingrained, thus, he was a man run by his ideological convictions. “Marxist-Leninist teachings informed everything in his life, from his politics to his military strategy and personal values.”10 This molded his behavior and decisions as he became a brutal totalitarian dictator. He was ruthless, and willing to eliminate anyone whom he believed was against communism. In a 1937 speech, following mass executions by the secret police, Stalin proclaimed, “We will mercilessly exterminate anyone, Bolsheviks or not, who with deeds or thoughts threatens the unity of the socialist state… Here’s to the extermination of all enemies, themselves and their kin!”11 This statement makes clear that no peace between Nazis and Communists could ever had lasted, and war between the two great nations was certain. It was just a matter of who would strike first, and when.
To begin, Hitler set out to grow his power and army though conquering other, smaller, nations. To make this possible he had to remove the possible danger of Soviet Union retaliation. Despite underlying distrust, the opposing dictators were able to come to an agreement of peace for the sake of conquest, and signed the treaty of non-aggression in 1939. As unlikely as it may seem that these two dictators could have peace, they were men of political savvy and both had underlying motives for the