home front patriotic war
When launching attacks on the USSR, the leaders of Nazi Germany hoped to defeat the main forces of the Red Army with their first powerful blows. The Nazis also assumed that military failures would demoralize the Soviet population in the rear, lead to the collapse of the economic life of the Soviet Union and thereby facilitate its defeat. Such predictions were wrong. The Soviet Union had such socio-economic advantages that Nazi Germany did not and could not have. The Soviet state entered the war under difficult conditions. The Armed Forces and the national economy of the country had to face great difficulties. During the retreat, enormous human, material and production resources were lost.
To wage a modern war you need a lot of military equipment and especially artillery weapons. War requires constant replenishment of the army's equipment and ammunition, and, moreover, many times more than in peacetime. In wartime, not only defense factories increase production, but also many “peaceful” factories switch to defense work. Without the powerful economic foundation of the Soviet state, without the selfless labor of our people in the rear, without the moral and political unity of the Soviet people, without their material and moral support, the Soviet Army would not have been able to defeat the enemy.
The first months of the Great Patriotic War were very difficult for our industry. The unexpected attack of the Nazi invaders and their advance to the east forced the evacuation of factories from the western regions of the country to a safe zone - to the Urals and Siberia.
The relocation of industrial enterprises to the east was carried out according to plans and under the leadership of the State Defense Committee. At remote stations and stops, in the steppe, in the taiga, new factories sprang up with fabulous speed. The machines began to work in the open air as soon as they were installed on the foundation; the front required military products, and there was no time to wait for the completion of the construction of factory buildings. Among others, artillery factories were also deployed.
The speech of the Chairman of the State Committee played a huge role in strengthening our rear and mobilizing the masses to defend the Motherland. Defense I.V. Stalin on the radio July 3, 1941. In this speech I.V. Stalin, on behalf of the party and the Soviet Government, called on the Soviet people to restructure all work on a war footing as soon as possible. “We must,” said I.V. Stalin, - to strengthen the rear of the Red Army, subordinating all their work to the interests of this matter, to ensure the enhanced work of all enterprises, to produce more rifles, machine guns, guns, cartridges, shells, aircraft, to organize the security of factories, power plants, telephone and telegraph communications, to establish local air defense."
The Communist Party quickly restructured the entire national economy, all the work of party, state and public organizations on a war footing.
Under the leadership of the Communist Party, our people were able not only to fully provide the front with weapons and ammunition, but also to accumulate reserves for the successful completion of the war.
Our party turned the Soviet country into a single combat camp and armed the home front workers with an unshakable faith in victory over the enemy. Labor productivity has increased enormously; new improvements in production technology have sharply reduced the production time of weapons for the army; The output of artillery platoons increased significantly.
The quality of artillery weapons also continuously improved. The calibers of tank and anti-tank artillery guns have increased. The initial speeds have increased significantly. The armor-piercing ability of Soviet artillery shells has increased several times.
The maneuverability of artillery systems has been greatly increased. The most powerful self-propelled artillery in the world was created, armed with such heavy guns as a 152-mm howitzer gun and a 122-mm cannon.
Soviet designers achieved especially great success in the field of weapons. Our rocket artillery, very powerful and mobile, was a thunderstorm for the Nazi invaders.
Neither fascist artillery nor fascist tanks could compete with Soviet artillery and tanks, although the Nazis robbed all of Western Europe, and the scientists and designers of Western Europe mostly worked for the Nazis. The Nazis had the largest metallurgical plants in Germany (Krupp plants) and many other factories in European countries occupied by Hitler's troops. And, nevertheless, neither the industry of all Western Europe, nor the experience of many Western European scientists and designers could provide the Nazis with superiority in the field of creating new military equipment.
Thanks to the care of the Communist Party and the Soviet Government, our country has produced a whole galaxy of talented designers who, during the war, created new types of weapons with exceptional speed.
Talented artillery designers V.G. Grabin, F.F. Petrov, I.I. Ivanov and many others created new, advanced models of artillery weapons.
Design work was also carried out at factories. During the war, the factories produced many prototypes of artillery weapons; a significant part of them went into mass production.
The Second World War required a lot of weapons, incomparably more than for previous wars. For example, in one of the greatest battles of the past, the Battle of Borodino, the two armies - Russian and French - had a total of 1227 guns.
At the beginning of the First World War, the armies of all the warring countries had 25,000 guns, which were scattered along all fronts. The saturation of the front with artillery was insignificant; Only in some areas of the breakthrough were they able to assemble up to 100-150 guns per kilometer of front.
Things were different during the Great Patriotic War. When breaking the enemy blockade of Leningrad in January 1944, 5,000 guns and mortars took part in the battle on our side. When breaking through the powerful enemy defenses on the Vistula, 9,500 guns and mortars were concentrated on the 1st Belorussian Front alone. Finally, during the assault on Berlin, 41,000 Soviet guns and mortars rained down on the enemy.
In some battles of the Great Patriotic War, our artillery fired more shells in one day of battle than the Russian army used during the entire war with Japan in 1904-1905.
How many defense factories had to be had, and how fast they had to work in order to produce such a huge number of guns and ammunition. How skillfully and accurately the transport had to work in order to smoothly transfer countless cannons and shells to the battlefields!
And the Soviet people, inspired by their love for the Motherland, for the Communist Party, for their government, coped with all these difficult tasks.
During the war, Soviet factories produced huge quantities of guns and ammunition. Back in 1942, our industry produced much more guns of all calibers in just one month than the Russian army had at the beginning of the First World War.
Thanks to the heroic work of the Soviet people, the Soviet Army received a continuous stream of first-class artillery weapons, which in the capable hands of our artillerymen became the decisive force that ensured the defeat of Nazi Germany and the victorious end of the war. During the war, our domestic industry increased its production from month to month and supplied the Soviet Army with tanks and aircraft, ammunition and equipment in increasing quantities.
The artillery industry annually produced up to 120 thousand guns of all calibers, up to 450 thousand light and heavy machine guns, over 3 million rifles and about 2 million machine guns. In 1944 alone, 7 billion 400 million rounds of ammunition were produced.
To supply the troops with food, feed the population in the rear, provide raw materials to industry and help the state create sustainable reserves of bread and food in the country - these were the demands made by the war on agriculture. The Soviet village had to solve such complex economic problems in extremely difficult and unfavorable conditions. The war separated the most able-bodied and qualified part of the rural workers from peaceful labor. For the needs of the front, a large number of tractors, cars, and horses were needed, which significantly weakened the material and technical base of agriculture. The first war summer was especially difficult. It was necessary to put into action all the reserves of the village in order to harvest the harvest as quickly as possible, carry out state procurements and purchases of bread. In view of the current situation, local land authorities were asked to use all collective farm horses and oxen for field work in order to ensure full implementation of harvesting, autumn sowing, and plowing. Due to the lack of machinery, the collective farm harvesting plans envisaged the widespread use of simple technical means and manual labor. Every day of work in the fields in the summer and autumn of 1941 was marked by the selfless work of village workers. Collective farmers, abandoning the usual norms of peacetime, worked from dawn to dawn. In 1941, during the first war harvest, 67% of the grain was harvested on collective farms in the rear regions by horse-drawn vehicles and by hand, and 13% on state farms. Due to the lack of equipment, the use of draft animals has increased significantly. Horse-drawn machines and implements played a big role in maintaining agricultural production during the war. An increase in the share of manual labor and simple machines in field work was combined with maximum use of the existing fleet of tractors and combines. To increase the pace of harvesting in the front-line areas, emergency measures were taken. The resolution of the Council of People's Commissars of the USSR and the Central Committee of the All-Union Communist Party of Bolsheviks dated October 2, 1941 determined that collective farms and state farms near the front line should hand over to the state only half of the harvest. In the current situation, the main burden of solving the food problem fell on the eastern regions. In order to compensate, if possible, for the losses of agriculture, the Central Committee of the All-Union Communist Party (Bolsheviks) on July 20, 1941 approved a plan to increase the winter wedge of grain crops in the regions of the Volga region, Siberia, the Urals and Kazakhstan. It was decided to expand the planting of grain crops in cotton-growing areas - in Uzbekistan, Turkmenistan, Tajikistan, Kyrgyzstan, Kazakhstan and Azerbaijan. Large-scale mechanized agriculture needed not only skilled labor, but also skillful production organizers. In accordance with the instructions of the Central Committee of the All-Union Communist Party of Bolsheviks, in many cases women from among the collective farm activists were promoted as chairmen of collective farms, becoming the true leaders of the collective farm masses. Thousands of women activists, the best production workers, heading village councils and artels, successfully completed their assigned work. Overcoming enormous difficulties caused by war conditions, the Soviet peasantry selflessly fulfilled its duty to the country.
The restructuring of the railways began with the transfer of train traffic from June 24, 1941 to a special military schedule. Transportation that was not of defense significance, including passenger traffic, was significantly reduced. The new traffic schedule opened up a “green street” for trains carrying troops and mobilization cargo. Most of the class cars were converted for military sanitary service, and freight cars were adapted for transporting people, military equipment, as well as factory equipment evacuated to the rear. The procedure for planning freight transportation that was of military-strategic importance was changed; the range of goods planned centrally has been expanded.
During the war, the life of the Soviet school was not suspended, but its workers had to work radically in a changed and extremely difficult environment. Particular difficulties befell teachers in the western regions of the Union. From areas threatened by the enemy, the equipment of hundreds of schools, technical schools, thousands of students and teachers, the number of whom was sharply reduced, were evacuated to the east of the country. Already in the first days of the war, about 10 thousand people joined the active army in Belarus, over 7 thousand in Georgia, 6 thousand in Uzbekistan. In the occupied territory of Ukraine, Belarus and the Baltic republics, in the western regions of the RSFSR, many former teachers participated in partisan warfare. Many teachers died. Even in cities besieged by the Nazis, as a rule, many schools continued to operate. Even behind enemy lines - in partisan regions and zones - schools (mainly primary) functioned. The Nazis destroyed the material assets of schools, educational buildings, and turned schools into barracks, police stations, stables, and garages. They transported a lot of school equipment to Germany. The occupiers closed almost all universities in the Baltic republics. The bulk of the teaching staff, who did not have time to evacuate, were subjected to severe persecution. A difficult time has come for universities in besieged cities. During air attacks, German aircraft damaged the building of Leningrad University. During the long winter months, the university was not heated, had no electricity, no water, and window glass was replaced by plywood. But the student and scientific life of the university did not freeze: lectures were still given here, practical classes were held, and even dissertations were defended.
In the first years of the war, the main task of the rear was to transfer the country's economy to a war footing. It was necessary to redistribute resources to meet the needs of the front, and reorient civilian industry towards military production.
In addition, it was important to at least minimally provide agriculture to supply the front and rear.
The tasks in the rear were no less important than at the front. And in the rear, the Soviet people accomplished no less a feat than on the front line.
People worked in the rear under very difficult conditions. From the first days of the war, emergency measures began to be taken to rebuild the economy:
- evacuation of industry to the east (to the Urals). On June 24, 1941, an Evacuation Council was organized headed by N.M. Shvernik (Fig. 1). More than 2,500 businesses were evacuated. In addition to enterprises, people, livestock, and cultural works were evacuated inland;
- tightening centralization in economic management;
- creation of special people's commissariats for the production of weapons;
- tightening working conditions: mandatory overtime, 11-hour working day, cancellation of vacations;
- tightening labor discipline and sanctions for non-compliance. For example, leaving work without permission was considered desertion. Workers were equal in status to soldiers;
- attaching workers to enterprises. This means that the worker could not change jobs himself.
In the fall of 1941, a card system for food distribution was introduced in many cities.
In addition to working in factories for the needs of the front and providing life in the rear, the population helped the military in the construction of defensive fortifications: women dug trenches and built anti-tank ditches.
Since almost all the men were at the front, women and teenagers (from 12 years old) worked in the rear (Fig. 2). There were even fewer men in the village, so we can say that it was women who fed our country during the war years.
The role of prisoners, prisoners of Stalin's camps is great. Prisoner labor was used in the most difficult jobs.
In addition to labor assistance, the population helped the front financially. During the war, millions of rubles were collected into the defense fund - donations from citizens (Fig. 3).
How did the population manage to endure such difficult working conditions?
The government supported the morale of the people and reinforced the patriotism of Soviet citizens. Already on July 3, 1941, in Stalin’s famous address, in his first speech to the people after the start of the war, he called Soviet citizens brothers and sisters.
The Great Patriotic War against fascism was declared sacred.
The Soviet leadership encouraged heroism on the home front with orders and medals. During the war, 16 million people received the medal “For Valiant Labor in the Great Patriotic War of 1941-1945” on the home front (Fig. 4), 199 people were awarded the title of Hero of Socialist Labor.
By the end of 1942, the economy was completely rebuilt on a war footing. The output of goods was increased, and in many respects it was possible to exceed the pre-war level of industrial production.
The main reason for the economic breakthrough was, of course, the labor and moral feat of the people.
Soviet scientists made a great contribution to the development of technology. A.N. Tupolev, S.P. During the war, Korolev and other outstanding design engineers developed the latest equipment and weapons for the Soviet army.
By the end of the war, Soviet technology was already superior to German in many respects.
It is important to mention the supplies of allies to the USSR under Lend-Lease. The Allies (British, Americans) supplied us with weapons, cars, communications equipment, and food.
State policy was often extremely tough, but still the hardest task of the first years of the war was solved: the USSR was ready to fight and ready to win.
As mentioned above, working conditions for the population have become more stringent.
In addition, military training of the population was carried out in the rear. Citizens of the rear had to learn at least the minimum rules of defense and interaction in war.
During the war years, repression continued. The commander of the Western Front, D. G. Pavlov, was shot in 1941 “for cowardice, unauthorized abandonment of strategic points without the permission of the high command, collapse of command and control, and inaction of the authorities.”
Forced relocation of peoples was practiced. For example, Volga Germans, Chechens, Ingush, Balkars, and Crimean Tatars were resettled.
During the war years, the attitude of the authorities towards the church changed. In September 1943, the patriarchate was restored. Metropolitan Sergius was elected Patriarch. The Patriarch declared the war sacred, and he was supported by the leader of Soviet Muslims, who declared jihad against the Nazis.
Culture could not help but respond to such a terrible event as war. Soviet writers and poets also worked during the war, often while at the front. Many of them worked as war correspondents. The works of A. Tvardovsky, V. Grossman, K. Simonov, and O. Berggolts were deeply close to the people.
During the war years, posters (Fig. 5) and cartoons were constantly published and printed. The most famous poster is I.M. Toidze “The Motherland is Calling!”, cartoons by the Kukryniksy society, issues of TASS Windows.
Nothing helps you get through grief like good music. During the war, Soviet composers wrote immortal works that became popular: the song “Holy War” by A. Alexandrov to the verses of V. Lebedev-Kumach, the “Leningrad” symphony by D. Shostakovich, the song “Dark Night” performed by M. Bernes in the film “Two fighter."
Outstanding singers L. Utesov, K. Shulzhenko, L. Ruslanova supported people at the front and in the rear by performing songs.
The colossal efficiency and dedication of the Soviet people for the sake of victory played a huge role in the Great Patriotic War. It was thanks to the home front workers that the soldiers at the front received food, uniforms, weapons, and new equipment. The feat of home front workers is immortal.
Illustrations
Rice. 1
Rice. 2
Rice. 3
Rice. 4
Rice. 5
Bibliography
- Kiselev A.F., Popov V.P. Russian history. XX - early XXI centuries. 9th grade. - M.: 2013. - 304 p.
- Volobuev O.V., Karpachev S.P., Romanov P.N. History of Russia: the beginning of the 20th - the beginning of the 21st century. Grade 10. - M.: 2016. - 368 p.
- Stalin I.V. Radio speech by the Chairman of the State Defense Committee on July 3, 1941 ().
- Everyday life of war (film) ().
Homework
- What were the main tasks set in the economy of the first war years?
- What additional factors, besides the heroism of the Soviet people in the rear, played a role in the rapid transfer of the economy to a war footing?
- In your opinion, thanks to what personal qualities did the Soviet people manage to overcome the hardships of the war?
- Search the Internet and listen to the songs “Holy War”, “Dark Night”. What emotions do they evoke in you?
In the first years of the war, the main task of the rear was to transfer the country's economy to a war footing. It was necessary to redistribute resources to meet the needs of the front, and reorient civilian industry towards military production.
In addition, it was important to at least minimally provide agriculture to supply the front and rear.
The tasks in the rear were no less important than at the front. And in the rear, the Soviet people accomplished no less a feat than on the front line.
People worked in the rear under very difficult conditions. From the first days of the war, emergency measures began to be taken to rebuild the economy:
- evacuation of industry to the east (to the Urals). On June 24, 1941, an Evacuation Council was organized headed by N.M. Shvernik (Fig. 1). More than 2,500 businesses were evacuated. In addition to enterprises, people, livestock, and cultural works were evacuated inland;
- tightening centralization in economic management;
- creation of special people's commissariats for the production of weapons;
- tightening working conditions: mandatory overtime, 11-hour working day, cancellation of vacations;
- tightening labor discipline and sanctions for non-compliance. For example, leaving work without permission was considered desertion. Workers were equal in status to soldiers;
- attaching workers to enterprises. This means that the worker could not change jobs himself.
In the fall of 1941, a card system for food distribution was introduced in many cities.
In addition to working in factories for the needs of the front and providing life in the rear, the population helped the military in the construction of defensive fortifications: women dug trenches and built anti-tank ditches.
Since almost all the men were at the front, women and teenagers (from 12 years old) worked in the rear (Fig. 2). There were even fewer men in the village, so we can say that it was women who fed our country during the war years.
The role of prisoners, prisoners of Stalin's camps is great. Prisoner labor was used in the most difficult jobs.
In addition to labor assistance, the population helped the front financially. During the war, millions of rubles were collected into the defense fund - donations from citizens (Fig. 3).
How did the population manage to endure such difficult working conditions?
The government supported the morale of the people and reinforced the patriotism of Soviet citizens. Already on July 3, 1941, in Stalin’s famous address, in his first speech to the people after the start of the war, he called Soviet citizens brothers and sisters.
The Great Patriotic War against fascism was declared sacred.
The Soviet leadership encouraged heroism on the home front with orders and medals. During the war, 16 million people received the medal “For Valiant Labor in the Great Patriotic War of 1941-1945” on the home front (Fig. 4), 199 people were awarded the title of Hero of Socialist Labor.
By the end of 1942, the economy was completely rebuilt on a war footing. The output of goods was increased, and in many respects it was possible to exceed the pre-war level of industrial production.
The main reason for the economic breakthrough was, of course, the labor and moral feat of the people.
Soviet scientists made a great contribution to the development of technology. A.N. Tupolev, S.P. During the war, Korolev and other outstanding design engineers developed the latest equipment and weapons for the Soviet army.
By the end of the war, Soviet technology was already superior to German in many respects.
It is important to mention the supplies of allies to the USSR under Lend-Lease. The Allies (British, Americans) supplied us with weapons, cars, communications equipment, and food.
State policy was often extremely tough, but still the hardest task of the first years of the war was solved: the USSR was ready to fight and ready to win.
As mentioned above, working conditions for the population have become more stringent.
In addition, military training of the population was carried out in the rear. Citizens of the rear had to learn at least the minimum rules of defense and interaction in war.
During the war years, repression continued. The commander of the Western Front, D. G. Pavlov, was shot in 1941 “for cowardice, unauthorized abandonment of strategic points without the permission of the high command, collapse of command and control, and inaction of the authorities.”
Forced relocation of peoples was practiced. For example, Volga Germans, Chechens, Ingush, Balkars, and Crimean Tatars were resettled.
During the war years, the attitude of the authorities towards the church changed. In September 1943, the patriarchate was restored. Metropolitan Sergius was elected Patriarch. The Patriarch declared the war sacred, and he was supported by the leader of Soviet Muslims, who declared jihad against the Nazis.
Culture could not help but respond to such a terrible event as war. Soviet writers and poets also worked during the war, often while at the front. Many of them worked as war correspondents. The works of A. Tvardovsky, V. Grossman, K. Simonov, and O. Berggolts were deeply close to the people.
During the war years, posters (Fig. 5) and cartoons were constantly published and printed. The most famous poster is I.M. Toidze “The Motherland is Calling!”, cartoons by the Kukryniksy society, issues of TASS Windows.
Nothing helps you get through grief like good music. During the war, Soviet composers wrote immortal works that became popular: the song “Holy War” by A. Alexandrov to the verses of V. Lebedev-Kumach, the “Leningrad” symphony by D. Shostakovich, the song “Dark Night” performed by M. Bernes in the film “Two fighter."
Outstanding singers L. Utesov, K. Shulzhenko, L. Ruslanova supported people at the front and in the rear by performing songs.
The colossal efficiency and dedication of the Soviet people for the sake of victory played a huge role in the Great Patriotic War. It was thanks to the home front workers that the soldiers at the front received food, uniforms, weapons, and new equipment. The feat of home front workers is immortal.
Illustrations
Rice. 1
Rice. 2
Rice. 3
Rice. 4
Rice. 5
Bibliography
- Kiselev A.F., Popov V.P. Russian history. XX - early XXI centuries. 9th grade. - M.: 2013. - 304 p.
- Volobuev O.V., Karpachev S.P., Romanov P.N. History of Russia: the beginning of the 20th - the beginning of the 21st century. Grade 10. - M.: 2016. - 368 p.
- Stalin I.V. Radio speech by the Chairman of the State Defense Committee on July 3, 1941 ().
- Everyday life of war (film) ().
Homework
- What were the main tasks set in the economy of the first war years?
- What additional factors, besides the heroism of the Soviet people in the rear, played a role in the rapid transfer of the economy to a war footing?
- In your opinion, thanks to what personal qualities did the Soviet people manage to overcome the hardships of the war?
- Search the Internet and listen to the songs “Holy War”, “Dark Night”. What emotions do they evoke in you?
Introduction…………………………………………………………………………………………………………...2
I. The beginning of the war:…………………………………………………………………………………........3
mobilization of forces;……………………………..……………………………………………………….2
evacuation of dangerous areas………………………………………………………………………………4
II. National economy during the Great Patriotic War:...................................................7
restructuring of the national economy in the first year of the war;...................................................7
Soviet rear in 1942;...…………………………………………………………………………………...9
growth of the Soviet Union's power;……………………………………………………….10
life of the USSR in 1944;...................................................................................12
Soviet rear at the final stage of the war…………………………………………………………….13
III. Activities of public organizations in war conditions:..…………………………….15
public authorities;...................................................................16
public organizations…………………………………………………………………………………...20
IV. Soviet people: a turn in self-awareness……………………………………………………...23
V. Partisan movement………………………………………………………………………………………25
VI. Art and literature during the war………………………………………………………..27
VII. Development of Soviet science……………………………………………………………….32
Conclusion……………………………………………………………………………………….34
References…………………………………………………………………………………36
INTRODUCTION
The Great Patriotic War is one of the heroic pages in the history of our country. This period of time was a test of the resilience, endurance and tolerance of our people, so interest in this period is not accidental. At the same time, the war was one of the tragic pages in the history of our country: the loss of life is an incomparable loss.
The history of modern wars does not know another example when one of the warring parties, having suffered enormous damage, could already solve the problems of restoration and development of agriculture and industry during the war years. The selfless work of the Soviet people and devotion to the Motherland were demonstrated during these difficult years of the Great Patriotic War.
More than half a century has passed since the momentous event when our country won the Great Victory over fascism. In recent years, we have observed increasing attention to the study of the contribution of the Soviet rear during the Great Patriotic War. After all, the war was going on not only on the fronts, but also inside the country, its echo reached to the very depths. There is not a single person who was not affected by the events of the Second World War - where no shots were heard, hunger and devastation reigned, mothers lost their sons, and wives lost their husbands. In the rear of the war, everyone worked for victory, the workshops did not stop for a second, people did not sleep for days just to contribute to the future victory. And probably only thanks to this selfless zeal of the Soviet people, our troops nevertheless defeated the Germans, gave a worthy rebuff, and prevented the domination of the Third Reich in the world.
And the purpose of this work is to demonstrate in detail all the invaluable contribution of the rear to the defeat of the fascist troops: a sharp restructuring of the economy for military needs, the mobilization of all the country’s forces, the development of science to help front-line troops, support for cultural figures. Without all this, who knows what country we would live in now?
I. BEGINNING OF THE WAR
§1. FORCE MOBILIZATION
The sudden invasion of Germany into the territory of the USSR required quick and precise action from the Soviet government. First of all, it was necessary to ensure the mobilization of forces to repel the enemy. On the day of the fascist attack, the Presidium of the Supreme Soviet of the USSR issued a decree on the mobilization of those liable for military service in 1905-1918. birth. In a matter of hours, detachments and units were formed. Soon, the Central Committee of the All-Union Communist Party of Bolsheviks and the Council of People's Commissars of the USSR adopted a resolution approving the mobilization national economic plan for the fourth quarter of 1941, which provided for an increase in the production of military equipment and the creation of large tank-building enterprises in the Volga region and the Urals. Circumstances forced the Central Committee of the Communist Party at the beginning of the war to develop a detailed program for restructuring the activities and life of the Soviet country on a war footing, which was set out in the directive of the Council of People's Commissars of the USSR and the Central Committee of the Communist Party of the Soviet Union (Bolsheviks) dated June 29, 1941 to party and Soviet organizations in the front-line regions.
The main directions of economic restructuring were outlined:
Evacuation of industrial enterprises, material assets and people from the front line to the East;
Transition of plants and factories in the civilian sector to the production of military equipment;
Accelerated construction of new industrial facilities.
The Soviet government and the Central Committee of the Party called on the people to abandon their mood and personal desires, go over to a sacred and merciless fight against the enemy, fight to the last drop of blood, rebuild the national economy on a war footing, and increase the output of military products. “In areas occupied by the enemy,” the directive stated, “to create partisan detachments and sabotage groups to fight the enemy army, to incite partisan warfare everywhere, to blow up bridges, roads, damage telephone and telegraph communications, set fire to warehouses, etc. In the occupied areas, create unbearable conditions for the enemy and all his accomplices, pursue and destroy them at every step, disrupt all their activities.” Among other things, local conversations were held with the population. The nature and political goals of the outbreak of the Patriotic War were explained. The main provisions of the directive of June 29 were outlined in a radio speech on July 3, 1941 by J.V. Stalin. Addressing the people, he explained the current situation at the front, revealed the program for defending the goals already achieved, and expressed unshakable faith in the victory of the Soviet people against the German occupiers. “Our strength is incalculable,” his speech emphasized. - The arrogant enemy should soon be convinced of this. Together with the Red Army, many thousands of workers, collective farmers, and intellectuals are rising up to fight the fallen enemy. The millions of our people will rise up.”
At the same time, the slogan was formulated: “Everything for the front, everything for victory!”, which became the motto of the life of the Soviet people.
On June 23, 1941, the Headquarters of the Main Command of the Armed Forces of the USSR was formed for strategic leadership of military operations. Later it was renamed the Headquarters of the Supreme High Command (SHC), headed by the General Secretary of the Central Committee of the All-Union Communist Party of Bolsheviks, Chairman of the Council of People's Commissars I.V. Stalin, who was also appointed People's Commissar of Defense, and then the Supreme Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces of the USSR. Complete power was concentrated in Stalin's hands. The Supreme Command also included: A.I.Antipov, S.M.Bubenny, M.A.Bulganin, A.M.Vasilevsky, K.E.Voroshilov, G.K.Zhukov and others.
§2. EVACUATION OF DANGEROUS AREAS
In connection with the rapid advance of German troops to the east, there was an urgent need to evacuate the population, factories, and valuables from territories that were in danger and could fall into the hands of the enemy to the eastern regions. The rapid pace of creation of the country's main arsenal in the East could only be ensured by the successful movement of enterprises, ammunition, weapons and other industries to the deep rear. The forced evacuation of resources from the hazardous front-line zone is not a new phenomenon. It took place, in particular, in Russia back in the First World War. But never before has any of the warring states been able to carry out a gigantic evacuation of productive forces so purposefully, according to plan and with such amazing results, as was done by the Soviet Union.
On June 24, 1941, an evacuation council was created, which was entrusted with directing the movement to the east of the population, institutions, military cargo, equipment, enterprises and other valuables from the front-line areas. It was headed by L. Kaganovich, and then N. Shvernik. The evacuation council developed the order and priority of moving people and material assets, planned the timing of the formation and dispatch of trains to unloading points in the eastern regions. Its decrees, approved by the government, were mandatory for the economic leadership, party, Soviet bodies and military councils of the fronts, whose troops covered the areas and regions subject to evacuation.
The evacuation was carried out in two stages: summer-autumn 1941 and summer-autumn 1942. It was carried out in very difficult conditions: on the one hand, it was necessary to ensure the production of products necessary for the front in the old place until the last minute, and on the other hand, to have time to remove people and equipment before the Germans arrived. The dismantling of equipment at the evacuated enterprises began only by a special order of the authorized State Defense Committee and the corresponding People's Commissariat. Sometimes work was carried out in workshops that had already been mined in case of an enemy breakthrough.
The evacuation required enormous stress from the railway workers: by the end of 1941, 1.5 million wagons with people, machines, raw materials, and fuel were sent to the east. Meanwhile, the railways were already working under heavy loads, providing (often under enemy bombs) the transfer of reinforcements, weapons, ammunition and other equipment to the front.
Evacuation was also carried out by river and sea transport, which played a particularly important role in the defense of Odessa, Sevastopol, Tallinn and during the siege of Leningrad.
Along with the planned evacuation, there was also a spontaneous evacuation: people fled from the advancing Germans in passing cars, carts, and covered many hundreds of kilometers on foot. Often the situation was aggravated by the fact that the evacuation of the population from the front line without the appropriate order of the State Defense Committee was prohibited. Then, as the Nazis approached, a chaotic flight began.
All evacuees and refugees in the new place had to be provided with food, housing, work, and medical care. For this purpose, by the end of August 1941, more than 120 evacuation points had been created. Each of them served up to 2 thousand people a day.
The most difficult time for the Soviet economy was the second half of 1941 and the beginning of 1942, when a significant part of the evacuated enterprises had not yet managed to restart production. The volume of industrial production as a whole decreased by 52% compared to the pre-war level, the output of rolled ferrous metals fell by 3.1 times, bearings - by 21 times, rolled non-ferrous metals - by 430 times. This led to a significant reduction in the production of military equipment.
Factories exported from the western and central regions of the country were sent to the Volga region, Western Siberia, Kazakhstan and Central Asia, but most of all to the Urals, where there were large industrial centers, an established industrial infrastructure, and qualified workers and specialists. 44% of evacuated enterprises were sent there.
The relocation of productive forces to the east is one of the brightest pages in the history of the Great Patriotic War. The heroic efforts of Soviet workers, engineers, production commanders, and railway workers ensured the evacuation of many hundreds of large enterprises and more than 11 million people to the east. In fact, an entire industrial country was moved thousands of kilometers. There, in uninhabited areas, often in the open air, machines and machines were put into action literally from a railway platform.
II. NATIONAL ECONOMY DURING THE GREAT PATRIOTIC WAR
§1. RESTRUCTURING THE NATIONAL ECONOMY IN THE FIRST YEAR OF THE WAR
There are two periods in the country's economic policy. The first – June 22, 1941 – end of 1942 – restructuring of the economy on a war footing in the most difficult conditions of the defeat of the Red Army and the loss of a significant part of the economically developed European part of the territory of the Soviet Union. The second - 1943-1945 - steadily increasing military-industrial production, achieving economic superiority over Germany and its allies, growing the national economy in the liberated territories.
The first years of the war were the most difficult. We had to rebuild the economy and put it on a war footing. The country's scientific forces were involved in solving major scientific and technical problems. In August-September 1941, the USSR Academy of Sciences determined the main directions of scientific work in wartime conditions. They were based on: improving military equipment and creating new means of fighting the enemy, scientific assistance to industry in organizing and expanding military production, finding and using new labor resources of the country, replacing scarce materials with local raw materials, reducing production cycles in metallurgy and the chemical industry.
The Soviet national economy had to solve many complex problems in those days, and one of the most pressing was the issue of labor, since a huge mass of people had to be mobilized into the army. In addition, the country, due to the occupation of part of its territory, temporarily lost significant human contingents. In order to provide personnel for the military industry and related sectors, it was necessary to rationally distribute the remaining labor reserves and involve new layers of the population in production. Of great importance in solving this problem was the entry into production of women, high school students, students, retired career workers, who stood at the machines to replace their husbands, fathers, sons, and brothers who had gone to the front. The system of state labor reserves created before the war played a major role in replenishing the decisive sectors of the military economy with qualified personnel. Hundreds of thousands of young people joined the ranks of frontline workers.
The main link in transferring the entire economy to a war footing was the restructuring of industry, especially heavy industry, at whose factories, from the very first days of the war, the production of tanks, mortars, shells, mines, aerial bombs and other types of military products was established. The transformation of the eastern regions into the country's leading industrial base and the increased capacity of the military industry required the development of the main branches of heavy industry there - metallurgy, coal and oil industries, and electric power.
An important role in providing the military industry with metal belonged to the Magnitogorsk plant, a giant created during the pre-war five-year plans. Magnitogorsk workers were among the first to take up the task of straightening armored steel in conventional large open-hearth furnaces, adapted for cooking “peaceful” metal. Without special rolling machines, Magnitogorsk workers simultaneously set up the production of armor plate using blooming. This daring idea, which at first seemed fantastic, belonged to the deputy chief mechanic of the plant, N.A. Ryzhenko. In ten days the necessary preparations were carried out, and on July 23 the first armor plate was issued.
The workers of the Soviet countryside also had to solve great economic problems in extremely difficult and unfavorable conditions. The war tore the most able-bodied and qualified part of the rural population away from peaceful creative work. Due to conscription into the army, mobilization for the construction of defensive structures, industry and transport, as well as due to the temporary occupation of parts of the country, the number of able-bodied people in agriculture decreased sharply. A large number of tractors, cars and horses were transferred to the front, which, naturally, significantly weakened the material and technical base of agriculture. The supply of fuel, spare parts, lubricants, and mineral fertilizers also fell sharply.
The first war summer was very difficult. It was necessary to activate all the reserves of the village in order to harvest the harvest as quickly as possible and carry out state procurement and purchases of grain. The entire rural population, from teenagers to old people, took to the fields of the country. Women have always played an important role on collective and state farms, but now the concerns that were entrusted to men in peacetime fell almost entirely on their shoulders. Hundreds of thousands of women have mastered tractors and combines.
Labor heroism has become an everyday occurrence on collective and state farm fields. In the western regions of the European part of the country, collective farmers, workers of state farms and MTS often harvested grain under enemy fire.
During the last four months of 1941, 8 tank, 6 hull, and 3 diesel plants were deployed in the Volga region and the Urals, on the basis of displaced and some newly created enterprises. On the basis of the Chelyabinsk Tractor Plant, a powerful tank-building plant grew up, which deservedly received the popular name “Tankograd”. Ural Heavy Engineering Plant named after. Ordzhonikidzev began building hulls and turrets for heavy KV tanks in Sverdlovsk. A group of factories, among which the leading place was occupied by the Stalingrad Tractor Plant, became an important complex tank building base in the Volga region.
In addition to tanks, the front also needed combat aircraft. Therefore, urgent measures were taken to accelerate the development of the aviation industry. Already in the first half of the war, although with interruptions, it was possible to establish mass production of Yak-1 and Yak7b fighter aircraft, Pe-2 dive bombers, and Il-2 attack aircraft. The new aircraft were not only not inferior to their enemy counterparts, but also surpassed them in many characteristics.
The production of weapons was also established. On July 12, 1941, the State Defense Committee adopted a special resolution on the production of 45 and 76 mm anti-tank and tank guns. caliber The production of mortar weapons also expanded. In the first year of the war, they mainly produced 82- and 120-mm. mortars. Much attention was paid to the production of rocket-propelled mortars (Katyusha), which already at the beginning of the war terrified the enemy with their crushing salvoes.
In the second half of 1941, Soviet industry produced 4.8 thousand tanks, 8.2 thousand combat aircraft, 9.9 thousand. 76 mm caliber guns. and above. In October, mass production of anti-tank guns began, of which 17.7 thousand were produced in the fourth quarter.
§2. SOVIET TIL IN 1942
Thanks to the efforts of the Soviet people, the restructuring of the economy on a war footing was completed by mid-1942. By the summer, 1,200 large evacuated enterprises were already operating in the east of the country. In addition, 850 new factories, mines, power plants, blast and open-hearth furnaces, rolling mills and other important facilities were put into operation.
In the summer and autumn, new difficulties arose, primarily associated with the temporary loss of the southern regions of the country and the need to evacuate the threatened zone. The difficult situation was aggravated by the fact that the created peacetime reserves were exhausted. To overcome the imbalance, it was necessary to make the most rational use of internal resources, increase the capacity of heavy industry, and increase the pace of industrial construction.
In the east of the country, the construction of blast furnaces, metallurgical plants, high-quality steel plants, pipe rolling, aluminum and other enterprises, power plants, railways, and coal mines expanded.
The All-Union Leninist Communist Youth Union marched impressively over the most important construction sites. With the active help of Komsomol members, for example, the expansion of the Chelyabinsk and Krasnodar thermal power plants, the Sredneuralskaya State District Power Plant, and the construction of the Farhad hydroelectric power station in Uzbekistan were carried out at a rapid pace.
As a result of skillful use of the economic system, the Soviet people sharply increased the production of military equipment in a short period of time. In the second half of 1942, compared to the first, Soviet industry produced military aircraft by more than 1.6 times, weapons by 1.1 times, and mortars from 82 mm. and higher - 1.3 times, shells and mines - almost 2 times. The production of tanks also increased, especially the T-34. The country's tank factories produced 3,946 T-34 tanks in the third quarter, and 4,325 in the fourth quarter, which made it possible not only to make up for losses, but also to create a certain reserve of tanks. The production of self-propelled artillery systems SAU-76 and SAU-122 began.
Despite the successes of industry, 1942 was a particularly difficult year for the country's agriculture. Due to the enemy's occupation of important food supply regions of the USSR, the area under cultivation and the gross grain harvest were significantly reduced. The losses suffered by agriculture were significant, its material and technical supplies deteriorated sharply, and there was an acute shortage of labor. By the end of the year, the number of able-bodied collective farmers had halved compared to pre-war times, the machine park of MTS and state farms had decreased, there was a shortage of fuel, and the production of mineral fertilizers had decreased. All this affected the production of agricultural products. The village workers were given the task of developing new lands in the east. In a short time, the sown area was increased by 2.8 million hectares.
§3. THE GROWTH OF THE MILITARY POWER OF THE SOVIET UNION
At the beginning of 1943, the Red Army carried out a series of attacks on Germany, which finally determined the turn of events in favor of the USSR. The order of the Supreme Commander-in-Chief dated February 23, 1943 stated: “The Nazi Army is experiencing a crisis due to the blows it received from the Red Army, but this does not mean that it cannot recover. The fight against the German invaders is not over yet, it is only unfolding and flaring up... This fight will require time, sacrifices, the strain of our forces and the mobilization of all our capabilities.”
In a resolution adopted in July 1943 on the organization of political reports of party and Soviet workers for the rural population, the Central Committee invited local party bodies to hold meetings in each collective farm at least once every one to one and a half months with a report on current military and political events. For this purpose, in rural areas During the year after the resolution, 60 thousand executives left the area, about 1 million were organized. reports and conversations.
The successful implementation of the plans made it possible to overcome great difficulties in industrial development, significantly strengthen the country's heavy industry, and achieve an accelerated rate of expansion of production in its leading industries. Electricity production increased by 11 percent compared to 1942, coal mining by more than 23 percent, iron smelting by more than 17 percent, and steel smelting by about 5 percent. The total industrial production of the Soviet Union increased by 17 percent over the year.
The armored and mechanized forces received improved T-34 tanks and SU-122 and SU-152 self-propelled artillery mounts. The new Soviet fighter La-5FN was better in combat qualities than German fighters. The famous Il-2 attack aircraft was improved. The tactical and technical characteristics of the Pe-2 dive bomber were improved. All this was created by the hands of millions of Soviet workers, technicians, engineers who did not leave the shops for several shifts, slept at the machines, worked without days off or vacations.
The successes of the country's economy made it possible to strengthen and improve the country's Armed Forces. The number of automatic weapons in the active army by July 1943 increased almost 2 times compared to April, anti-tank artillery - 1.5 times, anti-aircraft artillery - 1.2 times, tanks - 2 times, aircraft - 1.7 times. By this time, the active army and navy numbered 6,612 people, were armed with 105 thousand guns and mortars, more than 10 thousand tanks, over 10 thousand combat aircraft, and more than 120 warships of the main classes.
Great efforts were required from the Soviet people to overcome difficulties in agriculture, the gross output of which had decreased for a number of reasons. Collective farmers, workers of state farms and MTS tried to make maximum use of all reserves of agricultural production. With enormous effort, sowing was carried out on the devastated land, liberated from the enemy. The collective farm peasantry did what seemed impossible to provide the front and rear with food. The townspeople came to help the village: in the summer of 1943, 2.7 million city residents worked in the fields. Agriculture provided the Soviet Army and population with food, and industry with raw materials, with virtually no serious interruptions.
§4. LIFE IN THE USSR IN 1944
The victories won by the Soviet Army in 1944 became possible thanks to the new achievements of the frontline workers. The increase in the scope of offensive operations of the Armed Forces, the completion of the liberation of Soviet territory, and the implementation of the liberation mission became possible thanks to the united efforts of soldiers and home front workers, the mobilization of all the reserves and capabilities of the country.
In 1944 new problems arose. It was necessary to restore the territories liberated from the enemy. This required enormous effort from people and great expense. Transport workers worked selflessly, ensuring uninterrupted communication between the front and rear, fulfilling the increased tasks of transporting military and national economic cargo. The turnover of all types of transport increased by 15.3 percent and basically met the needs of the country. In the State Plan for the Restoration and Development of Non-Native Economy for 1944 and in special decisions on sectors of the national economy, economic regions, republics, industries, territories and cities, the main objects of restoration and the order of restoration work were identified. People showed special concern for the revival of the industry of Leningrad, the coal mines of Donbass, and the metallurgical and engineering plants of the South.
The country's industry and national economy were gaining momentum. In 1944, 39.2 million tons of coal, 18.3 million tons of oil were produced, 7.3 million tons of rolled steel, etc. were produced. The troops received a 160 mm mortar, which had no equal abroad. Tank factories began to produce more new IS-1 and IS-2 vehicles. The troops received modernized T-34-85 tanks, which have high speed, strong armor and a more powerful gun.
Collective farmers, state farms and MTS workers worked heroically for the front. The war had a heavy impact on the development of the country's agriculture. The total working-age population in 1944 decreased by 18 percent compared to 1940. The struggle for bread took place under incredibly difficult conditions. Hard peasant labor was performed by women, teenagers and elderly people.
The year 1944 became a turning point in the development of agriculture during the war period: the level of 1943 was significantly exceeded. The country received 49.1 million tons of grain, 1.1 million tons of raw cotton, 54.9 million tons of potatoes.
§5. SOVIET REFORWARD AT THE FINAL STAGE OF THE WAR
The basis for the victories of the Soviet Armed Forces were: the military and economic power of the Soviet Union, the purposeful work of the Communist Party. On March 25, 1945, the Central Committee of the All-Union Communist Party of Bolsheviks and the Council of People's Commissars of the USSR approved the State Plan for the Restoration and Development of the National Economy for 1945. It provided for the full provision of the needs of the Red Army, although in general the share of military industry production decreased. Military spending continued to occupy a significant place, but compared to the previous year, it decreased from 52.2 to 42.9 percent of all government spending.
From the beginning of 1945, the All-Union Socialist Competition expanded even more widely, stimulating the development of technical progress and increasing labor productivity. The introduction of the experience of innovators was extremely important. Only in the tank industry is the widespread use of the advanced experience of the front-line brigade E.P. Agarkov made it possible to release 6,087 people in four and a half months, and about 19 thousand skilled workers in 23 regions. Competition among collective farmers, state farms and MTS workers became widespread. In the spring, 22,450 tractor teams joined it.
In the first half of the year, significant results were achieved in industry. The energy sector continued to develop at an accelerated pace. Advances in the construction and restoration of the energy industry of the USSR made it possible to increase electricity production. Compared to the second half of 1944, the country's production of the main types of industrial products increased significantly. Thus, coal production increased by 8.6 percent, iron ore by 15.4 percent, cast iron production by 5 percent, steel by 1.7 percent, and rolled metal by 5.1 percent.
The development of agriculture, like other sectors, was affected by the severe consequences of the enemy invasion, and above all by the heavy damage inflicted by the Nazis on the agricultural regions of the European part of the country. In the devastated, burned, and plundered villages, there was a widespread shortage of workers, especially machine operators, as well as machines, equipment, livestock, seeds, and fertilizers. The restoration of agriculture in the liberated territory took place with enormous difficulties. However, thanks to the leadership of the party, the work of mainly women, old people and teenagers, and the active help of workers, agriculture gradually gained strength. Successes in restoring the national economy of the country allowed the Soviet state already in 1945 to increase the production of machinery, fuel and mineral fertilizers for agriculture. The village workers, despite the late spring, carried out the sowing campaign in an organized manner. At the same time, for the first time during the war years, collective farmers were able to fulfill the state plan for sowing spring crops, and state farm workers even exceeded it. The selfless labor of the Soviet peasantry and the efforts to mechanize agriculture made it possible to increase the sown area in the last war year to 113.8 million hectares, which amounted to 75 percent of the sown area in 1940.
III. ACTIVITY OF PUBLIC ORGANIZATIONS DURING WAR
§1. GOVERNMENT DEPARTMENTS
The Soviet state was called upon to mobilize all the forces of the people to defeat the enemy, to subordinate all its activities to the achievement of victory over Nazi Germany. The need to exert all the material and spiritual forces of the people to achieve victory over the enemy required subordinating all functions of the state to the task of defeating the Nazi invaders.
The function of military defense of the country acquired paramount importance in the Soviet state. It became broader in content and was directly expressed in the activities of the state in organizing the rear and conducting military operations at the fronts. The successful implementation of this function depended on the leadership of the Communist Party and the efforts of trade union, cooperative, Komsomol and other organizations of urban and rural workers.
The Great Patriotic War, which required the restructuring of the entire life of the country on a military basis, led to a number of significant changes in the structure, powers and forms of activity of the bodies of Soviet power. The exceptionally great difficulties of the war prompted state bodies to seek such organizational methods and forms of work that would allow them to overcome these difficulties and achieve victory. The events characterizing changes in certain aspects of socio-political life included:
Creation of the State Defense Committee and its local bodies;
Granting military authorities special powers in the field of ensuring the country's defense, public order and state security;
Postponement of elections to the Soviets of Working People's Deputies and people's courts;
Limitation of the principle of collegiality in the activities of government and management bodies;
Irregular holding of sessions of local Councils;
Decreased transparency in government work.
In addition, it was allowed to narrow the usual forms and methods of activity of the legislative, executive and judicial bodies of the state, as well as restrict some rights and freedoms of citizens. For example, a special working hours regime was established, vacations for workers, secrecy of correspondence, inviolability of home, and freedom of movement were abolished.
The supreme body of state power during the war, as in peacetime, was the Supreme Soviet of the USSR, which, carrying out legislative activities, considered and approved at its sessions the state budget of the USSR, introduced the most important changes and additions to the Constitution of the USSR, and ratified certain international treaties.
However, the activities of the Supreme Council as a legislative body were not sufficiently developed, because wartime conditions and Stalin’s cult of personality limited the principle of collective leadership of the state. During the war, only three sessions of the Supreme Council were held: one in 1942, the other two at the end of the war, in 1944 and 1945. At these sessions, issues of foreign policy and government structure, military-economic plans and the state budget were considered.
The Supreme Soviet of the USSR consisted of 1388 deputies. There were about 7 thousand deputies in the Union and Autonomous Republics. Many deputies of the Supreme Soviets held leading government positions, and when the war began, most of them went into the active army.
In areas not declared under martial law, especially in the east of the country, sessions of the Supreme Councils of the republics and local Councils were convened more regularly, and ordinary administrative and economic bodies continued to function here. However, the new tasks facing our state required significant changes in individual parts of its apparatus. It was necessary to restructure the work of government bodies in connection with the curtailment of peaceful economic and socio-cultural construction, the narrowing of the activities of the relevant people's commissariats and departments, the abolition of some of them and the creation of others.
At the same time, changes in the state apparatus, formalized and enshrined in wartime laws, pursued a dual goal: firstly, to adapt the organs of the state to the conditions and tasks of the war; secondly, to strengthen the state apparatus on the basis of the experience acquired during the war.
Due to the current emergency
