The Western Allies and Soviet potential in World War II : economy, society and military power
Author(s)
Bibliographic Information
The Western Allies and Soviet potential in World War II : economy, society and military power
（Routledge explorations in economic history, 79）
Routledge, 2017
- : hbk
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Note
Includes bibliographical references (p. [321]-332) and index
Description and Table of Contents
Description
World War II was the largest and most devastating war in modern history with far-reaching consequences. The single most important campaign was the Soviet-German war, which consumed the lion share of Germany's military resources. In contrast to the tone in German and Anglo-American precampaign assessments, the USSR ws able to repulse the invasion after huge losses and turn the table on Germany and her minor Axis allies.
This book examines how the two most important Western Allies in World War II, the United States and the United Kingdom, assessed the economic and military potential of the Soviet Union in 1939-1945. Since the USSR was the single most important military contributor to the Allied victory in Europe, and the main target of Germany's military strength, these assessments are of paramount importance in order to understand how the Anglo-Americans perceived the overall war situation and adjusted their own war effort in accordance with it. Utilising a wide range of documents produced by the Anglo-Americans during and shortly before World War II, this book explores why Soviet strength was underestimated, and how the Soviet economic system, Soviet society and military capabilities were viewed by Western Government observers.
The Western Allies and Soviet Potential in World War II is a fascinating read for those in academia studying economic history, international economics and security studies, especially areas on military and strategic.
Table of Contents
Abbreviations
1 Introduction
1.1 General background
1.2 War potential and the general purpose of this study
2 The Anglo-American assessments in a wider context
2.1 The US and British government organizations responsible for assessing the USSR
2.2 The origins, analysis and dissemination of information
2.3 The assessment's reliability and the selection of reports for this study
2.4 The reality and contemporary perceptions of war potential
3 The Soviet Union and the West: The pre-war experience and international Great Power politics before World War II
4 From the guarantee to Poland to the Molotov-Ribbentropp pact
4.1 British anguish: The value of the Soviet Union as an ally and the "gathering storm" in Europe
4.2 Soviet war potential and the possible inclusion of the USSR in a "peace front"
4.3 The Soviets propose an alliance
4.4 Assessments on the eve of the Moscow negotiations
5 US pre-Barbarossa assessments
5.1 The economy and its military potential
5.2 The size and efficiency of the armed forces
5.3 Internal stability
6 The Molotov-Ribbentrop pact and its consequences
6.1 The Polish campaign
6.2 The USSR as a potential military adversary
6.3 The Red Army enter Estonia
6.4 Assessments regarding the economy during the autumn
6.5 Soviet air strength - autumn assessments
6.6 Assessments connected to the Soviet-Japanese conflict
6.7 Anglo-French plans to interdict the Soviet oil supply
7 The Soviet-Finnish Winter War
7.1 The Red Army's performance
7.2 The economy and the internal situation
8 Assessments running up to Barbarossa
8.1 The economy and internal stability
8.2 The production and quality of munitions
8.3 Military efficiency and the size of the armed forces
9 The nature of the assessments, and the "reality"
10 The beginning of Soviet-German war: Assessments during Operation Barbarossa
10.1 The border battles and the summer: German victories and the possibility of a Soviet collapse
10.2 The Soviet economy under attack (and Soviet prospects)
10.3 The autumn 1941 situation
10.4 Munitions
10.5 The Armed Forces and their efficiency
11 The first turning point of the war: the Soviet winter offensive
12 The spring, the coming of summer and continued worries
12.1 Soviet prospects and economic resilience
12.2 The Soviet population and the war effort
12.3 The Red Army and its munitions
13 The first year of the Soviet-German war: how realistic were the assessments?
14 The German summer offensive and Soviet prospects
15 The Anglo-American assessments in the context of the possibility to establish a Second Front in 1942
16 The autumn assessments and the battle of Stalingrad
16.1 Prospects and civilian morale
16.2 The economic situation
16.3 Food supply
16.4 The manpower situation
16.5 Munitions
16.6 The size of the armed forces and military losses
16.7 Military efficiency and morale
17 From Stalingrad to Kursk
17.1 Military prospects, internal stability and civilian support for the war effort
17.2 The economy, manpower, food supply and civilian living conditions
17.3 Munitions
17.4 The size of the armed forces and the military mobilization
17.5 The morale, efficiency and losses of the armed forces
18 The 1943 cross-channel attack that never was and the "90-division gamble"
19 The Red Army's first major push to the West
19.1 Soviet military prospects, civilian morale and internal stability
19.2 The economy, manpower, food supply and civilian living conditions
19.3 Munitions: output and quality
19.4 The size of the armed forces and the military mobilization
19.5 The morale, efficiency and losses of the armed forces
20 The final phase of the war: from Operation Bagration to the surrender of Germany (and the campaign against Japan)
20.1 Soviet military prospects and internal stability
20.2 The economy and reconstruction
20.3 The population, the labour force, food supply and civilian life
20.4 The production and efficiency of munitions and military equipment
20.5 The size of the armed forces, losses and military efficiency
20.6 Why the USSR won the war (according to the Military Mission's final report)
21 Assessments compared to reality during the last period of the war 305
22 The assessments of war potential and material aid to the USSR 312
23 A comment on the assessments in the context of the early Cold War
24 Conclusion
References
Index
by "Nielsen BookData"
