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World War II
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Western view of WWII: 1939-1945
Great Patriotic War (USSR): 22 June 1941 to 9 May 1945
US participation in WWII: 8 December 1941 to 2 September 1945
The Molotov-Ribbentrop Pact, 1939
On August 23, enemies Nazi Germany and the Soviet Union surprised the world by signing the German-Soviet Nonaggression Pact, in which the
two countries agreed to take no military action against each other for the next 10 years.
“For sheer cynicism, the Nazi dictator had met his match in the Soviet despot ... the sordid, secret deal ... The Soviet despot for years had cried
out at the 'fascist beasts' and called for peace-loving states to band together to halt the Nazi aggression.”
William Shirer, "The Rise and Fall of the Third Reich" (1959)
Knowing he had nothing to fear from the Soviet army, Hitler ordered his troops to strike east into Poland on September 1, 1939. Two days later,
on September 3, France and Great Britain declared war on Germany. World War II had begun. And less than two years after that, Hitler scrapped
his pact with Stalin and sent some 3 million Nazi soldiers pouring into the Soviet Union on June 22, 1941. (history.com)
Operation Barbarossa:
Leningrad
Stalingrad
Fascism vs. Communism
Hitler & The Third Reich vs. Stalin & The USSR
Stalin was successful because Hitler made mistakes – Agree OR disagree – Support with evidence