The dramatic story of Hitler and Stalin's marriage of
convenience has been recounted frequently over the past 60 years,
but with remarkably little consensus. As the first English-language
study to analyze the development, extent, and importance of the
Nazi-Soviet economic relationship from Hitler's ascension to power
to the launching of Operation Barbarossa in June 1941, this book
highlights the crucial role that Soviet economic aid played in
Germany's early successes in World War II. When Hitler's rearmament
efforts left Germany dangerously short of raw materials in 1939,
Stalin was able to offer valuable supplies of oil, manganese,
grain, and rubber. In exchange, the Soviet Union would gain
territory and obtain the technology and equipment necessary for its
own rearmament efforts.
However, by the summer of 1941, Stalin's well-calculated plan
had gone awry. Germany's continuing reliance on Soviet raw
materials would, Stalin hoped, convince Hitler that he could not
afford to invade the USSR. As a result, the Soviets continued to
supply the Reich with the resources that would later carry the
Wehrmacht to the gates of Moscow and nearly cost the Soviets the
war. The extensive use in this study of neglected source material
in the German archives helps resolve the long-standing debate over
whether Stalin's foreign policy was one of expansionism or
appeasement.
General
Is the information for this product incomplete, wrong or inappropriate?
Let us know about it.
Does this product have an incorrect or missing image?
Send us a new image.
Is this product missing categories?
Add more categories.
Review This Product
No reviews yet - be the first to create one!