We defend the whole world, now we will take care of ourselves

In: International affairs: a Russian journal of world politics, diplomacy and international relations, Band 51, Heft 3, S. 16-32

Abstract

The situation in Russia prior to its entry into WWII in 1941 is described in order to understand why Russia got involved in this conflict. Germany had become the common enemy of Russia and England. The major battles of the war (Stalingrad, Kursk, and Berlin) and the movement of foreign diplomats from Moscow to Kuibyshev and then back to Moscow in 1943 are described. The war left situations, solutions, and riddles that have been hard to logically understand. There had not been peace in the area since the end of the war 60 years ago. The Soviet Union was not doomed to disintegrate after the war, but failed due to its poor leadership and system.