1. Why was Stalin unprepared for war?
Lesson outcomes:
To identify the ways in which the USSR tried to prepare for war
To examine the issues Stalin faced in preparing for war
To judge how effectively Stalin had prepared for war
Starter: if you were a leader and had to prepare to go to war, what would you need to do? Write down as much as you can think of

2. The story so far…..
The Soviet Union had believed that Germany was preparing for war since the 1920s
Concern about this had intensified with the appointment of Adolf Hitler in 1933
In 1933, Italy and Japan signed a treaty with Germany which recognised Communism as the common enemy.
The Soviet government reacted by:
Reforming the military
Recruited spies
Diverted economic resources toward rearmament
However Stalin’s paranoia undermined these efforts to prepare effectively….

3. The Nazi-Soviet Pact had two Sections:
Due to the lack of success with these policies, The Soviet government also had other strategies for national security:
Stalin was also prepared to negotiate with his sworn enemy Adolf Hitler
This was a surprising alliance since Hitler and Stalin had denounced each other's regimes in the past
The Nazi-Soviet Pact had two Sections:
The Public part: Russia and Germany agreed to respect each other’s territories, to settle disagreements through negotiation and increase trade
The Private Part: Divided Europe into ‘spheres of interest’: Germany to control Poland and Czechoslovakia, Russia to run its own policies in Lithuania and Latvia

4. Why did Stalin sign the Nazi Soviet Pact?
Using the subheading ‘Stalin’s decision’ (p98) find 5 reasons why Stalin signed the pact

5. Why did Stalin stick to the treaty?
Stalin believed that Hitler would break the treaty
Hitler’s military success gave Stalin a motive to stick to the treaty:
By mid 1940, Germany had invaded Poland, Holland, France
By contrast the Red Army’s performance had been very disappointing:
The invasion of Finland had been a disaster
The Purges and stripped the army of most of its strength
Stalin hoped that the pact would keep the USSR out of the war until 1942
Stalin was wrong. Germany invaded Russia in June 1941.

6. Why was Stalin unprepared for war?
Read Bunce p96 – 9 and complete the activity on page 99 of the red book
CHALLENGE – what would you argue is the most significant reason for why Stalin was unprepared? Write a conclusion that addresses this

7. Why was Stalin unprepared for war?
Economic Policy
Stalin's rise to power
Relationship with Hitler
Espionage
Why was Stalin unprepared for war?
Military preparation
Economic Preparation
Bunce p99
The Terror State

8. Homework
‘Stalin was unprepared for war because he had failed to properly prepare his military.’ How far do you agree with this question?