Commemorating the 70th anniversary of the defeat of fascism

By Mohomed Iqbal

This year marks the 70th anniversary of the defeat of German fascism and Japanese militarism by the Soviet Union. It is an important event to look back and learn the bitter experience mankind faced during the second world war between 1939-1945.This is a war that dragged in nearly 60 countries and the loss of human lives of a staggering 70 million. Out of this, 27 million people were from the Soviet Union.

Russia holds a special place in history as it was the first country to have a state ruled by workers and peasants after the Russian revolution in 1917.This was the outcome of the bitter fight for the division of the world by the colonial masters. It was the Russian revolution in 1917 that gave new hope to mankind to fight for peace and social justice. The Russian revolution and the reorganising of the state by the victorious workers was an inspiration to all peace-loving people world over.

All leading capitalist countries such as Britain, France, Netherlands, Belgium, USA and Japan had colonies while Germany didn’t possess any colony. Germany had a strong industrial base but a large population of unemployed youth. The capitalist countries were faced with an economic depression between 1920 and 1930.

This was the time that Adolf Hitler was brought to power by the capitalists in Germany. Hitler had plans of world domination and annexing colonies. He had the secret plan of destroying the USSR and making it a colony of Germany (Barbarossa Plan).

Hitler attacked Poland in 1939 on a false pretext and he annexed Czechoslovakia through the Munich agreement. In 1940, Germany, Italy and Japan signed a tripartite treaty of cooperation in redistributing colonies. 

Alarming developments

The developments in Europe were alarming. The Soviet Union was aware that Germany will attack her. The Soviet Union tried to convince France and Britain to form an alliance and stop the aggression of Germany. The French and the British delayed or evaded any agreement to make Soviet Union and Germany to bleed, and later to take control over both countries.

Hitler’s Germany attacked the Soviet Union on 22 June 1941. It violated all previous agreements of non-aggression with the Soviet Union. Germany was placed at a superior position in troops, air power, tanks and mobilising people and soldiers from annexed countries.

Hitler’s Barbarossa plan was expected to last for a mere 14 days wrote German commander Hadler in his field notebook. British Prime Minister Winston Churchill wrote that the fall of Soviet Union was imminent. 

The first six months of war was a severe setback for the Soviet Union. It lost 40% of its territory to the Germans. All civilians who were taken prisoner were killed or made to work as slaves. A rule of terror was established in captured territories. The Soviet Union was forced to mobilise all its people to defend the country and this became a people’s war.

End to Hitler’s dream

By the end of 1941, the advancing German forces were halted by the Red army in Smolensk. Within six months of war with the Soviet Union, the Germans lost nearly 500,000 soldiers and officers while they lost only 300,000 soldiers in capturing the whole of Europe. Hitler’s forces needed a morale boost and tried to take Moscow. The German troops were only 25-30 km from the Russian Capital and the fall of Moscow was inevitable. 

The stiff resistance and the military strategies adopted by the Soviet Red Army put the Germans on the run. It destroyed the advancing German troops. The battlefront was pushed back by nearly 200-300 km. This battle changed the course of World War II. The attacking Germans had only to mark time till the onslaught of the Soviet forces. This led to the Red army to rout German forces up to Berlin and put an end to Hitler’s dream of world domination.

The battles of Volgograd (Stalingrad), Kursk, St Petersburg are studied by military strategists the world over.

The Soviet Union also contributed to defeat Japanese militarism. After Japan attacked China in Manchuria, the USSR signed a pact with the latter and sent military and material support to China. The Soviet Union also supported the Mongolian people to resist Japanese aggression.

The Soviet initiative of starting the second front was not heeded till June 1944. With the landing of Normandy in France, the allied forces joined united to defeat German fascism and Japanese militarism. In Russia, 9 May is celebrated as Victory Day. It is a day people remember those who laid their lives to defeat the cruellest form of greed – Fascism.

Freedom for 

colonial countries

The three major war-time conferences between the leaders of the USSR, the U.S.A and Great Britain at Teheran (November 1943), Yalta (February 1945) and Potsdam (August 1945), gave rise to the present United Nations organisation. The end of World War II also brought freedom to many colonial countries. Many colonial powers had to give up their colonies to the freedom fighters. The USSR supported countries to build their economies to choose an economic model suited to that country.

India, China, Vietnam and Cuba are countries that had close economic cooperation with the USSR and so they could come out of their colonial past. The evolution of the cold war made the world to be a dangerous place to live. Nuclear weapons were made and stockpiled and military blocks developed. NATO countries tried to use their military power to have their sphere of influence over WARSAW countries.

Unipolar dominance

The dismantling of the Soviet Union and the WARSAW pact countries has created a unipolar dominance. 

The domination of the USA and the forceful implementation of its economic policies makes ordinary people to be in a helpless position. 

The rich have become richer the poor have become poorer.

The present Russia is the largest single country on earth. 

It is larger geographically than any other nation on earth. 

The rich cultural diversities it possesses is itself a unique feature to Russia. Economically it is an industrial country with all natural resources. 

9 May is remembered as a day of celebration for the victory of the Soviet Union and the defeat of Hitler’s fascism. 

This day is celebrated in Russia too. Today every country needs its people’s voices and requirements to be heard. 

The United Nations is an institution that can be strengthened to solve mankind’s many problems. 

As the Allied forces routed Hitler’s Germany, present day global economic problems need united action. 

Trying to isolate Russia with economic blockades and sanctions or drawing it into a military confrontation is not warranted in this nuclear age. 

Let us salute those fallen heroes by actively campaigning for peace and dialogue and help to make this world a better place for all.