preview

Operation Barbarossa Research Paper

Decent Essays

Operation Barbarossa
In the early 1940’s Nazi Germany was at the height of its power. After conquering most of Eastern Europe Hitler turned his focus on the Soviet Union. Even though Hitler said he wouldn’t attack the soviets he unleashed the largest invasion force in history. After months of bloody conflict the Germans were in retreat and the Russians were hot on their trail. The war against Russia was the main factor leading to the fall of the Nazi regime.
By April 7th 1939 Adolf Hitler and his Nazi regime had already taken Austria and were turning their attention towards Poland. When the Great Britain, France and Russia found out about Hitler’s plan in April 1939 they offered the chance of peace talks. but on the 23rd of August 1939 joseph stain the leader of the soviet union had made a secret non-aggression pact with Hitler called the Ribbentrop-Molotov or the Nazi-Soviet pact. Its purpose was to prevent any conflict between Russia and Germany when Germany invaded Poland and to share Poland between Russia and Germany. Hitler despised the agreement and he regarded it as a “tactical and temporary manoeuvre.” …show more content…

His motivation for the invasion increased when he saw the potential opportunity to colonise Russian soil and extract its natural resources. Hitler believed that a blanket cover of fear and death which involved the physically annihilating Jews, Communists and any other people deemed to be threatening to the establishment of a long-term German rule on Soviet territory was to be wiped out. Hitler was also unhappy about the Soviet control over areas such as the Baltic States, Bessarabia and North Bukovina placed soviet soldiers close to the Romanian oil fields which the Nazis relied heavily on. Hitler signed Directive 21 or operation Barbarossa on the 18th of December

Get Access