The Soviet Union
Roger Pethybridge continues our series on the Post-War reconstruction of Europe.
Perhaps the clearest way to analyse the capacity of any country to overcome the enormous problems created by war and invasion is to draw up a balance sheet of losses and gains. The USSR suffered more than any other country involved in the Second World War, with the possible exception of Poland. It could be maintained that apart from the agricultural and political fronts she had recovered from most of her problems by the time of Stalin's death in March 1953; thus this can be considered as a terminating point for post-war reconstruction.
The most appalling loss was that of human lives. Approximately one person out of every ten was to die in the course of the war against Nazi Germany. It is not surprising that Stalin and Molotov were so bitter in their complaints to Western allies about their delay in the invasion of France. Molotov once commented in Churchill's presence: 'The British Prime Minister will once again prove to us that his country is not in a position to sacrifice men'.
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