Would Stalin has purge the Red Army if he knew Hitler going to attack Russia?

Answer 1

As many western fairytales would like to tell you, Stalin was NOT the centre of the purge.

The purge specifically happened BECAUSE the USSR was faced with threat. Remember, the Army ranks was filled with people from past regimes, “white Army" and basically individuals that were against past regimes that weren’t necessarily looking for USSR interests.

The purge was carried out by THOUSANDS of people who evaluated personnel, power structures, and any loose ends that can and was being used to undermine any USSR efforts. In times of peace and war.

Keep in mind, nearly 200, 000, 000 lives were in risk if the power structure toppled in war time because of a rotten core.

Yes, high ranking military officials were forced out. But they were replaced THREE FOLD. So for everyone one kicked out, three took the spot. Were they as experienced? Possibly, possibly not. But they were reliable.

And in short, the purge happened more specifically because of the prospect of WAR.

And let me add about USSR Germany trade. USSR attempted to contact and meet Britain and France on MULTIPLE occasions in early 1930s, but they were turned away. The west took an isolationist stance against the USSR, who sought a defence pact against Germany. So what was the next best thing? Make contact with the next largest industrial state and also the enemy.

Answer 2

Yes, bears right, Stalin knew Hitler would eventually attack Russia, but Stalin was a dictator, all dictators are paranoid of being overthrown from within. That's what the purge was all about, getting rid of possible threats to his power.
The purge would of happened anyway, but if Stalin had known the exact date of the German invasion, he might have saved purging some of the officers until after the war, or he probably would of put those officers in charge of front-line units, knowing they would be killed or captured by the Germans.

Answer 3

I believe so.
Stalin knew how he came to power and feared having someone to power full around him.
The Trade and involvement that Hitlers Germany had with the Soviet Union was pretty extensive by 1936, Germany was the USSR biggest trading partner, and the prelude to the mutual division of Poland was in the works.
These German-Soviet business relationships is how Heydrich managed to float off the forged documents that spurred Stalin's purge.
Stalin's knowledge of the plant has been debated since then, but Stalin was never one to pass up an opportunity. Stalin ruthlessly used this opportunity to remove threats to his power and settle old grudges.

Answer 4

Yes - - - - in fact Stalin may have acted with even more vigor & zeal feeling that it was best to weed out 'unreliable' elemts before being blasted by Hitler. In fact when one reads about how Stalin reacted when warned about Hitler's intentions, one gets the sense that Stalin feared his own army more than he feared the German army. Stalin 'knew' that Germany would attack but kept hoping that the date would be 'pushed back.' Hitler backing away from invading Britain is an excellent example of how hard it is to gage a War. On one level it was a sign of weakness on another it meant that German forces were free to attack elsewhere.
Hitler and Stalin were jackals. Jackals might tear a body apart but then they take a large body part to a neutral corner to devour their feast and let the other jackals do likewise, Jackal Stalin hoped that Hitler would be so bogged down in the Balklans and Greece that he would do the sensible thing and avoid attacking Russia until 1942.

Oddly enough the purge strengthened the Red Army. Russian Generals and Officers in general feared Stalin way more than they feared Hitler. Ganging up on Stalin was impossible, it was easier to gang up on Hitler. Stalin knew & used this to huis advantage. Stalin shuffled around his Generals all through World War Two and only he knew who would be favored and who was out of favor. If you read Cornelius Ryan's book about the Soviet siege of Berlin you discover that because THREE army groups converging on Berlin were each in fear of Stalin, they came up with imaginitive & effective ways to out pace the other on into Berlin.

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