The Soviet Union declares war on Japan

Soviet authorities removed Meskhetian Turks and several other borderland communities from southern Georgia to Central Asia. The state cited security concerns and alleged collaboration, but the...

Stalin, Roosevelt, and Churchill negotiated the final campaign against Nazi Germany and postwar arrangements. Agreements on liberated Europe coexisted with Soviet domination in Eastern Europe, where...

The meeting near Torgau symbolized the closing encirclement of Nazi Germany by Allied armies. Soviet and U.S. soldiers celebrated their linkup, even as their governments were already bargaining over...

The parade celebrated the Red Army’s victory and projected Stalin’s authority through a carefully staged public spectacle. It honored immense popular sacrifice while centering the state and military...

The Allied leaders discussed occupation of Germany, postwar borders, and Eastern Europe. U.S. diplomatic records reveal sharp disagreement over elections and political control in countries occupied by...

The Red Army attacked Japanese forces in Manchuria, Korea, and surrounding territories. The swift campaign helped bring about Japan’s surrender and expanded Soviet influence in Northeast Asia, while...

The surrender formally ended the Second World War. Stalin’s Soviet Union emerged as a global power with influence in Eastern Europe and Northeast Asia, but wartime victory also consolidated a security...

In a major Moscow speech, Stalin called for continued development of heavy industry and military capacity. The address presented security as a reason for centralized planning and sacrifice, while...

A Central Committee resolution attacked writers Anna Akhmatova and Mikhail Zoshchenko and tightened control over literary life. The campaign narrowed cultural debate and made publication dependent...

The Soviet foreign minister withdrew from European discussions about U.S. recovery aid, following Stalin’s opposition to a program viewed as extending American influence. The decision contributed to...