Soviet forces launch the Manchurian Strategic Offensive

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 USSR entered the war against Japan after the European war had ended, in line with commitments made to its Allies. The declaration opened a Soviet campaign in Northeast Asia and aimed to secure...

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...

Representatives of communist parties met in Szklarska Poręba, Poland, and established the Communist Information Bureau. The organization coordinated parties in Europe and strengthened Moscow’s...