World War II (1939-1945)

WW2 hit the Soviet Union in 1939. The Soviet Union, however, had signed a non-aggression pact with German forces prompting the continuation of trade between the two countries. This pact was not long lived because Germany invaded the Soviet border on June 22, 1941, ending all peace. Two major German defeats in Stalingrad and Kursk, reversed the course of the entire war for Germany. Strengthened by their victories, the Soviet army then pushed westward breaking German lines and eventually captured Berlin, Germany in 1945, ending the war. The Soviet Union, like most countries that fought in the war, suffered numerous casualties. In total, between 26-27 million Soviets died, 1,700 towns and 70 THOUSAND settlements destroyed and finally a quarter of the population of the St. Petersburg region was gone. All in all, the progress that the Soviet Union had been on was just destroyed. The population was crippled and now the USSR had to rebuild and restart once again.

A Russian soldier raising the flag in Berlin, Germany.
Location: Berlin, Germany.
Date: May, 1945