The news of the evacuation of the government shook the people of Moscow.( October 16, 1941
The USSR evacuates its seat of government to Kuibyshev)Psychologically, this was a moment of supreme danger. The decision of any government to leave its capital in the middle of a war tends to sap the moral strength of a fighting nation.

The evacuation of the government from Moscow was followed by riots and disorders. People thought that the city had been given up. Crowds stormed food stores. Members of the party destroyed their membership cards and badges. Anti-communists prepared to settle accounts with Communists and to win favor with the invader. Symptoms of anarchy appeared in many places.

The news that Stalin had not left with the rest of his government affected the mood of the people in Moscow, who saw in it evidence that the will to victory, personified in Stalin, was unshaken.

If Stalin had left Moscow, would it have made the Russian defence crumble? Was Stalin´s personality one of the key factors in saving Russia in 1941?



[ 11. January 2003, 01:52 PM: Message edited by: Kai-Petri ]

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I believe that Moscow would have fallen if Stalin had left. How demoralizing (spelling check) would it have been for the Moscow population if their leader just fled. It would of given the Russian people the impression that the city wasn't worth fighting for. Because if Stalin had left it would have fuelled the people to believe that there was no hope.

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And when he gets to heaven
To Saint Peter he will tell
One more soldier reporting sir
I have served my time in hell

Moscow wasn't left by Stalin. Period. Was the U.S.A. "weak" on 9-11 just because GWB wasn't in Wash. D.C. on that day? No.

´Cheers,

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"Gentlemen! You can't fight in here, this is the War Room!"
(President Merkin Muffley in "Dr. Strangelove")

I don't think it is the same Andy W. If there were foreign troops surrounding Washington DC and Bush would have fled, then it would be the same.

Immagine that you are fighting to protect your capital from invaders in 1941 around Moscow. And then suddenly you hear that the big boss, Stalin, has left the city.

I think you would think twice to fight, because Stalin already left the building. I would conclude that he doestn't care about the city and also not about the people living in it.

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