How did the USSR win the Great Patriotic War?

This is an essay question that focuses on the different factors which allowed the USSR to win the Great Patriotic War/ World War 2. To structure this essay, there needs to be introduction which outlines the body of the essay and all the factors contributing to the victory i.e. Stalin's leadership, the Russian economy and the people, German weaknesses, and possibly -if there's enough time- a note on factors beyond control.
The body of the essay should contain a paragraph expanding each of these four points and giving examples. For instance, focusing Stalin's leadership, students should point out the Battle of Stalingrad and the appointment of the Stavka, giving specific details and stats. However, they should also analyse the extent of these factors contributing towards the victory, for example, the inability of Stalin to respond quickly to the invasion, to provide a nuanced answer. At the end of each paragraph, students should link back to the essay question at hand.
The conclusion should weigh up all answers and link them to the question. Although they do not have to make a clear choice as to which factor in particular was most important, it is vital that students should think critically about each factors and why they are important to the victory rather than just spout out statistics.

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