How can the argument be made for Stalingrad being seen as a turning point in World War II?

1 Answer | Add Yours

akannan's profile pic


Posted on

I think that a significant argument can be made that Stalingrad was the turning point in the war.  If we define the concept as the point where the war became evident in terms of its "turn" towards one side, the argument for Stalingrad being the turning point would be that it stopped the German advance into the East.  From Stalingrad on, there was a contraction in the German forces.  The sheer scope of the battle, the fact that both Hitler and Stalin saw it as a matter of personal prestige or pride to win, and that Hitler was seen as fallible or as imperfect in terms of his designs are all reasons why its outcome is representative of a turning point.  The fact that the battle's outcome was delayed in terms of conveying the results to the German citizens and it became the first time that the Germans acknowledged a defeat could also be used as evidence to make the case that the battle was a defining moment, a turning point in the war.  In these, the evidence points to the idea that the fortunes of Germany changed as a result of the battle and that the war took a decided turn for the Allied powers and against that of the Axis forces, and represented the definition of a "turning point" in a prolonged military conflict.


We’ve answered 319,200 questions. We can answer yours, too.

Ask a question