The book offered to the reader completes the series "History of Russia in 8 volumes" and tells about the situation in the USSR and in the world, from the end of the 30s until the death of I.V. Stalin. The main place in it is occupied by events on the eve of World War II, the period of the Great Patriotic War and the post-war reconstruction of the country. By the beginning of the war, the Soviet Union was a powerful power with a developed industrial base, which made it possible to increase weapons and forces in a short period to fight fascism. The unparalleled exploits of fighters and commanders in battles became the key to success in a terrible battle with an experienced German army.