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"Operation Barbarossa" - this was the code name used by the German Wehrmacht when it attacked the Soviet Union on June 22, 1941. But Hitler's ambitious plan to conquer the Soviet Union and secure "living space in the East" for the Germans failed miserably. In "History Live", Guido Knopp discusses the consequences and interpretations of the attack with historians Prof. Sönke Neitzel (University of Potsdam), Prof. Jörg Baberowski (Humboldt University Berlin) and Dr. Kristiane Janeke. For many years, contemporary history also discussed whether Hitler's attack on the Soviet Union was a preventative measure in order to prevent an attack on the German Reich. This theory is now long outdated. But there is still a struggle over the interpretation. Russian President Vladimir Putin in particular likes to instrumentalize the Second World War and "Operation Barbarossa" as a Russian victory over fascism. How close to the historical truth is Putin's position? What influence did Operation Barbarossa have on the neighboring Eastern European states? And was it actually a – if not “the” – turning point of the Second World War? Guido Knopp discusses with his guests: Prof. Sönke Neitzel (University of Potsdam, historian) Prof. Jörg Baberowski (Humboldt University Berlin, historian) Dr. Kristiane Janeke