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Throughout the beginning of 1945, Soviet forces closed on the capital city. Joseph Stalin, the leader of the Soviet Union, pitted two of his best generals, Marshals Georgy Zhukov and Ivan Konev, against each other by separately encouraging each of them to be the first to capture the city. Stalin was basically playing off their pride and ambition. By allowing them to compete against each other, Stalin hoped his Red Army would achieve victory in rapid time.
