After the victory of the Great Patriotic War, the Red Army returned with nearly 11 million men. Of these 11 million, nearly 8.5 million will be demobilized after the war and left with a severance package of 1-5 months of pay, depending on years of service. Stalin and the rest of the government had to … Continue reading →
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Reconstructing Soviet society after the war involved a complex re-articulation of what communism meant in light of Soviet victory. The regime also needed to finesse the hopes of democratization raised by the war and avert potential conflict over postwar rewards. Vera Dunham has called the resulting social contract “the Big Deal.” For this post please explore a cultural aspect of […]
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This week’s stars include standout posts about popular song (with Temnaia Noch’ and Wait for Me getting top billing), the new national anthem, the rehabilitation of the Orthodox church, the intersection between the personal and political (in the contest for love and loyalty at home and on the battlefront), and poster art of some the war’s major battles. We also […]
Read moreOn the fifth of July, 1943, the Wehrmacht commenced its last major offensive along the eastern front, and also kicked off the largest battle in human history. Nearly a million Germans, supported by thousands of tanks and aircraft, launched a furious attack against the Red Army, which had amassed 2.5 million men around Kursk, and […]
Read moreFew weapons in history have seen the proliferation of the any of the Soviet produced weapons since WWII. The soviet union produced all of its service rifles in huge quantities and the period of rapid modernization just at the end of the war and following it lead to several different rifles being produced in those quantities… More Soviet Surplus: How Soviet Rifles Have Become A Global Icon
“The Enemy of my Enemy is my Friend.” An ancient proverb that was first recorded before Rome stood upon the banks of the Tiber River. This became government policy for the three powers that found themselves in the unenviable position of fighting against the massive war machine of Nazi Germany. Stalin was just managing to … Continue reading The three amigos.
Read moreFew weapons in history have seen the proliferation of the any of the Soviet produced weapons since WWII. The soviet union produced all of its service rifles in huge quantities and the period of rapid modernization just at the end of the war and following it lead to several different rifles being produced in those quantities… More Soviet Surplus: How Soviet Rifles Have Become A Global Icon
When the Soviet Union entered World War II, the struggle became a battle for the Russians to prove to the rest of the world how strong their nation had become. Intense patriotism fueled the home front during the difficult winters of the war while the Nazis tried unsuccessfully to capture Russia. The Russians made sure […]
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Ivan the Terrible, for his role of “Tyrant” in the country Russia! “Ivan the Terrible” by Viktor Vasnetsov This painting, done by Viktor Vasentov in 1897, is like a movie poster to me. at the bottom I could almost see the title “Russia!” and the tag line would read “the great mother land wasn’t ready […]
Read moreIn 1940, following the 1939 invasion of Poland, the Soviet Union was faced with a self-caused problem. Holding thousands of Polish officers prisoner proved to be very costly, given the need to provide them with food, water, clothing, and shelter. To solve this problem, Stalin came up with his usual solution — execute the Polish […]
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