Tag: World War II

No aggression coming from your pal Hitler, *wink wink*

Joseph Stalin was a historical figure in the context of Soviet history. He was notorious for his policies known as Stalinism which developed throughout his time in leadership of the Soviet government.  “He had claimed that Russia was “50 to 100 years” behind the West, and that without catching up in 10 years, Russia would […]

The Girl with the Tokarev SVT-40 semi-automatic rifle.

From a western perspective, female roles during wartime are kept nearly exclusively to the home front. Women are placed in temporary industry jobs in order to advance the war effort, which is where iconic personas such as Rosie the Riveter emerge. However, this concept of females roles vary on the eastern front. During World War … Continue reading The Girl with the Tokarev SVT-40 semi-automatic rifle.

Innocence Lost: The Great Fatherland War in “Ivan’s Childhood”

Andrei Tarkovsky’s 1962 debut film, Ivan’s Childhood (available on Kanopy), follows a 12 year old boy serving as a scout in the Soviet military during World War II. Although it was made a couple decades after the war, this film not only portrays the mental and physical destruction wrought by the war, but also raises fascinating…

Germany’s Mistake is a Soviet Success

Soviet Union success during The Great Patriotic War can easily be associated with modifications within the military and political world: the improvement of military strategies and the extreme centralization which allowed the state to better mobilize its people and resources. While keeping in mind the improvements and corrections made by the Soviet Union one must […]