Soviet Veterans of the Second World War: A Popular Movement in an Authoritarian Society, 1941-1991

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Mark Edele (Senior Lecturer, History, The University of Western Australia)

Soviet Veterans of the Second World War

A Popular Movement in an Authoritarian Society, 1941-1991

Mark Edele (Senior Lecturer, History, The University of Western Australia)

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English

Oxford University Press
21 November 2008

European history; Postwar 20th century history, from c 1945 to c 2000; Second World War; Military veterans

Millions of Soviet soldiers died in the USSR's struggle for survival against Nazi Germany but millions more returned to Stalin's state after victory. Mark Edele traces the veterans' story from the early post-war years through to the end of the Soviet Union in 1991. He describes in detail the problems they encountered during demobilization, the dysfunctional bureaucracy they had to deal with once back, and the way their reintegration into civilian life worked in practice in one of the most devastated countries of Europe. He pays particular attention to groups with specific problems such as the disabled, former prisoners of war, women soldiers, and youth. The study analyses the old soldiers' long struggle for recognition and the eventual emergence of an organized movement in the years after Stalin's death. The Soviet state at first refused to recognize veterans as a group worthy of special privileges or as an organization. They were not a group conceived of in Marxist-Leninist theory, there was suspicion about their political loyalty, and the leadership worried about the costs of affording a special status to such a large population group. These preconceptions were overcome only after a long, hard struggle by a popular movement that slowly emerged within the strict confines of the authoritarian Soviet regime.

By: Mark Edele (Senior Lecturer History The University of Western Australia)
Imprint: Oxford University Press
Country of Publication: United Kingdom
Dimensions: Height: 240mm, Width: 163mm, Spine: 25mm
Weight: 1g
ISBN: 9780199237562
ISBN 10: 0199237565
Pages: 336
Publication Date: 21 November 2008
Audience: General/trade , ELT Advanced
Format: Hardback
Publisher's Status: Active

Chronology Glossary Preface Part I: Reintegration Introduction: Consequences of War 1: The Epic of Return 2: Welcome to Normalcy 3: Becoming a Civilian Part II: Victors and Victims 4: 'A Great Profession' 5: Marked for Life 6: 'Honour to the Victors!' Part III: Movement 7: The Struggle for Organization 8: Entitlement Community Afterword Bibliography Index

Mark Edele studied Russian history at the Universities of Erlangen, Tübingen, and Chicago, and is currently a Senior Lecturer at the University of Western Australia, where he teaches continental European and Russian history of the nineteenth and twentieth centuries.

Reviews for Soviet Veterans of the Second World War: A Popular Movement in an Authoritarian Society, 1941-1991

Edele's book is an important contribution to the history of the later Soviet Union, in particular the immediate postwar years. It deepens our understanding of how Soviet state and society interacted and provides critical insights into the development of the veterans' movement. H-Soz-u-Kult Edele's account is destined to help reshape understanding of WWII and the former Soviet Union. Highly recommended. CHOICE Authoritative and engaging Ian D. Thatcher, History A truly superb and highly-recommended account of Soviet veterans of World War II. Jeffrey W. Jones, Slavic Review