We had some terrific posts this week covering many facets of World War II – from the major military moments (Battle of Stalingrad, Battle of Kursk), to the struggles of a besieged city, the massacre of Polish army officers in the Katyn forest, deportations of ethnic minorities,and the feats of female aviators. Analyses of gender…
Dramatic changes in Soviet society, culture and politics followed Stalin’s death in 1953. This week we turn to the initial period of “De-Stalinization” and “The Thaw” and will use the modules on 1954 and 1956 from Seventeen Moments in Soviet History. Please also consult and use the Current Digest of the Soviet Press and cite…
Aside from battles such as Verdun and The Somme of the First World War, few occurrences in human history have come close to equaling the brutality and utter disregard for human life as displayed by the Eastern Front during WWII. Germany’s invasion, Operation Barbarossa, began on June 22, 1941, when hundreds of thousands of German […]
In 1946, new rules were added to the Russian school system for both the students and the teachers, including strict punishments for little things such as taking a longer lunch break than given. Being perfectly behaved children was now a high expectation of … Continue reading →
While the Soviet Union still lagged behind Western nations in areas like technology and industry during World War II, their advances in gender equality were internationally innovative. The female call to civil and national duty was fulfilled in flight, surpassing conventional positions in fields, factories, and homes. The army included 800,000 women, but the Soviet Union was the first…
For a long time, the Russians viewed Germans and the Slavic minorities in their country as an issue, especially during World War II. However, this enmity towards the Germans always existed, Stalin just used the war as an excuse to “cleanse” Russia of the perceived filth, claiming that the Germans had infiltrated Russia with spies. […]
As the Nazi war machine continued to dominate in World War II the Soviet Union’s forces were getting pushed farther and farther back. Hope began to dwindle down as the German forces continued to win decisive victories over the Soviets. As Hitler’s confidence grew, so did his ego. Instead of focusing his army to […]
In September 1941, the city of Leningrad was under seize by the German which lasted until January 1944. According to one Leningrader’s diary, “We have returned to prehistoric times: life has been reduced to one thing — the hunt for food.” Upon seizing the city, the Army Group North under General Ritter von Leeb severed […]
Wave after wave of German soldiers crashed against the city of Stalingrad, and wave after wave they were stopped by the immovable cliff wall that was the soldiers and people of the city of Stalingrad. The Battle of Stalingrad was … Continue reading →
The battle of Kursk was the largest tank battle of World War Two and marks a turning point for the war where the Nazis were dealt a major defeat, and the Red Army triumphed. The battle of Kursk was initiated by the Nazi aggressors in their eastern front campaign, the Red Army staged one of […]