World War II: Liberation -- The Soviet Union


Figure 1.--Here Moscow children participate in a recreation of the World War II Victory parade. They are celebrating VE Day (May 9). This is celebrated annually in Russia as Great Patriotic War Rememberance Day. The children dressed up in 1940s styled clothing provided for the occassion and turned in afterwards.

Modern Europe owes the Soviet people a great debt of graditude for their central role in the defeat of the NAZI tyranny. The plans that the NAZIs had for the peoples of the occupied East defy the imagination of modern readers. The Red Army saved the Slavic and Asian people of the Soviet Union from a genocide of even greater proportions than that carried out against the Jews. It was on the Eastern Front that the German Wehrmacht was bled dry. This was achievement at an enormous cost by the Soviet people. The defeat of NAZI Germany is in fact the great achievement of the Soviet Union and continues to be one of the most important celebrations in modern Russia. Yet the Soviet victory is mnot celebrated with the same enthuism by many of Russia's neigbors. Many Russians fail to inderstand why their European neigbors do not share their enthusiam and are not duly appreciative for the enormity of the Soviet sacrifice. The view in Eastern Europe is more nuanced. The Eastern Europeans are more aware of the degree of collusion between Stalin and Hitler which not only made the War possdible, but divided Eastern Europe into colonial possessions. For these countries liberation from the NAZIs meant the imposition of Stalinist rule. This is something that the peoples of the Baltics and Eastern Europe are familiar with. The issue marred the grand celebration President Putin planned for ceremonies in the May 2005 Moscow honoring the 60th anniversary of the Soviet and Allied victory over the NAZI tyranny. What Putin and many Russians have not come to terms with is the fact that the Soviet Union imposed another tyranical regime over Eastern Europe. While in did not have the racial genocide component of the NAZIs, Soviet rule was a terrible orderal for the people of Eastern Europe.

Russian View

Modern Europe owes the Soviet people a great debt of graditude for their central role in the defeat of the NAZI tyranny. The plans that the NAZIs had for the peoples of the occupied East defy the imagination of modern readers. The Red Army saved the Slavic and Asian people of the Soviet Union from a genocide of even greater proportions than that carried out against the Jews. It was on the Eastern Front that the German Wehrmacht was bled dry. This was achievement at an enormous cost by the Soviet people. The defeat of NAZI Germany is in fact the great achievement of the Soviet Union and continues to be one of the most important celebrations in modern Russia--Great Patriotic War Remenberance Day. It is celebrated on the anniversary of VE Day. Yet the Soviet victory is not celebrated with the same enthuism by many of Russia's neigbors. Many Russians fail to inderstand why their European neigbors do not share their enthusiam and are not duly appreciative for the enormity of the Soviet sacrifice.

Soviet Union

The Germans severely damaged, but failed to destroy the Red Army in the massive Barbarossa summer offensuive (June 1941). Large areas of the Sovit Union, however, were occupied by the Germans. The Soviet Union was composed of 16 constiuent republics, some recently acquired. This included the Baltics, eastern Poland, Belarus, Ukraine, western Russia, abd the Caucasus. The largest and most importnt of the different republucs was the vast Russian republic from Leningrad (St. Perersburg) on the Baltic east to Vladisvostock on the Pacific. The Germans occupied large areas of the western Soviet Union, but only limited areas of the Russian ethnic heartland. And after the Soviet Winter Offensive before Moscow much smaller Russian ethnic areas (Decenber 1941). This would be the first area of NAZI-occupied to be liberted and the Red Army troops that drove West were the first to encounter the terrible attricities the Germabns wereinflicting on occupied peoples, especilly in Eastern Europe. The NAZIs assumed their murderous policies would never be discovered. This of course was just the beginning. Further liberation woiuld only occur only after the second Soviet winter offensive, this time in the south centered on Stalingrad (November 1942).

Eastern European View

The Red Army burst into Eastern Europe (late-1944). This included both NAZI occupied countries (Albania, Czechoslovakia, Poland, and Yugoslavia) and NAZI allies (Bulgaria, Hungary, and Romania). The view in Eastern Europe is more nuanced that that of Russians. The Eastern Europeans are more aware of the degree of collusion between Stalin and Hitler which not only made the war possdible, but divided Eastern Europe new into colonial possessions. The independent people of Eastern Europe became colonial subjects. And 6 years of suffering, liberation from the NAZIs meant the imposition of Stalinist rule. This is something that the peoples of the Baltics and Eastern Europe are intimately familiar with. Modern Russians end to be generally dimissive of Eastern European complaints. The issue marred the grand celebration President Putin planned for ceremonies in the May 2005 Moscow honoring the 60th anniversary of the Soviet and Allied victory over the NAZI tyranny. What Putin and many Russians have not come to terms with is the fact that the Soviet Union imposed another tyranical regime over Eastern Europe. While in did not have the racial genocide component of the NAZIs, Soviet rule was a terrible orderal for the people of Eastern Europe.







CIH -- WW II






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Created: 10:06 PM 4/29/2018
Last updated: 10:07 PM 4/29/2018