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DOI: 10.46698/VNC.2023.22.15.005
FRONTLINE LETTERS AND DIARIES AS SOURCES FOR STUDYING THE GREAT PATRIOTIC WAR
Lazarova, Oksana M.
Kavkaz Forum. 2023. Issue 15.
Abstract:
The priority of studying the Great Patriotic War is self-evident and is determined
by the scale of the war itself, the centrality of its role in the world historical process,
the consequences, both short-term and long-term, which still reverberate in all
spheres of life in our country. A huge number of works have been written on this
topic using sources of different nature. For the reliability of the study, it is necessary
to use not only one type of sources, but a whole range of available materials.
However, some historians have noted, that the anthropological content of the
Great Patriotic War has not been sufficiently studied so far, since front-line diaries
and letters from direct participants in those events require further analysis. The
object of study in this article is front-line diaries and letters in order to determine
their source study importance and representativeness in the study of the topic of
the Great Patriotic War. Along with the value of front-line diaries and letters, the
information gleaned from them about the image of war and the enemy among
soldiers was generalized, and thanks to the sources, the features of everyday life
at the front were determined. This material also confirms the well-known fact
that one of the most important reasons for the victory was the noble goal of the
Soviet soldier - the liberation of the Fatherland from enemies, and this becomes
the aspiration of each author of such a document, describing his personal
contribution to the common cause. The information value of front-line diaries
and letters, as well as the credibility of them, are great. They trace the everyday
history of that period, they give ideas not only about the perception of events, or
the description of military operations, but also about interpersonal relationships,
about the mood of Soviet soldiers, noble qualities, and sometimes even base ones,
they showed in critical situations. Personal sources also give us information about
what life was like during the war. Front-line diaries and letters from eyewitnesses
and participants are irreplaceable sources, carry high information value and
personalize the war.
Keywords: ego-document, front-line letters, front-line diaries, Great Patriotic War, image of war, image of the enemy, front-line life.
For citation: Lazarova, O.M. Frontline Letters and Diaries as Sources for Studying
the Great Patriotic War. KAVKAZ-FORUM. 2023, iss. 15(22), pp. 67-77. (In Russian).
DOI 10.46698/VNC.2023.22.15.005
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