The stuff of soldiers : a history of the Red Army in World War II through objects
Author(s)
Bibliographic Information
The stuff of soldiers : a history of the Red Army in World War II through objects
（Battlegrounds : Cornell studies in military history）
Cornell University Press, 2019
Available at / 2 libraries
-
No Libraries matched.
- Remove all filters.
Note
Includes bibliographical references and index
Description and Table of Contents
Description
The Stuff of Soldiers uses everyday objects to tell the story of the Great Patriotic War as never before. Brandon M. Schechter attends to a diverse array of things—from spoons to tanks—to show how a wide array of citizens became soldiers, and how the provisioning of material goods separated soldiers from civilians.
Through a fascinating examination of leaflets, proclamations, newspapers, manuals, letters to and from the front, diaries, and interviews, The Stuff of Soldiers reveals how the use of everyday items made it possible to wage war. The dazzling range of documents showcases ethnic diversity, women's particular problems at the front, and vivid descriptions of violence and looting.
Each chapter features a series of related objects: weapons, uniforms, rations, and even the knick-knacks in a soldier's rucksack. These objects narrate the experience of people at war, illuminating the changes taking place in Soviet society over the course of the most destructive conflict in recorded history. Schechter argues that spoons, shovels, belts, and watches held as much meaning to the waging of war as guns and tanks. In The Stuff of Soldiers, he describes the transformative potential of material things to create a modern culture, citizen, and soldier during World War II.
Table of Contents
Prelude: Outgunned and Outmanned
Acknowledgments
List of Archival Sources and Their Abbreviations
Terms and Abbreviations
Explanatory Notes
Introduction: Government Issue
1. The Soldier's Body: A Little Cog in a Giant War Machine
2. A Personal Banner: Life in Red Army Uniform
3. The State's Pot and the Soldier's Spoon: Rations in the Red Army
4. Cities of Earth, Cities of Rubble: The Spade and Red Army Landscaping
5. "A Weapon Is Your Honor and Conscience": Killing in the Red Army
6. The Thing-Bag: A Public-Private Place
7. Trophies of War: Red Army Soldiers Confront an Alien World of Goods
Conclusion: Subjects and Objects
Notes
Index
by "Nielsen BookData"
