The Stuff of Soldiers : A History of the Red Army in World War II through Objects / Brandon M. Schechter.

Format:

Book

Author/Creator:

Schechter, Brandon M., Author.

Series:

Battlegrounds. Cornell studies in military history.

Cornell scholarship online.

Battlegrounds: Cornell Studies in Military History

Language:

English

Subjects (All):

Soviet Union. Raboche-Krestʹi͡anskai͡a Krasnai͡a Armii͡--Military life.

Soviet Union.

Soviet Union. Raboche-Krestʹi͡anskai͡a Krasnai͡a Armii͡--Equipment.

Soviet Union. Raboche-Krestʹi͡anskai͡a Krasnai͡a Armii͡--History--World War, 1939-1945.

World War, 1939-1945--Soviet Union--Equipment and supplies.

World War, 1939-1945.

Soldiers--Soviet Union--Social conditions.

Soldiers.

Military paraphernalia--Soviet Union.

Military paraphernalia.

Material culture--Soviet Union.

Material culture.

Personal belongings--Soviet Union.

Personal belongings.

Physical Description:

1 online resource (342 pages).

Place of Publication:

Ithaca, NY : Cornell University Press, [2019]

Language Note:

In English.

Summary:

The Stuff of Soldiers uses everyday objects to tell the story of the Great Patriotic War as never before. Brandon 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.

Contents:

Frontmatter

Contents

Prelude: Outgunned and Outmanned

Acknowledgments

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

Notes:

Previously issued in print: 2019.

Includes bibliographical references and index.

Description based on online resource; title from PDF title page (publisher's Web site, viewed 06. Apr 2020)

ISBN:

9781501768255

1501768255

9781501739804

1501739808

OCLC:

1075548209