Muzhiki i portianki: The Peasant Soul and Substance of the Red Army, 1941-1945

• In Event: Peasants as "Poachers": Trust and Accommodation Between the State and the Village, 1914 to the Present

Abstract

This paper discusses the peasant influences on wartime culture and the presence of militarized peasant objects in the Red Army. It argues that the regime was forced to reexamine its relationship to the peasantry during the war and that objects with markedly rural associations made up much of the Red Army’s gear, from wooden spoons, to peasant bindles, to articles of clothing. It offers a fresh look at the culture of the Red Army and the retreat of class as the primary category of inclusion and exclusion during the war.

Author

• Brandon Schechter, Columbia / NYU