Memories of Victory in Times of Defeat: Soviet Patriotism and the Afghan War

• In Event: Memory as a Weapon of Control and Resistance: Militarization of History and Culture in Russia and the USSR

Abstract

This paper examines how a “culture of victory,” rooted in myths of wartime triumph, unravels when confronted with the realities of defeat in war. Focusing on the Soviet-Afghan War, it shows how attempts to link the conflict to World War II heroism instead fueled comparisons to America’s failure in Vietnam and even Nazi Germany, ultimately undermining Soviet authority. By exposing the fragility of the victory narrative, the paper argues that the Afghan war helped weaken the USSR on the eve of its collapse.

Author

• Jonathan Brunstedt, Texas A&M U