The catastrophic destruction of WWII sent shockwaves through Soviet masculine identity. Millions of men perished or were broken and the military—a main institution for fostering men—was now staffed with women. Postwar reconstruction was not just about reconstruction, it was also about reimagining the reselling the army as a site of masculinity and the soldier as its ideal. So how was masculinity rebuilt in the postwar period and how did military masculinity fit within the wider Cold War?
Guest:
Erica Fraser is an Assistant Professor at Carleton University specializing in Russian and Soviet history. She’s the author of Military Masculinity and Postwar Recovery in the Soviet Union published by the University of Toronto Press.
Music:
Madvillian, “Shadows of Tomorrow,” Madvilliany, 2004.
