Quote:
Originally Posted by MH
There was great sense of duty and patriotism but that wasn't very obvious from the start of campaign.
|
Patriotism wasn't born in 1941 and didn't end in 1945, it was a big thing already in 1930s. Stalin consciously wanted to invoke the victorious Russian past in the patriotic light to bolster the spirit of the people, who were living in turmoil after collectivization and forced industrialization. Separatism was a real threat in the borders of Soviet Union, which itself was governed from Moscow in very centralized manner.
As the threat from outside increased, it was simple enough to channel the patriotism for militaristic purposes. Films were especially important in this whole process, music too. By reading the lyrics of songs from 1935 onwards, you will inevitably notice that the omnipresent enemy is more and more
outside of the borders instead of
inside.
This song (can be listened
) is a prime example and it was made for a film of the same name already in 1938. And as for films, another example is this
well known allegory.
How much the ordinary Red Army soldier believed in these is anyone's guess. But there hadn't been lack of effort already long before the war. And seeing how efficient the Soviet propaganda machine was, I'd estimate it did achieve some results as well.