The Fortress is Dark and Harsh: The Soviet Home Front during World War II, Wendy Goldman, Donald Filzer

The history of the Great Patriotic War is usually understood as the history of military operations and the exploits of soldiers who fought at the front. However, one of the most important factors that allowed the Red Army to hold back the advance of German troops and go on a counteroffensive were the efforts of many people, and especially women, teenagers and elderly people who were in the rear in those years. Historians Wendy Goldman and Donald Filzer explore the history of total war behind the front lines in their book. How did the state manage to mobilize all its resources, including labor, in such a short period of time? Was the work of government agencies responsible for carrying out emergency initiatives organized effectively? What role did corruption of officials and the black market play in the life of the home front? And how did people manage to survive terrible hardships - hunger, hard work and outbreaks of epidemics? Drawing on an extensive corpus of recently released archival documents, the authors examine the relationship that developed between the Soviet state and society during this dramatic period - from the German invasion, the beginning of mass evacuation and the restoration of the country. Wendy Goldman is the Paul Mellon Professor Emeritus at Carnegie Mellon University. Donald Filzer is Emeritus Professor at the University of East London.