Soviet Russians under Nazi Occupation: Fragile Loyalties in World War II (New Studies in European History)

In this compelling account of life and death in a Russian province under Nazi occupation, Johannes Due Enstad challenges received wisdom about Russian patriotism during World War II. With the benefit of hindsight, we know how hopelessly destructive Germany's war against the Soviet Union was. Yet ordinary Russians witnessing the advancing German forces saw things differently. For many of them, having lived through collectivization and Stalinist terror in the 1930s, the invasion created hopes of a better life without the Bolsheviks. German policies on land and church helped sustain those hopes for parts of the population. Drawing on Soviet and German archival sources as well as eyewitness accounts, memoirs, and diaries, Enstad demonstrates the impact of Nazi rule on the mostly peasant population of northwest Russia and offers a reconsideration of the relationship between the Soviet regime and its core Russian population at this crucial moment in their history. Cover......Page 1 Half-title......Page 3 Series information......Page 4 Title page......Page 5 Copyright information......Page 6 Dedication......Page 7 Table of contents......Page 9 List of Figures......Page 10 List of Maps......Page 11 List of Tables......Page 12 Acknowledgments......Page 13 Note on Translation and Transliteration......Page 15 Chronology of Military Events......Page 16 Glossary and Abbreviations......Page 18 Introduction......Page 21 Northwest Russia......Page 29 A Note on Sources......Page 32 Structure of the Book......Page 35 Embattled Peasants......Page 38 Life in the Cities and Towns......Page 47 The Great Terror in Northwest Russia......Page 49 Resistance, Adaptation, and Enduring Grievances......Page 51 Conclusion......Page 57 Chapter 2 Hopes and Fears: Popular Responses to the Invasion......Page 59 Invasion and Mobilization......Page 60 Evacuation and Retreat: Soviet Power Crumbles......Page 64 Liberators and Murderers: The First Encounters......Page 69 Conclusion......Page 78 The Holocaust in Northwest Russia......Page 80 Mass Murder of Roma......Page 86 ''Life Unworthy of Life''......Page 90 The Prisoners of War......Page 94 Paths to Survival......Page 97 The Surrounding Population......Page 102 Conclusion......Page 106 Chapter 4 The Ghost of Hunger......Page 108 Preconditions......Page 109 Starvation......Page 111 German Policy Responses......Page 115 Working to Survive......Page 120 On the Move......Page 123 Trade and Private Enterprise......Page 128 Conclusion......Page 131 Decollectivization......Page 133 The New Agrarian Order and Its Reception......Page 138 Burdens......Page 150 Conclusion......Page 155 Chapter 6 Religious Revival and the Pskov Orthodox Mission......Page 157 Origins of the Pskov Orthodox Mission......Page 158 Rebuilding a Churchly Wasteland......Page 161 A Political Mission?......Page 165 The Popular Response......Page 173 Conclusion......Page 180 Chapter 7 Relating to German and Soviet Power......Page 182 Participation in Local Governance......Page 183 Policing the Province: Auxiliary Police and Antipartisan Forces......Page 189 Motivations to Serve......Page 196 Relating to Soviet Power: People and Partisans......Page 201 ''We were more afraid of Soviet power than the Germans''......Page 203 The Antipartisan War......Page 210 Between Two Fires......Page 214 Conclusion......Page 218 Chapter 8 Hopes and Fears, Revisited: The End and Aftermath of Occupation......Page 221 The National Question......Page 222 Turning of the Tide......Page 228 The Return of Soviet Power......Page 231 Conclusion......Page 239 Conclusion......Page 241 Gosudarstvennyi arkhiv noveishei istorii Novgorodskoi oblasti (GANINO)......Page 248 US Holocaust Memorial Museum, Washington (USHMM)......Page 249 Newspapers......Page 250 Books and Articles......Page 251 Index......Page 266 In This Compelling Account Of Life And Death In A Russian Province Under Nazi Occupation, Johannes D. Enstad Challenges Received Wisdom About Russian Patriotism During World War Ii. With The Benefit Of Hindsight, We Know How Hopelessly Destructive Germany's War Against The Soviet Union Was. Yet Ordinary Russians Witnessing The Advancing German Forces Saw Things Differently. For Many Of Them, Having Lived Through Collectivization And Stalinist Terror In The 1930s, The Invasion Created Hopes Of A Better Life Without The Bolsheviks. German Policies On Land And Church Helped Sustain Those Hopes For Parts Of The Population. Drawing On Soviet And German Archival Sources As Well As Eyewitness Accounts, Memoirs, And Diaries, Enstad Demonstrates The Impact Of Nazi Rule On The Mostly Peasant Population Of Northwest Russia And Offers A Reconsideration Of The Relationship Between The Soviet Regime And Its Core Russian Population At This Crucial Moment In Their History.--provided By Publisher. Life In The 1930s And The Limits Of Stalinist Civilization -- Hopes And Fears: Popular Responses To The Invasion -- Facing Annihilation -- The Ghost Of Hunger -- More Meat, Milk, And Bread Than In The Stalinist Kolkhoz: Life In The De-collectivized Village -- Religious Revival And The Pskov Orthodox Mission -- Relating To German And Soviet Power -- Hopes And Fears, Revisited: The End And Aftermath Of Occupation -- Conclusion. Johannes D. Enstad, University Of Oslo. Includes Bibliographical References And Index.