Victory Day in the USSR, PRL and Russia. How Putin cleaned up Brezhnev

Posted On: May 8, 2023

Europe celebrates Victory Day on May 8, Russia the day after tomorrow
In the Soviet Union, this holiday began to be celebrated on a larger scale in the 1960s, under Leonid Brezhnev.
Putin was politically formed under Brezhnev. He absorbed that historical policy, said Dr. Leszkowicz
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Officially, for Russians, World War II ended a day later than for the rest of Europe. If in London or Paris Victory Day is celebrated on May 8, in Moscow the celebrations start 24 hours later. — The initial surrender of the Third Reich occurred on May 7, 1945. It was repeated on May 8, just before midnight. Exactly 22:43 Berlin time. It was past midnight in Moscow on May 9. Therefore, in Russia, May 9 is considered the day of the surrender of Nazi Germany, explains Dr. Tomasz Leszkowicz, army historian and columnist for the portal histmag.org, in an interview with Onet.

Victory Day in Russia, and earlier in the USSR, was m.in. traditional parade and troop show on Red Square. Leszkowicz points out that under Joseph Stalin, and later Nikita Khrushchev, Victory Day was not celebrated as grandly as it was in the 1960s or today, under Vladimir Putin. “Stalin did not want to support his generals in this way. Suffice it to mention that General Georgy Zhukov, a hero of the Great Patriotic War, retired after the war.

— Only in the mid-1960s, under Leonid Brezhnev, did the myth of the Great Patriotic War begin to be recreated on a large scale. This memory is to bind the countries of the Soviet Union, the entire Eastern Bloc. Something other than revolutionary glue. Brezhnev touched this very much. Since 1965, we have seen massive Victory Day celebrations in the Soviet Union, but also in Poland, says Leszkowicz.

The revival of this Russian holiday falls on the beginning of the 21st century, that is, at the beginning of Putin’s reign. Dr Leszkowicz believes this is not a coincidence. “Putin was politically shaped under Brezhnev. He absorbed that historical policy.

The central place in Russian historical policy is occupied by the myth of the Great Patriotic War, in which the Soviet Union almost single-handedly defeated Hitler’s army. The Molotov-Ribbentrop Pact was not mentioned, and for Russia, the Second World War officially began in 1941, when Germany attacked the Soviet Union.

— In the narrative of Russian history, Western support during World War II also forms the background. The American Lend-Lease Act program, which was a major breakthrough for the Red Army, is not mentioned much – emphasizes Onet’s interlocutors.

According to Dr. Leszkowicz, Putin uses Victory Day celebrations and the myth of the Great Patriotic War for two purposes. – First, for internal use. To show the Russians that they are victors, they sacrificed, they won the war. On the other hand, it is also a foreign policy tool. It is intended to serve as a narrative: thanks to Russia Hitler was defeated. Respect Russia, because we set you free.

This narrative is very much evident in Putin’s speech in 2021, even before the invasion of Ukraine. During the Victory Day celebrations, speaking about the defeat of Nazi Germany in World War II, Putin noted: “We will always remember that this feat was accomplished by the Soviet people.” This nation, he stressed, “defended the fatherland and liberated European countries from the brown plague.”

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In the Polish People’s Republic, Victory Day has been celebrated for many years – as in the Soviet Union – on May 9th.

– In Poland, this holiday is associated with the anniversary of joining the so-called Restored Territories. On this occasion, major celebrations took place in 1970. The celebrations were held in Wrocław at the Olympic stadium, the historian notes.

On May 9 in Poland, as now on the anniversary of the outbreak of the Warsaw Uprising, sirens sounded. Celebrated differently than in Russia. There were no great military parades, and the propaganda campaigns were extended from time to time. — In 1970, the celebration of Victory Day and the 25th anniversary of the return of the western lands to the Motherland began in April.

At that time, it was called the Relay of Victory and Freedom. — It was a kind of propaganda rally, which was led from Kołobrzeg and Chełm Lubelski to Wrocław. The column went around Poland. Various events took place day after day. Party with young people, laying flowers. There were also victory patrols, which were visits by soldiers, scouts and youth activists to World War II veterans, Dr. Leszkowicz.

Parades were held at the stadium, where the “living stands” showed various inscriptions such as “Victory” or “Socialism”.

Currently, Poland is celebrating the end of World War II like any other European country. — May 8 is already an ordinary memorial day. Victory Day is celebrated on a much smaller scale, notes Dr. Leszkowicz.