Great Patriotic War (term)

2005 memorial, Moscow Kremlin

The term Great Patriotic War (Russian: Великая Отечественная война, Velikaya Otechestvennaya Vojna^[1]) is used in Russia and some other states of the former Soviet Union to describe their portion of the Second World War from June 22 1941 to May 9 1945 against Nazi Germany and its allies. The term is not generally used outside the former Soviet Union (see Eastern Front).

There is a difference between this term and "World War II", as the Russian term refers only to the war between Germany and its European allies, and the Soviet Union. The war with Japan (including invasion of Manchuria) and the war on the Western front are not referred to by this term.

The term was coined following the German attack against the Soviet Union on June 22, 1941 and was to mobilize the population to defend the motherland. Before then, the term "Patriotic War" (Russian: Отечественная война) referred to the French invasion of Russia under Napoleon in 1812, which is now known as the Patriotic War of 1812.

The term "Great Patriotic War" appeared in the Soviet newspaper Pravda soon after Nazi Germany invaded the Soviet Union, in a long article titled "The Great Patriotic War of the Soviet People" (Russian: Великая Отечественная война cоветского народа).

In the Soviet lexicography, the war was usually presented as struggle between two ideologies, with the result of the war being the victory of Soviet communist system over fascism.^[2]

During the conflict, the Soviet Union created the Order of the Patriotic War awarded for heroic deeds.

See also

• Eastern Front (World War II)
• World War II

Footnotes