New Publications in Post-Soviet States on the World War II and the Great Patriotic War

The focal point of this study is the analysis of textbooks and educational materials dedicated to the events of World War II and the Great Patriotic War. The research draws on books published in eight post-Soviet states: the Russian Federation, the Republic of Belarus, Ukraine, the Republic of Azerbaijan, the Republic of Uzbekistan, the Republic of Kazakhstan, the Kyrgyz Republic, and the Republic of Tajikistan. The authors aim to assess the extent to which the historical truth regarding these two major wars of the twentieth century is preserved in these countries, or whether the causes, events, and outcomes of these wars are misrepresented. This study aligns with recent legislative measures in the Russian Federation, including amendments to the Constitution of the Russian Federation, the Presidential Decree No. 400 “On the Strategy of National Security of the Russian Federation” (2 July 2021), and the Presidential Decree No. 611 “On Approving the Concept of Humanitarian Policy of the Russian Federation Abroad” (5 September 2022). These documents emphasize the careful and impartial study of the history of Russian statehood at all stages of its development. A key milestone in this context is the Great Patriotic War, which, in some countries that were once part of the USSR, has been reassessed from perspectives that foster the “detachment” of both younger generations — schoolchildren and students — and older generations from the heroic past of their countries. This state-driven approach is intertwined with the shaping of public opinion aimed at distorting the image of true heroes and creating myths about how many opponents of Soviet power were supposedly representatives of the national interests of the majority of the populations in certain national republics of the USSR. As evidenced by the case of Ukraine, this trajectory — specifically, the establishment of a state-sanctioned nationalist ideology — leads not only to societal division but also to civil unrest.