LIFE AFTER WAR: THE EXPERIENCE OF WORLD WAR II VETERANS IN KAZAKHSTAN

Abstract

On May 9, 1945, the Great Patriotic War ended, and the Soviet administration began to demobilize. This marked the beginning of a transition from war to a peaceful life. This thesis investigates this process as experienced and remembered by the surviving World War II veterans in Kazakhstan. The project aims to understand how men and women returning from the front tried to manage and organize their lives in post-war conditions. I argue that veterans experienced a poorly organized demobilization process, shortage of food and consumer goods, as well as housing issues, but their post-war financial hardships were compensated by the sense of the veterans’ special mission in the post-war Soviet society and access to free education and employment. In the work, I also explore inter-ethnic relations between Kazakhs and Slavs and conclude that the relationship was generally peaceful, although not withoutoccasional misunderstandings. Thus, the Slavs, especially Russians, were highlighted as an “older brother” with the knowledge of the Russian language opening doors to better educational and employment opportunities and the status of a “cultured person”. At the same time, some Kazakh soldiers admitted to recognizing themselves as better people – more humane and benevolent than their materialistic Russian peers. The basis of this work is veterans’ recollections, their perceptions of the period, and their lived experiences. To collect and analyze veterans’ memories I chose to conduct in-depth interviews