Following the V-Day the Russians portray their country as making a miraculous transition from war to demobilization, however thats not the truth. The Russian government went through a drastic propaganda campaign to show how well Communism was able to transition, in doing so they made the Western Nations look inferior. The truth however is far from the image they portrayed.
Following the end of WWII many Russian soldiers were sent back to large parades that were set up by the government as apart of the propaganda campaign, however after the parades stopped the soldiers were put to work where they were needed. Many worked on farms or in factories and the luster of their achievement was gone. In fact not every soldier got to go home and to make matters worse many of the soldiers never advanced in rank or received more compensation for their effort.
For many African American soldiers who fought for the United States their efforts were on par with the Russians. Despite their hard work, effort, and success they were treated as civilians if not less due to the color of their skin. After the parades had ended and the victory had run its course many African Americans struggled to keep up with the average United States civilian.
Despite making several attempts to be politically seen as equals and have their voices heard they were not. The United States was not ready for the civil change that will later come in the 1960’s and as a result many of the African American soldiers careers and successes were downplayed despite their efforts.
Another reading for discussed the phycological impact of war on WWII veterans. Following WWI came a popular term called “Shell Shocked,” this is where the start of phycological impact caused by war was taken seriously, prior to WWI you were thought to be weak if you showed symptoms of phycological struggles. The article covered a lot of ground including Vietnam where PTSD became prevalent. This is revenant today because PTSD is a major killer of United States soldiers. At one point more soldiers were committing suicide due to PTSD than on the battle field. The article sums up that the treatment of those with PTSD received some kind of attention, they were treated better than those during WWI but there was still some unknowing and confusion about the topics.
The Total War and Entitlement article discussed the role of a veteran following a war weather they were the victor or they were defeated. They mainly concentrated on the contrast of Russian and Australian troops. They touch on how the Russian soldiers were seen with higher regards at the beginning as supported by a previous author but that turned out to be a ruse which was later exposed. The article basically showed Australians role in the war and how they were received at home following the war.
I feel like most of the world hides the truth from each other. Everyone likes to put on a happy front, like the Russians want to show the world how well they treat their soldiers when they arrive home from war. It is sad how the tables turn from war heroes to being put straight back to work because all of Europe was destroyed. I think that is the difference between the actual celebrations in America and the faux ones in Europe because the war was fought in Europe so they had to rebuild.
You have made some great points about the nature in which veterans were treated following the conclusion of WWII. The horrors of war clearly extended well beyond the battlefield and far into peacetime. Propaganda was produced with only government interests in mind, never taking into consideration the morally just thing to do. In countries like Russia, it is awful to think that soldiers were nothing more than government laborers in the eyes of their political leaders. History has done a good job of hiding these injustices from everyday view, so it is great to dig into the past and be enlightened by these facts.
I think it is interesting that you say that African American veterans were not treated like white veterans. I would like to take your statement that the African American veteran “struggled to keep up with the average United States civilian” a step further. They did not struggle to keep up, they struggled to stay alive. They did not receive the same medical treatment that white veterans and civilians acquired. Medical authorities considered African American soldiers to be biologically prone to upper respiratory and venereal disease, to possess below average intelligence, and to succumb more easily to the emotional strain of warfare and combat. These racist assumptions/views were justification for worse and less medical and psychological treatment of African American veterans, which could lead to their deaths in case when white veterans would have been helped. Not only did they struggle with medical treatment, but they were also under constant threat from white civilians. There were many cases of white civilians and some police authorities who had harassed, beaten, and murdered African Americans veterans. I find it incredibly ironic that black veterans “fought for democracy and freedom” during the war, but the treatment they received at home did not resemble what they were supposedly defending.
You make a great connection between russian soldiers and african american souldiers in the US. it was interesting to see how the soviet governemt used their war heros to serve a purpose upon their return and then shoved them into a menial labor job and forgot about them.
The psychological impact on veterans of World War Two is often overlooked. The connection to shell shock from World War Two to the title of Post Traumatic Stress Disorder that started in Vietnam and continues with soldiers on the modern battlefield is of particular note because some people say that todays generation is simply not equipped for warfare, but in reality every generation suffers some side effects from the battlefield.