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Great Patriotic War (term)
Encyclopedia
The term
Great Patriotic War ( (acronym "ВОВ"), Velíkaya Otéchestvennaya voyná,) is used in Russia
and some other states of the former Soviet Union
to describe the portion of World War II
from 22 June 1941 to 9 May 1945, against Nazi Germany
and its allies
in the many fronts of Soviet-German war.
under Napoleon I
, which became known as the Patriotic War of 1812. The term denotes a war for otechestvo, "the fatherland", i.e. a defensive war for one's homeland.
The phrase Great Patriotic War (Великая отечественная война) appeared in 1914. It was the name of a special war-time appendix to the magazine Theater and Life (Театр и жизнь) in Saint Petersburg
, and referred to the Eastern Front
of World War I
, where Russia fought against the German Empire
and the Austrian Empire
. The phrases Second Patriotic War (Вторая отечественная война) and Great World Patriotic War (Великая всемирная отечественная война) were also used during World War I in Russia.
The term Great Patriotic War re-appeared in the Soviet newspaper Pravda
on 23 June 1941, just a day after Nazi Germany
invaded the Soviet Union
. It was found in the title of "The Great Patriotic War of the Soviet People" (Velikaya Otechestvennaya voyna sovetskogo naroda), a long article by Yemelyan Yaroslavsky
, a member of Pravda editors' collegium. The phrase was intended to motivate the population to defend the Soviet motherland and to expel the invader, and a reference to the Patriotic War of 1812 was seen as a great moral booster.
The term Отечественная война (Patriotic War or Fatherland War) was officially recognized by establishment of the Order of the Patriotic War
on 20 May 1942, awarded for heroic deeds.
). It is a patriotic and symbolic term. During this period 6.8 million Soviet soldiers were killed and 4.4 million died in captivity. The Soviet Union lost 26.6 million men and women in total, more than any other country in human history.
There is a difference between this phrase and World War II or the Second World War, as the Russian term denotes only the war between Germany and its European allies, and the Soviet Union. The war with Japan
(including the invasion of Manchuria) and the war on the Western front are not referred to by this term. Nor does it cover the Soviet Union's 1939 attacks on Poland
and Finland
or 1940 invasion of the Baltic states.
Terminology
Terminology is the study of terms and their use. Terms are words and compound words that in specific contexts are given specific meanings, meanings that may deviate from the meaning the same words have in other contexts and in everyday language. The discipline Terminology studies among other...
Great Patriotic War ( (acronym "ВОВ"), Velíkaya Otéchestvennaya voyná,) is used in Russia
Russia
Russia or , officially known as both Russia and the Russian Federation , is a country in northern Eurasia. It is a federal semi-presidential republic, comprising 83 federal subjects...
and some other states of the former Soviet Union
Soviet Union
The Soviet Union , officially the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics , was a constitutionally socialist state that existed in Eurasia between 1922 and 1991....
to describe the portion of World War II
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
from 22 June 1941 to 9 May 1945, against Nazi Germany
Nazi Germany
Nazi Germany , also known as the Third Reich , but officially called German Reich from 1933 to 1943 and Greater German Reich from 26 June 1943 onward, is the name commonly used to refer to the state of Germany from 1933 to 1945, when it was a totalitarian dictatorship ruled by...
and its allies
Axis Powers
The Axis powers , also known as the Axis alliance, Axis nations, Axis countries, or just the Axis, was an alignment of great powers during the mid-20th century that fought World War II against the Allies. It began in 1936 with treaties of friendship between Germany and Italy and between Germany and...
in the many fronts of Soviet-German war.
History
The term Patriotic War refers to the Russian resistance of the French invasion of RussiaFrench invasion of Russia
The French invasion of Russia of 1812 was a turning point in the Napoleonic Wars. It reduced the French and allied invasion forces to a tiny fraction of their initial strength and triggered a major shift in European politics as it dramatically weakened French hegemony in Europe...
under Napoleon I
Napoleon I
Napoleon Bonaparte was a French military and political leader during the latter stages of the French Revolution.As Napoleon I, he was Emperor of the French from 1804 to 1815...
, which became known as the Patriotic War of 1812. The term denotes a war for otechestvo, "the fatherland", i.e. a defensive war for one's homeland.
The phrase Great Patriotic War (Великая отечественная война) appeared in 1914. It was the name of a special war-time appendix to the magazine Theater and Life (Театр и жизнь) in Saint Petersburg
Saint Petersburg
Saint Petersburg is a city and a federal subject of Russia located on the Neva River at the head of the Gulf of Finland on the Baltic Sea...
, and referred to the Eastern Front
Eastern Front (World War I)
The Eastern Front was a theatre of war during World War I in Central and, primarily, Eastern Europe. The term is in contrast to the Western Front. Despite the geographical separation, the events in the two theatres strongly influenced each other...
of World War I
World War I
World War I , which was predominantly called the World War or the Great War from its occurrence until 1939, and the First World War or World War I thereafter, was a major war centred in Europe that began on 28 July 1914 and lasted until 11 November 1918...
, where Russia fought against the German Empire
German Empire
The German Empire refers to Germany during the "Second Reich" period from the unification of Germany and proclamation of Wilhelm I as German Emperor on 18 January 1871, to 1918, when it became a federal republic after defeat in World War I and the abdication of the Emperor, Wilhelm II.The German...
and the Austrian Empire
Austrian Empire
The Austrian Empire was a modern era successor empire, which was centered on what is today's Austria and which officially lasted from 1804 to 1867. It was followed by the Empire of Austria-Hungary, whose proclamation was a diplomatic move that elevated Hungary's status within the Austrian Empire...
. The phrases Second Patriotic War (Вторая отечественная война) and Great World Patriotic War (Великая всемирная отечественная война) were also used during World War I in Russia.
The term Great Patriotic War re-appeared in the Soviet newspaper Pravda
Pravda
Pravda was a leading newspaper of the Soviet Union and an official organ of the Central Committee of the Communist Party between 1912 and 1991....
on 23 June 1941, just a day after Nazi Germany
Nazi Germany
Nazi Germany , also known as the Third Reich , but officially called German Reich from 1933 to 1943 and Greater German Reich from 26 June 1943 onward, is the name commonly used to refer to the state of Germany from 1933 to 1945, when it was a totalitarian dictatorship ruled by...
invaded the Soviet Union
Operation Barbarossa
Operation Barbarossa was the code name for Germany's invasion of the Soviet Union during World War II that began on 22 June 1941. Over 4.5 million troops of the Axis powers invaded the USSR along a front., the largest invasion in the history of warfare...
. It was found in the title of "The Great Patriotic War of the Soviet People" (Velikaya Otechestvennaya voyna sovetskogo naroda), a long article by Yemelyan Yaroslavsky
Yemelyan Yaroslavsky
Yemelyan Mikhailovich Yaroslavsky was a Russian revolutionary, Soviet politician, communist party organizer and activist, journalist, and historian...
, a member of Pravda editors' collegium. The phrase was intended to motivate the population to defend the Soviet motherland and to expel the invader, and a reference to the Patriotic War of 1812 was seen as a great moral booster.
The term Отечественная война (Patriotic War or Fatherland War) was officially recognized by establishment of the Order of the Patriotic War
Order of the Patriotic War
The Order of the Patriotic War is a Soviet military decoration that was awarded to all soldiers in the Soviet armed forces, security troops, and to partisans for heroic deeds during the German-Soviet War, known by the former-Soviet Union as the Great Patriotic War.- History :The Order was...
on 20 May 1942, awarded for heroic deeds.
Usage
The term is not generally used outside the former Soviet Union (see Eastern FrontEastern Front (World War II)
The Eastern Front of World War II was a theatre of World War II between the European Axis powers and co-belligerent Finland against the Soviet Union, Poland, and some other Allies which encompassed Northern, Southern and Eastern Europe from 22 June 1941 to 9 May 1945...
). It is a patriotic and symbolic term. During this period 6.8 million Soviet soldiers were killed and 4.4 million died in captivity. The Soviet Union lost 26.6 million men and women in total, more than any other country in human history.
Pacific War
The Pacific War, also sometimes called the Asia-Pacific War refers broadly to the parts of World War II that took place in the Pacific Ocean, its islands, and in East Asia, then called the Far East...
(including the invasion of Manchuria) and the war on the Western front are not referred to by this term. Nor does it cover the Soviet Union's 1939 attacks on Poland
Soviet invasion of Poland
Soviet invasion of Poland can refer to:* the second phase of the Polish-Soviet War of 1920 when Soviet armies marched on Warsaw, Poland* Soviet invasion of Poland of 1939 when Soviet Union allied with Nazi Germany attacked Second Polish Republic...
and Finland
Winter War
The Winter War was a military conflict between the Soviet Union and Finland. It began with a Soviet offensive on 30 November 1939 – three months after the start of World War II and the Soviet invasion of Poland – and ended on 13 March 1940 with the Moscow Peace Treaty...
or 1940 invasion of the Baltic states.
See also
- First period of World War II
- Second period of World War II
- Third period of World War IIThird period of World War IIThe Third period of World War II describes the events on the Eastern Front from the Soviet historiographic method of periodisation. The period is formally known as the Third Period of the Great Patriotic War and its duration is determined to be from 1 January 1944 to 11 May 1945 although the 9 May...
- Second Fatherland WarSecond Fatherland WarThe Second Fatherland War was the term given by contemporary Russians to both the Eastern Front of World War I and the Eastern Front of World War II. Both terms attempted to link the current war with the French invasion of Russia in 1812, which had been termed the "Fatherland War" and later the...
- PobediteliPobediteliPobediteli is a free and non-profit Russian project, celebrating the 60th anniversary of victory in World War II, with the goal of congratulating those who won the German-Soviet War for the Soviet Union...