Contemporary historiography on the phenomenon of the social cohesion in the period of the Second World War

Abstract

The historiography of World War II is one of the most extensive research topics in historical science. Over the years, a comprehensive study of the military, political and economic history of wartime has been conducted. Particular attention during recent decades has been given to the social aspects of the war. However, the topic of social cohesion in the warring countries remains insufficiently analyzed. Thus, the main objective of the article is to analyze the current state of research on social cohesion in the context of World War II in contemporary British, German and Russian historical literature. The present study of the reflection of cohesion problems in Soviet Union, Great Britain and Germany during World War II is based on the principles of a new interdisciplinary branch of social science – anthropology of war. It integrates the achievements, subject areas and research tools of history, sociology, military psychology, cultural studies, pedagogy, medicine and other disciplines that study the existence of people and society at large in wartime conditions. A comparative analysis of the chosen historiography shows that at the present stage there is a commonality of approaches among historians related to interest in certain personalities, everyday life during World War II and war’s gender dimension. The differences in assessments and methods are determined by the role and place of a particular state in the military-political confrontation as well as by prevailing historiographical paradigms. In any case, the theme of social cohesion was not adequately reflected in these studies. In conclusion, the authors note the research potential of analyzing the problems of social cohesion during World War II.