Civil Evacuation to Western Siberia during the Great Patriotic War: Evolution of Approaches in Russian Historiography

Abstract

The authors used the chronological method to trace and periodize the evolution of domestic historiographic approaches to the population evacuation from the European part of the Soviet Union to Western Siberia during Great Patriotic War. They revealed three main stages in the civilian evacuation studies: 1941–1955, 1956–1990, and 1991 until now. Representatives of the first stage faced with the problem of classified sources and propaganda. Civilian population evacuation developed into an independent research topic during the second period, which also experienced the ideological component as a constraining element for comprehensive studies. Historiographers of the current stage have free access to new archival documents that cast light upon some new aspects of the evacuation process. The authors reviewed publications from all selected periods and identified economic, social, and demographic approaches. The economic approach has always prevailed because the civil evacuation has always been connected with industrial relocation. Scarce as they might be, social and demographic publications cover such important issues as accommodation, employment, medical care, social composition, numbers, etc.

Keywords

• great patriotic war
• world war ii
• civil evacuation
• approaches in historiography
• western siberia