| dc.description.abstract | Abstract
On June, 22nd, 1941, the armed forces of the German government successfully broke through the defenses at the western part of the Soviet Union. Afterwards, the German authorities besieged the city, Leningrad, which was located between the northwestern part of the Soviet Union and the Baltic Sea. The lockdown had begun from September, 8th and lasted for 872 days.
The victory of this war also caused Leningrad to be isolated from other cities. The supply of the food and other life essentials could only be conducted through Ladoga Lake. Because the granary was destroyed by the German armed forces and the storage of food was not enough before the outbreak of the war, the critical starvation in Leningrad thus happened from the first winter after this military conflict.
This thesis aims at examining citizens’ living conditions under the circumstances of the besiege and the suffering of starvation by referring to the diary written by Elena Mukhina. For instance, what changes had been made to Elena and other residents after the besiege of the city began?
Also, combining with other historical data and information, several questions will be investigated. Firstly, what were the consequences to both Elena and other people who were at the lower social-economic status brought by the problem of famine? Did the governmental authorities provide any essential help?
Secondly, the distribution of food during the period of World War II was through the rationing system in most of the countries in the world, however, why Leningrad was the only city facing the severe famine problem with the highest death toll compared to other states? Lastly, was there any disease or psychological trauma gotten by people after experiencing the issue of starvation for a long period of time? As people belonged to the lower social-economic status were not able to leave Leningrad, what were their spiritual supports?
Collectively, the thesis will analyze the difference between the experiences that Elena faced and the claims made by the Soviet Union about “hero”, “brave”, and “patriotism” through the angles of starvation, diseases, and the conditions of living. | en_US |