Smoke, mirrors, and memories : legacies of the Soviet-Afghan War /
This book is a cultural history of the Soviet experience of the Soviet-Afghan War (1979-89). After an introductory chapter offering an overview of the war, the MS focuses on how it was experienced by Soviet soldiers and civilians. Chapters address the military experience in Afghanistan, opposition a...
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| Format: | Book |
| Language: | English |
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Toronto ; Buffalo :
University of Toronto Press,
[2025].
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| Summary: | This book is a cultural history of the Soviet experience of the Soviet-Afghan War (1979-89). After an introductory chapter offering an overview of the war, the MS focuses on how it was experienced by Soviet soldiers and civilians. Chapters address the military experience in Afghanistan, opposition at home (drawing predominantly on the archives of the KGB in Ukraine), propaganda and representations of the war in Soviet film (a particularly strong chapter according to reviewers). Looking across these various domains, the author argues that the evident gap between rhetoric and reality in the Soviet prosecution of the war undermined public support not just for the war but for the Soviet state in its entirety. In the conclusion, he looks at some of the more telling continuities between the Soviet quagmire in Afghanistan and the current Russian invasion of Ukraine. |
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| Physical Description: | xvi, 251 pages : illustrations (some color) ; 24 cm. |
| Bibliography: | Includes bibliographical references and index. |
| ISBN: | 9781487562748 1487562748 |