The suffering of the victors: invalids of the Great Patriotic War

Up until now, Russian historical scholarship has barely touched on the question of the social legacy of the Great Patriotic War. Newly accessible archive material shows that those disabled in the war were subjected to a strict state mobilization policy, which forced them back into working life even though retraining opportunities were unsatisfactory and medical supplies inadequate. Although the figures for professional reintegration were impressive, this reintegration was for many people associated with downward mobility in professional and social terms.