USSR administration in Boris pasterka era enlisted artists and authors, who fulfilled several roles in order to motivate individuals to exhibit sacrifice and courage through the use of nationalistic slogans. At this point, it seemed that the outdated values and beliefs of the former Russian intellectual elite, which had been disregarded and suppressed, were making a comeback. This was particularly applicable to writers, poets, and musicians, as people sought guidance from their poetry and melodies.

Stalin’s courage through the use of nationalistic slogans, Boris Pastenak era

In 1943, Vera Sandomirsky, a Russian immigrant in the United States, expressed that the term “rodina” (Motherland) had become the ultimate sign of unity, serving as the emblem of an entire nation. Both the remaining members of the old intelligentsia and the young intellectual iconoclasts came to the realization, amidst the pressures of war, that their allegiance should be directed towards the country and the Russian people, rather than the Revolution.

The conflict reestablished a reciprocal confidence, a collective consciousness of national belonging, and the conviction that Soviet citizens were a unified group willing to face the risk of death from the ruthless adversary. Pasternak was deemed ineligible for military duty. Similar to the majority of poets and writers, he was transported by rail to eastern Russia as a precautionary measure when German soldiers neared Moscow.

Upon his return, several months later, he discovered that his urban residence had been subjected to vandalism. The books and manuscripts belonging to him, as well as the works created by his father, were disappeared. In addition, he mourned the suicide of Marina Tsvetaeva, a renowned Russian poet who had lately repatriated to the Soviet Union from exile. These incidents were just a small fraction of the numerous catastrophic events and misfortunes caused by war.

Pasternak commenced perusing Soviet news, and he developed a deep understanding and appreciation for the valor and perseverance displayed by the people. In 1943, following the triumph at Stalingrad, he embarked on a journey to the front line in the capacity of a military journalist. In his notes, he documented the devastated Russian towns and the brutal acts committed by the Germans against people. However, he also made a prophetic observation that rebuilding the Russian cities and restoring the country’s prosperity would require a fundamental shift in the political structure, a sacrifice that he believed would not be willingly paid.

On the contrary, they would be willing to jeopardize the entire globe in order to preserve the system. During the conflict, Pasternak’s religious and mystical tendencies became stronger, which further solidified his belief that human existence is a struggle between life and death, with the ultimate goal being spiritual rebirth. In his renowned work, the author encapsulated his profound spiritual encounter in the poem titled “Dawn,” which was subsequently incorporated as one of the “poems of Yuri Zhivago.”

Pasternak appeared to disregard the prevailing nationalist and racist animosity in his surroundings, particularly the widespread anti-Semitism. His contemporaries, even writers and poets, did not possess the same level of spiritual detachment as him. Ilya Ehrenburg, hailing from a Moscow milieu similar to Pasternak, belonged to a Bolshevik party from a tender age. His family, of Jewish descent, had assimilated into secular society.

He initially embraced the Revolution but quickly became disenchanted with the party and relocated to Paris, Brussels, and other European cities to pursue a bohemian lifestyle as an avant-garde artist. Following the emergence of fascism and Nazism, Ehrenburg relocated to Moscow and assumed the role of Stalin’s unofficial ambassador-at-large, responsible for foreign propaganda. Leveraging his enormous network across the European left, he worked to rally the antifascist coalition.

Amidst the Great Patriotic War, he joined the Jewish Antifascist Committee, which served as a means to rally support for the Soviet cause in the United States. Simultaneously, the entire Soviet army developed a reverence for Ehrenburg, who expressed intense animosity against the Nazi invaders in a harsh and merciless manner.

In his writing, he expressed the desire to eliminate the German individual, as per the request of his grandmother. Terminate the German individual who is the subject of your child’s supplication. Prevent his passage. Execute! Konstantin Simonov’s primary focus during the conflict was his profound affection for a woman who anxiously anticipated his homecoming. Simonov was born in St. Petersburg to a Russian aristocratic family. His mother, Princess Obolenskaia, gave birth to him, while his father, a military general, died during World War I.

Kirill, who was originally named Simonov, was brought up by his stepfather, a military officer who transitioned from serving the tsarist regime to joining the Red Army. Simonov was raised in an environment where he became familiar with the strictness and unwavering devotion of the military class. In the 1930s, he actively immersed himself in the intense period of the cultural revolution, during which the creation of “new Soviet people” was taking place.

Similar to several individuals who were influenced by that time period, he “aligned” his life with the course of revolutionary history. From 1937 to 1939, he commenced the composition of poetry with the aim of galvanizing young individuals to contribute to the state’s cause in the imminent grand-scale conflicts of World War II.