During World War II, the United States of America and the Soviet Union played important roles in the fight against the Axis powers. Both these countries united and fought back a common enemy. The USA and the USSR helped many countries of the anti-Hitler coalition financially and materially.
In connection with the victory, Stalin wrote in his message to US President Harry Truman on May 9, 1945:
“On behalf of the Soviet people and the Soviet Government, I ask you to convey warm greetings and congratulations on the great victory to the American people and the valiant American army.”
Stalin also noted in the same message that the joint work of the allied countries will go down in history as “an example of the military commonwealth of our peoples”
From all that has been said, we can conclude that relations between America and the USSR at that time were very friendly.
Culture also played an important role in Soviet-American relations. Many American cultural figures tried to show the Soviet Union not only as an important ally, but also as a country with great history and culture. This is what helped unite the American and Soviet people. The friendship of the peoples of these countries is shown not only in the culture of that time, but also in modern popular culture.
In the modern world, America's role in World War II is greatly diminished, especially in Russia. For the most part, this is due to mass Soviet propaganda about the horrors of America (racism, high crime, etc.).d.). This was especially noticeable during the Cold War, when the whole world was on the verge of a new war between two superpowers.
For me, the cultural part of Soviet-American relations should become something of a priority for modern Russian-American relations. In this article we will touch on films, games and comics dedicated to the Second World War and in which there are representatives of the Soviet side.
During World War II, Hollywood released seven pro-Soviet feature films - that is, films that showed the good side of the USSR. People from the former Russian Empire who moved to the United States and Americans who sympathized with the Soviet Union actively participated in their creation. All this was done so that the average American viewer could feel more relaxed about the new ally.
A total of seven films were released. The most famous of these seven are “Mission to Moscow” from 1943 and “The Boy from Stalingrad” from the same year.
The first one tells about an American man named Davis, who comes to Moscow to meet with Stalin. It was the first Hollywood film to be shown to the Soviet public. "The Mission" is based on the book by American diplomat Joseph Davis, a supporter of Roosevelt in those years. However, this picture was quite scandalous, producers Warner Bros. even demanded that all copies of the film be burned. However, the film was nominated for an Oscar in the category “Best Production Design/Set Decoration in a Black and White Film.”. A little later, the House Un-American Activities Committee cited The Mission as one of the most famous examples of pro-Soviet activity in Hollywood.
"The Boy from Stalingrad" tells the story of a group of peasant children led by Kolya - a Soviet Tom Sawyer. They are trying to take revenge on the Germans for their murdered parents. Also on Kolya’s team is the son of British engineer Thomas Hudson. The film was intended for American teenagers to educate them about their peers in the Allied country and how they fought against the German invaders.
Also in Hollywood, the Soviet film by Victor Eisymont “Frontline Girlfriends” was remade. Two emigrant producers - Gregor Ryabinovich and Eugene Frenke - took on the development of the remake. The original was successfully shown at the most prestigious cinema in New York, Ziegfeld. The American version, called “Three Russian Girls,” differed only in that the Hollywood remake added a pilot from the USA, Jonah Hill, who flew to the USSR to test the plane.
There were other pro-Soviet films: “Days of Glory” - about the struggle of partisans against the Nazis in Russia, “Song of Russia” - about the conductor John, who falls in love with a Soviet pianist, and “Northern Star” - about the confrontation between Ukrainian collective farmers and the German invaders.
The legendary cartoon by Robert Clampett called “Russian Rhapsody” is included in the category of pro-Soviet Hollywood cinema. The 7-minute cartoon was about small creatures that prevent Hitler from flying to Moscow.
At first, the cartoon was supposed to be called "Gremlins from the Kremlin", but producer Leon Schlesinger - the creator of Looney Toons - demanded that the name be changed due to the fact that Walt Disney Studios began developing a cartoon called "Gremlins" - about a British pilot who encounters creatures that make holes in planes. But Disney was unable to reach an agreement with the author of the book - a former RAF pilot - about the rights and is curtailing work on the cartoon. Gremlins themselves increasingly began to appear in Warner Bros. cartoons., and “Russian Rhapsody” itself appeared in the collection “Bugs and Daffy: Stories of the War Years” in the 80s.
Speaking about modern cinema, we can say that there are a small number of films that tell about Soviet soldiers. The lack of Hollywood pro-Soviet films in the post-war years is due to the Cold War. Many films portray the Soviets in a bad light, portraying them as evil and merciless soldiers with wild Russian accents. Of course, there were exceptions, such as “Enemy at the Gates” in 2001 (despite its cranberry with Degrad... oh, that is, the detachment), or Steven Spielberg’s letter to the actors of the Russian dubbing of “Schindler’s List”, in which the director wrote about the importance of the participation of the Soviet army in that war.
To sum it up, we can say that, despite the fact that many of these films were not particularly liked by American audiences, they became an important point in the development of relations.
After the Second World War, a new type of culture began to form - modern or, more simply put, pop culture. In addition to movies, video games have entered the entertainment industry. At first they were perceived as nothing more than simple entertainment for children and their parents, but gradually they became an integral part of our lives.
There were quite a lot https://evolutionbet-top.co.uk/ of games about World War II. The first game dedicated to World War II is Medal of Honor, developed by DreamWorks Interactive together with Steven Spielberg and published by Electronic Arts in 1999. But the first game about the Second World War, in which you could play on the side of the Soviets, was the first part of “Call of Duty” from Activision. In addition to the American and British campaigns, there was also a Soviet one - for the Red Army soldier Alexei Voronin.
Activision will return to the theme of the Great Patriotic War more than once - in “Call of Duty: World at War” the Soviet campaign runs parallel to the American one. A special advantage of the Soviet World at War campaign is commander Viktor Reznov, a friend of Voronin, who will appear in another game from the CoD series.
A little later, in Call of Duty: Black Ops III in the “Zombies” mode, a map called “Gorod Krovi” will appear - a reimagined map of Stalingrad from World at War with Nazi zombies and dragons.
In addition to the Call of Duty series, one should not neglect Red Orchestra 2: Heroes of Stalingrad - this is a multiplayer first-person shooter dedicated to the Battle of Stalingrad - the most important event of the Second World War. The game was developed by TripWire Interactive and released on September 13, 2013.
In addition to first-person shooters, there are many strategies on the theme of World War II. The most famous and best strategy on this topic is “Hearts of Iron IV” from Paradox Interactive, released on June 6, 2016. In it you can also play for the USSR and lead the Red Army to victory or change the course of history.
From all this we can conclude that the participation of the Soviet Union in World War II is very interesting to video game developers.
Apart from cinema and video games, comic books are the most important phenomenon in the entertainment industry. Now the comics industry is blooming: there are many publishers, ranging from large players like MARVEL Comics to small companies. But in the 40s, comics were an important weapon in the fight against Nazi Germany.
Of course, there were Russian superheroes in American comics, for example Red Star - the first Russian superhero in the DC universe, who appeared in 1968. But full-fledged interest in the USSR and its participation in the war appeared only recently.
There are not many comics dedicated to Soviet people during the war. The most interesting representatives are “Mother Russia” from Fubar Press and “Battlefield” from Dynamite Entertainment.
"Battlefield" is a collection written by Garth Ennis, who is known for the stories for Marvel's Punisher comics. The comic was drawn by different artists. A total of three volumes were released: the first was released in December 2009, and the last in December 2013.
Garth wrote only one story about the Soviet Union called “Night Witches” (you can read all three issues at the link) - about the 46th Soviet Guards Night Bomber Aviation Regiment, which consisted only of women. It was included in the very first volume. Critics praised the comic for its excellent plot presentation and good drawing.
"Mother Russia" was written by Jeff McComsey and was published by FUBAR Press.
The comic itself is the complete opposite of “Battlefield”. The plot in “Mother Russia” tells about a Soviet sniper girl and a baby in Stalingrad, besieged by 2 million zombies. The comic was funded on the crowdfunding platform Kickstarter.
Jeff himself said in an interview that the idea of adding the living dead to Stalingrad was not his. The fact is that FUBAR Press was famous for adding zombies to some historical setting - for example, the American Civil War or the European Front.
To summarize, we can say that interest in the participation of Soviet troops during the Great Patriotic War appeared relatively recently, but there are already interesting examples.
SOVIET-AMERICAN RELATIONS DURING THE WAR YEARS AS AN EXAMPLE OF MODERN RELATIONS FROM RUSSIA AND THE USA
I believe that American-Soviet relations during the war are an example of ideal Russian-American relations at the present time. To confirm my words, I will give a couple of examples.
The first example that I will give as proof of my words is the reaction of the Americans to the German attack on the Soviet Union. Many American political figures, public and trade union organizations made declarations that spoke of the importance of American support for the struggle of the Soviet people. The most famous document of that time period, adopted by the broad masses, is the manifesto of the Communist Party of the USA of June 28, 1941. It contained the following words:
Let's defend America by providing full support to the Soviet Union, Great Britain, and all countries fighting against Hitler. Let's defend America by providing full support to the Soviet Union, Great Britain, and all countries fighting against Hitler.
Also, one should not neglect the reaction of ordinary Americans: they sent words of grief and help to the entire Soviet people in connection with the German attack.
Another example of mutual relations between the USSR and the USA is the meeting of Soviet and American troops on the Elbe on April 25, 1945. On this day, soldiers of the 1st US Army met the troops of the 1st Ukrainian Front of the USSR Army. It was a very good-natured reception on both sides. This meeting was called the “Altar of Victory”.
To summarize, it can be said that public figures and ordinary US citizens began to help the Soviet Union, even though many American officials greeted the new participant in the war with skepticism. This kind of relationship - when ordinary people are ready to help a people with a completely different way of life and a different culture - should become an important guideline for modern Russian-American relations.
From everything that has been said earlier, I can conclude that Soviet-American relations played an important and significant role in the fight against the German invaders. This is a vivid example of true friendship between two completely different peoples. The actions of the Soviet army were glorified in many Western films, games and comics.
In the modern world, it is important to understand that victory in the most terrible war in human history cannot be attributed to any one side, be it the USSR or the USA. This victory, which was achieved by common means.
And I would like to end my project with a quote from British Prime Minister Winston Churchill regarding the victory of the USSR:
Call of Duty
Medal of Honor: Underground
Red Orchestra 2: Heroes of Stalingrad
Call of Duty: Black Ops III
Best comments
You won't believe how lucky it is. For once, a person registered, asked a question in the FAQ and brought back not some self-promotion in the form of a link to a video, but an interesting article! Holiday, nothing else.
Thank
you, very interesting read.
From all that has been said, we can conclude that relations between America and the USSR at that time were very friendly.
Monsieur doesn't know what diplomacy is?
In the modern world, America's role in World War II is greatly diminished, especially in Russia. For the most part, this is due to mass Soviet propaganda about the horrors of America (racism, high crime, etc.).d.).
Of course, Soviet propaganda is to blame for everything, and not at all that:
a) the rise of Hitler was ensured by the Anglo-Saxon world, represented mainly by Great Britain and the USA;
b) Hitler bypassed the Anglo-Saxons and, after conquering the USSR, was going to enslave them too;
c) Great Britain and the USA, when Hitler left their hands, waited and watched who would be stronger, and joined the USSR only after its victory became obvious;
d) during the war, the United States made money on both sides of the conflict;
e) in European and American history textbooks, the victory over Nazi Germany “belongs to the allies,” which include, of course, the USA and Great Britain... and some kind of Soviet Union;
f) the Western world is rewriting history and that at this rate, in thirty years, the Soviet Union will simply be erased from the “allies”;
f) The USSR was under US sanctions throughout its existence, just as the Russian Empire was before it, and now the Russian Federation is.
Another example of mutual relations between the USSR and the USA is the meeting of Soviet and American troops on the Elbe on April 25, 1945. On this day, soldiers of the 1st US Army met the troops of the 1st Ukrainian Front of the USSR Army. It was a very good-natured reception on both sides. This meeting was called the “Altar of Victory”.
General-politicians and ordinary soldiers are two different worlds. The first ones push through their interests, and the second ones have to die for these interests.
From everything that has been said earlier, I can conclude that Soviet-American relations played an important and significant role in the fight against the German invaders.
An important and significant role in the fight against the German invaders was played by the USSR and its two faithful allies - the army and navy, all according to the behests of Alexander III.
In the modern world, it is important to understand that victory in the most terrible war in human history cannot be attributed to any one side, be it the USSR or the USA. This victory, which was achieved by common means.
Generally speaking, but it is important to understand that the lion’s share of the work was done by the Soviet Union: it defeated Nazi Germany, liberated Europe and did not invade it, which the United States did not fail to take advantage of, putting European countries on a short leash.
In the end after all! Why can't you just make a blog about American films-games-comics about the Soviet Union? Why is it necessary to try to get into politics, especially without understanding even the very basics of it?? If you remove anything political from the text, it will turn out to be a great blog. Why, why spoil?
But it’s still difficult to call this film an exception, I understand the attitude of the United States towards the Soviet Union, but in the film everything is so brought to the point of absurdity that I simply can’t believe all the nonsense going on on the screen.
This film was used as an example of the fact that “their” cranberries are much less cranberry-like than ours. And now he doesn’t even “put him in a bad light” anymore. Look, in 20 years this film will be condemned for promoting Soviet propaganda.