Violence and Occupation

The Red Army in the Balkans and Central Europe, 1944–1945

Vojin Majstorović (Autor)

Buch | Hardcover

344 Seiten

2026
Cambridge University Press (Verlag)
978-1-009-65244-5 (ISBN)

Noch nicht erschienen (ca. Januar 2026)
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This ground-breaking history examines the Red Army's occupation of Romania, Bulgaria, Yugoslavia, Hungary, and Austria during World War II. Majstorivić argues that the troops' behaviour in each country was shaped by Kremlin policy, official propaganda, intensity of combat, and troops' differing perceptions of local populations.

This groundbreaking history traces the Red Army's advances across central Europe and the Balkans in 1944–1945. It focuses on the 2nd and 3rd Ukrainian Fronts that occupied Romania, Bulgaria, Yugoslavia, Hungary, and Austria. Utilizing material from archives across Russia, Ukraine, and Serbia, alongside diaries, memoirs, and interviews, Vojin Majstorivicì examines the official policies and troops' behavior in each country and analyzes military violations, from deserting and looting to widespread sexual violence. His findings show that the Red Army was an ill-disciplined force, but that military personnel committed fewer crimes against civilians in 'neutral Bulgaria' and 'friendly' Yugoslavia than in 'enemy' Romania, Hungary, and Austria. To explain the variation in troops' conduct, he stresses the interaction of several continuously evolving factors: Kremlin's policies, the severity of the fighting, the command's policies toward criminals, the official propaganda, and troops' martial masculinity, identity, and views of the local populations.

Vojin Majstorović is a military historian at the University of North Texas. He examines the Red Army from the standpoint of frontline soldiers, military commanders in the field, the high command, and armies and civilians who encountered the Red Army.

Photos; Maps; Tables; Acknowledgments; Abbreviations; Introduction; Part I. The Front: 1. On the eve of the Balkan offensive; 2. 2nd and 3rd Ukrainian fronts' operations and rampage in Europe; Part II. The Leadership: 3. The kremlin's policies; 4. Propaganda; 5. Disciplinary policies; Part III. The Troops: 6. Soviet soldiers' views of the countries of the Balkans and central Europe; 7. Sexual violence; 8. After the war; Conclusion; Bibliography; Index.

Erscheint lt. Verlag	31.1.2026
Reihe/Serie	Cambridge Military Histories
Zusatzinfo	Worked examples or Exercises; 5 Maps; 25 Halftones, black and white
Verlagsort	Cambridge
Sprache	englisch
Themenwelt	Geschichte ► Allgemeine Geschichte ► 1918 bis 1945
	Geisteswissenschaften ► Geschichte ► Regional- / Ländergeschichte
	Geschichte ► Teilgebiete der Geschichte ► Militärgeschichte
	Sozialwissenschaften ► Politik / Verwaltung
ISBN-10	1-009-65244-3 / 1009652443
ISBN-13	978-1-009-65244-5 / 9781009652445
Zustand	Neuware