Richard Bidlack – American Philosophical Society Grant

The Siege of Leningrad

The 872-day siege of Leningrad by Nazi Germany and its allies during the Second World War was one of the most horrific events in world history.  Roughly one million Soviet civilians died within the blockade ring between September 1941 and January 1944, with most deaths occurring during the starvation winter of 1941-42.  Together with a Russian colleague, I am writing a book on the siege that will include translations of recently declassified documents from the archives of the Communist Party and NKVD (secret police) of the former Soviet Union.  The book analyzes the siege from several perspectives.  It explores relations between Leningrad’s political leaders, on the one hand, and Stalin and his subordinates in the Kremlin.  It also describes the massive campaigns that mobilized virtually all Leningraders for their city’s defense and reveals the inner workings of Leningrad’s political control apparatus.  The study also develops the perspective “from below” in examining how millions of ordinary Leningraders struggled to survive amidst extreme hunger, cold, and aerial bombardment.  In addition, considerable attention is devoted to illuminating popular attitudes within city toward the war, the pervasive hunger, the Soviet government, and Nazi Germany.  Leningrad was the first European city to defend itself successfully against the Wehrmacht’s seemingly unstoppable onslaught.  Explaining what motivated Leningraders to persevere provides important insights into general reasons for the eventual Soviet victory in the war.