Silencing the Past

Abstract

This chapter reflects on the closing stages of the war and the efforts of the Kremlin to rewrite its recent past. A new narrative emerged, centred on the myth of the ‘Mannerheim Line’ and the Red Army’s overcoming of a seemingly impenetrable set of defences built with the support of Finland’s European partners. The relative candour with which Stalin and his military staff could discuss the conflict behind the scenes is contrasted with the general uniformity on display in regional discussions and public displays of support for the Soviet ‘victory’, and a widespread failure to come to terms with the (actual) human costs of war. The chapter closes with a consideration of the treatment of Soviet prisoners of war, incorporating new archival and memoir evidence.