Transformation of Human Sexual Behavior during the German-Soviet War

Abstract

The purpose of the study is to analyze the impact of wartime extremity on the human sexual sphere based on narrative sources of the German-Soviet War and contemporary research in sexology, military anthropology, psychology, and sociology.

Research methodology. The study is based on general scientific methods, including generalization, historical analysis, synthesis, comparison, systematization, and objectivity. The research also employs the methods of the history of everyday life and microhistory; however, the author primarily focuses on an interdisciplinary approach, which made it possible to examine the problem not only from the perspective of historical context, but also through the lens of human sexology and psychology. The reason for this is that these changes cannot be explained solely through the scientific tools of historical scholarship. Scientific novelty. Through the analysis of veterans’ memoirs and findings from other disciplines, this study represents one of the first attempts to examine changes in the sexual behavior of men and women during the years of the German-Soviet War, to identify possible transformations, and to explain their nature. Conclusions. The historical material systematized and analyzed by the author made it possible to draw certain generalizations, which should not be regarded as categorically established, yet still deserve consideration. First, the war actively influenced human sexual culture and sexuality, transforming stereotypes and attitudes toward issues that had been considered taboo in peacetime. Second, in a militarized society, intimate relationships underwent significant liberalization; sex was not always perceived as something private or personal, and this was actively facilitated by «wartime morality». Third, the main catalyst for changes in people’s intimate sphere was usually sexual desire, which manifested itself particularly strongly among young people (and less frequently among older individuals) after they had adapted to wartime realities.