This article analyzes the Great Patriotic War from the perspective of a unique, little-used concept: the social contract. Drawing on its interpretation, first proposed and introduced into scholarly discourse by thinkers of the Age of Enlightenment, the article examines the essence, causes, and paths of interaction between Soviet power and the Soviet people that led to the victory over Nazi Germany. This article explores the process of implementing the unifying goal “Everything for the front, everything for victory!” across all social communities and groups (Red Army soldiers, partisans, workers, peasants, and the intelligentsia represented by engineers, scientists, writers, and artists). Drawing on statistical data and historical sources, it illustrates the development and evolution of the social contract in two key areas: the front line and the home front. It demonstrates that, despite all the difficulties and complexities of wartime, the shared goals of the Soviet government and the people – to defeat the plague of the 20th century – German fascism – existed and steadily grew stronger. Particular attention is paid to the ideological and moral foundations of the social contract, which developed from the organic fusion of historical patriotic consciousness with socialist ideals and a willingness to defend the achievements of the Soviet country, which became the foundation of a fundamentally different way of life, one with not only social but also personal value. Finally, a characterization of the forces that stood in the way of the social contract is provided.
This article analyzes the Great Patriotic War from the perspective of a unique, little-used concept: the social contract. Drawing on its interpretation, first proposed and introduced into scholarly discourse by thinkers of the Age of Enlightenment, the article examines the essence, causes, and paths of interaction between Soviet power and the Soviet people that led to the victory over Nazi Germany. This article explores the process of implementing the unifying goal “Everything for the front, everything for victory!” across all social communities and groups (Red Army soldiers, partisans, workers, peasants, and the intelligentsia represented by engineers, scientists, writers, and artists). Drawing on statistical data and historical sources, it illustrates the development and evolution of the social contract in two key areas: the front line and the home front. It demonstrates that, despite all the difficulties and complexities of wartime, the shared goals of the Soviet government and the people – to defeat the plague of the 20th century – German fascism – existed and steadily grew stronger. Particular attention is paid to the ideological and moral foundations of the social contract, which developed from the organic fusion of historical patriotic consciousness with socialist ideals and a willingness to defend the achievements of the Soviet country, which became the foundation of a fundamentally different way of life, one with not only social but also personal value. Finally, a characterization of the forces that stood in the way of the social contract is provided.