Post-war childhood issues in post-soviet historical literature

The paper deals with the key areas of research of the history of post-war childhood as represented in contemporary Russian historical literature. It is remarked that the number of publications on the subject has increased, researchers have applied new methods and approaches, the range of used sources and covered issues has expanded. The studies mostly focused on elimination of child homelessness and neglect, arrangements for social protection of children, analysis of the work of orphan homes, socialization difficulties of their alumni. Researchers continue investigating aspects such as development of the system of pre-school facilities at the regional level, schooling experiences of Soviet children, state family policy, health care for women and children in post-war years. They raised issues of childhood history that have been addressed little in Russian and foreign historiography, such as survival strategies of homeless and neglected children in the USSR, experience of their fosterage, maturation through work, ‘homescapes’, school realities, street and yard company influences on the child, deviant behaviors. Post-Soviet literature has paid special attention to studying the daily life of Soviet children, including daily routines of children from different social strata. Light has been shed on such a previously unaddressed aspect of childhood history as its material culture, the world of things of Soviet children and teenagers. Contemporary authors often adopt new viewpoints on many aspects of this subject, including assessment of the system of social protection of children, role of orphan homes and boarding schools in supplying manpower for the economy, influence of social arrangements, the state and family on the life of children, the class approach in dealing with guardianship affairs. Researchers substantiate the conclusion that despite some major shortcomings, the system of social protection of orphans in the post-war decade has fulfilled its functions. The analysis of Russian historical literature on post-war childhood issues published in the past three decades shows researchers have been increasingly trying to consider the various aspects of this topic in a comprehensive and in-depth manner. On the other hand, it seems that the questions of upbringing of children in the family, at school and pre-school institutions, organization of their leisure time, involvement in social life, relationships inside formalized groups of children have been insufficiently covered.

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