PARTICIPATION OF WOMEN OF THE MARI ASSR IN THE PATRIOTIC MOVEMENT TO ASSIST THE FRONT DURING THE GREAT PATRIOTIC WAR (based on the materials of the periodical press of the war years)

Studying the history of the Great Patriotic War and the problem of the contribution made by the entire multinational Soviet people, including the women of the Mari ASSR, to approaching the Victory has been one of the highly topical issues in Russian historiography for a long time. Coverage of the war years events and the results of the war is of particular importance in modern realities, when aggressive attempts are made to distort the historical truth. The purpose of the study is to analyze the participation of women of the Mari ASSR in the patriotic movement to help the front during the Great Patriotic War based on the materials of the periodical press of the war years. Materials and methods. The research used both general scientific methods (analysis, synthesis, comparison) and special historical methods (historical-comparative, historical-genetic). This research is mainly based on the materials of the periodical press of the Republic of the war years. Materials from published sources and scientific literature on the issues under study were also used. Research results. The article presents the results of the analysis of the materials published in the periodical press of the war years, which contain unique information about the participation of women of the Mari ASSR in the patriotic movement to provide comprehensive assistance to the front. Collecting and processing of articles and excerpts published in newspapers gave the authors the opportunity to identify valuable information about the widespread involvement of women in the movement to collect warm clothes for Red Army soldiers, funds and food for the country’s defense fund, for the construction of military equipment and gifts for soldiers, as well as their involvement in the donor movement in the republic. Conclusions. The information obtained in the course of the study is of valuable importance, since unique data on the involvement of women of the republic in the national movement to help the front were introduced into scientific circulation. The study showed that despite the material and everyday difficulties for the population, women from all regions of the republic, to the best of their abilities, sought to support their brothers and husbands in every possible way, which became one of the main factors in approaching the Victory in the Great Patriotic War.