“The Everyday Life of the Soviet Famine”: Arkhangel’sk in 1939–1945

The everyday life of a Soviet port city during World War II is considered. Although Arkhangel’sk was never blockaded or occupied, it lost a quarter of its civilian population because of famine and hunger-related diseases. An important historiographical lacuna is filled by the author of this article by analyzing several key factors that led to such catastrophic losses among the civilian population. The responsibility of the Arkhangel’sk Military District, established in 1940; members of the State Defense Committee (GKO), who arrived in the city in August 1941; and other regional and central authorities is analyzed, as well as the impact of the Nazi “Hunger Plan” in occupied Soviet territory. A wide range of sources, including archival documents and personal origin sources is examined to explore the transformation of personal and social life under the influence of war and famine, their effects on public health, human losses among civilians, and changes in morality and ethics during wartime. Additionally, several myths about the supply of foods to the Soviet home front, which are still upheld in historiography, are refuted, and the Party–state mismanagement as a key factor in the famine is highlighted.