kmead Posted September 3, 2002 Share Posted September 3, 2002 Russians or Soviets is the issue. This has always bothered me, in WWII the USSR was the government and the people were many races (thus the united part). The Russians were just one of many peoples that populated the Red Army. I know in the US that the Soviets were refered to as the Russkies but it really isn't representative. With the start of this forum this has really come to the fore, with so many posts descibing the "new" primary combatant as Russkies, Russians and so on. Maybe I am being pedantic, but it really should be Soviet infantry or Red Army. I don't see many using Krauts, Nazi's (yes I know all Germans weren't Nazi's), Hun etc. for the Germans. I know the USSR exists no more, but at the time they were Soviets and the soldiers were from all the republics. Referring to them as Russians, to me belittles the sacrifices made by all of the other peoples. Kindly post away with your own opinions (its a shame so few of you have any) on the subject. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Michael Dorosh Posted September 3, 2002 Share Posted September 3, 2002 I've made a conscious effort on my website to substitute "Soviet" for "Russian" in all my historical stuff - but it is not easy; most references talk exclusively about the Russian Front, or Russian troops, Russian tanks, etc., etc. Technically, I think there is no excuse for not using the more proper "Soviet" or "Red Army". Glad I'm not the only one to feel the same way. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Grisha Posted September 3, 2002 Share Posted September 3, 2002 Soviet is a much more accurate term. While it could be said that Russia was the center of the USSR, remember that a Georgian ran the show for about 40% of the Soviet Union's existence. The USSR was a country of many races and cultures, and in WWII the Red Army reflected this. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bsd Posted September 3, 2002 Share Posted September 3, 2002 While we are on the subject... Ethnic groups, yes, races, no. Race theory is dead and buried, as it should be. Also you use the apostrophe incorrectly in "Nazis" Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
howardb Posted September 3, 2002 Share Posted September 3, 2002 Nice observation. It's easier to misunderstand too, if it's Soviet you know it's somewhere in the 1900's. Something sounds wrong when Napoleon got stuffed on the Soviet front. If only people stopped calling us Norwegians vikings the confusion would end... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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