This timely book examines how the regime of President Aliaksandr Lukashenka has used the 'Great
Patriotic War' (1941-45) as a key element in state and identity formation in Belarus. The
campaign was discernible from 2003 and intensified after a rift with Russia that led to a
re-examination of the earlier policy of close political and economic partnership. David R.
Marples focuses in particular on the years 2009 and 2010 which commemorated two 65th
anniversaries: the liberation of Minsk (3 July 1944) and the end of World War II in Europe (9
May 1945). Using a variety of sources this unique book critically examines the official
interpretations of the war from various angles: the initial invasion occupation the Partisans
historic sites and monuments films documentaries museums schools and public occasions
commemorating some of the major events. Relying on first-hand research including books
recommended by the Ministry of Education state-controlled media and examinations through
personal visits to the major historic sites and monuments of Belarus Marples explains and
measures the effectiveness of Lukashenka's program. In outlining the main tenets of the state
interpretation of the war years the book highlights the distortions and manipulations of
historical evidence as well as the dismissal of alternative versions as 'historical
revisionism.' It assesses the successes and weaknesses of the campaign as well as its long term
effects and prospects.
