War Veterans in Eastern Europe Since 1918: Politics, Militarisation, and Radicalism

This edited collection examines the political and social roles of war veterans in Eastern Europe throughout the long twentieth century. Given the ongoing relevance of ex-combatants in the region, the volume addresses key questions concerning the place of former soldiers in society from 1918 to the present. Its chapters offer national case studies from Central and Eastern Europe, including the Soviet Union and post-Soviet Russia. Particular attention is paid to the involvement of conflict survivors in the dissolution of communist federations and the formation of new polities. The collection traces the social and political activities of specific ex-combatant movements and organisations across Eastern Europe, highlighting both how former fighters influenced the regimes under which they lived and how those regimes, in turn, shaped veteran communities. Drawing on interdisciplinary analyses across comparative and entangled history, gender studies, political science, and radicalism studies, this timely collection deepens our understanding of war-related political change in Eastern Europe in the long twentieth century.