The end of World War II brought little relief to the lands its ravaged most. Mass wartime violence continued in the Soviet space beyond the 'false peace' of 1945. Historians have sought to explain this violence in terms of the 'wartime brutalisation' of state and citizens alike, though this approach is limited in explaining how and why violence continued after 1945. This article shifts focus from psychology to social history to argue that the disintegration of Soviet state control is central to explaining the enduring violence after 1945 and understanding its emergence as much 'from below' as 'from above'.
AT THE FOOTHILLS OF THE CAUCASUS IN LATE 1941, THE ONCE quiet sanatorium town of Essentuki wasterrorised by soldiers convalescing in the local hospital. They fought against one another in the streets in drunken brawls, murdered the local militia boss with a fork, extorted drugs from medical personnel