Editing Great Patriotic War (term) (section)

== History ==
The term ''Patriotic War'' refers to the Russian resistance to the [[French invasion of Russia]] under [[Napoleon I]], which became known as the ''[[Patriotic War of 1812]]''. In [[Russian language|Russian]], the term {{lang|ru|отечественная война}} originally referred to a war on one's own territory ({{transliteration|ru|otechestvo}} means "the fatherland"), as opposed to a campaign abroad ({{lang|ru|заграничная война}}),<ref>For example, one of the books published shortly after the war was titled {{lang|ru|Письма русского офицера о Польше, Австрийских владениях, Пруссии и Франции, с подробным описанием похода Россиян противу Французов в 1805 и 1806 году, также <u>отечественной и заграничной войны</u>}} с 1812 по 1815 год..." ([[Fyodor Glinka]], Moscow, 1815–1816; the title was translated as "Letters of a Russian Officer on Poland, the Austrian Domains, Prussia and France; with a detailed description of the Russian campaign against the French in 1805 and 1806, and also <u>the Fatherland and foreign war</u> from 1812 to 1815..." in: A. Herzen, ''Letters from France and Italy, 1847–1851'', [[University of Pittsburgh Press]], 1995, p. 272).</ref> and later was reinterpreted as a war {{em|for}} the fatherland, i.e. a defensive war for one's homeland. Sometimes the Patriotic War of 1812 was also referred to as the ''Great Patriotic War'' ({{lang|ru|Великая отечественная война}}); the phrase first appeared in 1844<ref>It can be found in [[Vissarion Belinsky]]'s essay "Russian literature in 1843" first printed in magazine [[Otechestvennye Zapiski]], vol. 32 (1844), see page 34 of section 5 "Critics" (each section has its own pagination).</ref> and became popular on the eve of the centenary of the Patriotic War of 1812.<ref>For example, several books had the phrase in their titles, as: {{lang|ru|П. Ниве, Великая Отечественная война. 1812 годъ, М., 1912; И. Савостинъ, Великая Отечественная война. Къ 100-лѣтнему юбилею. 1812–1912 г., М., 1911; П. М. Андріановъ, Великая Отечественная война. (1812) По поводу 100-лѣтняго юбилея, Спб., 1912.}}</ref>

After 1914, the phrase was applied to [[World War I]].<ref name=dict/> It was the name of a special war-time appendix to the magazine ''Theater and Life'' ({{lang|ru|Театр и жизнь}}) in [[Saint Petersburg]], and referred to the [[Eastern Front (World War I)|Eastern Front]] of World War I, where Russia fought against the [[German Empire]] and the [[Austro-Hungarian Empire]].<ref name="dict" /> The phrases ''Second Patriotic War'' ({{lang|ru|Вторая отечественная война}}) and ''Great World Patriotic War'' ({{lang|ru|Великая всемирная отечественная война}}) were also used during World War I in Russia.<ref name=dict/>

The term ''Great Patriotic War'' re-appeared in the official newspaper of the [[Communist Party of the Soviet Union|CPSU]], ''[[Pravda]]'', on 23 June 1941, just a day after [[Nazi Germany|Germany]] [[Operation Barbarossa|invaded the Soviet Union]]. It was found in the title of "The Great Patriotic War of the Soviet People" ({{transliteration|ru|Vělikaja Otěčestvěnnaja Vojna Sovětskogo Naroda}}), a long article by [[Yemelyan Yaroslavsky]], a member of Pravda editors' collegium. The phrase was intended to motivate the population to defend the Soviet fatherland and to expel the invader, and a reference to the Patriotic War of 1812 was seen as a great morale booster.<ref name=dict>[https://books.google.com/books?id=ZJtKKdpKCjsC&dq=%22%D0%B2%D0%B5%D0%BB%D0%B8%D0%BA%D0%B0%D1%8F+%D0%BE%D1%82%D0%B5%D1%87%D0%B5%D1%81%D1%82%D0%B2%D0%B5%D0%BD%D0%BD%D0%B0%D1%8F+%D0%B2%D0%BE%D0%B9%D0%BD%D0%B0+%D1%81&pg=PA555 The dictionary of modern citations and catch phrases], by [[Konstantin Dushenko]], 2006. {{in lang|ru}}</ref> During the Soviet period, historians engaged in huge distortions to make history fit with Communist ideology, with Marshal [[Mikhail Kutuzov]] and Prince [[Pyotr Bagration]] transformed into peasant generals, [[Alexander I of Russia|Alexander I]] alternatively ignored or vilified, and the war becoming a massive "People's War" fought by the ordinary people of [[Russian Empire|Russia]] with almost no involvement on the part of the government.{{sfn|Lieven|2010|pp=9–10}} The invasion by Germany was called the ''Great Patriotic War'' by the Soviet government to evoke comparisons with the victory by Tsar Alexander I over Napoleon's invading army.{{sfn|Stahel|2010|p=337}}

The term {{lang|ru|Отечественная война}} (Patriotic War or Fatherland War) was officially recognized by establishment of the [[Order of the Patriotic War]] on 20 May 1942, awarded for heroic deeds.