Every man must be made to realize that further retreat is impossible. He must realize with his mind and heart that this is a matter of life and death of the Soviet state, of the life and death of the people of our country...the Nazi troops must be stopped now, before it is too late.
About this quote
- What does it mean?
- Brezhnev calls for total commitment to stop the Nazi advance as a life or death struggle for the Soviet state.
- In plain terms
- The Soviet people must fight the Nazis to the end.
- What can you take from it?
- Existential threats require total resistance.
Where it applies
Putting it to work
Questions to consider
- What justifies total war?
- How do leaders motivate sacrifice?
Another view
It justifies extreme sacrifice by framing the conflict as total.
More from Leonid Brezhnev
There is nothing more practical than a good theory.
Permalink to quote #1 The most important thing in my life, its leitmotif, has been the constant and close contacts with working people, with workers and peasants.
Permalink to quote #3 As you know, I am not a writer but a Party functionary. But like every Communist I consider myself to have been mobilized by Party propaganda and deem it my du…
Permalink to quote #4
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