Nikolai E. Berzarin, the First Soviet Commandant of Berlin: Preserving Historical Memory
https://doi.org/10.21603/sibscript-2025-27-6-1075-1084
Abstract
Colonel General Nikolai E. Berzarin, Hero of the Soviet Union, was the first Soviet Commandant of Berlin and the Chief of Berlin Garrison (April – June 1945). Yet, his biography remains an understudied issue in the Russian historiography. The author applied historical-genetic, historical-biographical, and historical interpretation methods to a wide range of archival documents, memoirs, and periodicals to reveal the transformations in the collective historical memory about Colonel General N. E. Bersarin in Russia and Germany. It mostly mirrored the changes in ideology, state policy, and availability of verified historical data. In Germany, his name entered the list of Honorary Citizens of Berlin in 1975 and 1992, due to the steps taken by the Senate and society. In Russia, a street of his name appeared in Stalingrad as early as in 1956, i.e., long before it appeared in Moscow and St. Petersburg. In general, the preservation of the memory about N. E. Bersarin reflects the social demands in German and Russia.
About the Author
Tatyana V. Evdokimova
Volgograd State Social and Pedagogical University
Russian Federation
Competing Interests:
Russian Federation
Volgograd
Competing Interests:
The author declared no potential conflict of interests regarding the research, authorship, and / or publication of this article.
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For citations:
Evdokimova T.V. Nikolai E. Berzarin, the First Soviet Commandant of Berlin: Preserving Historical Memory. SibScript. 2025;27(6):1075-1084. (In Russ.) https://doi.org/10.21603/sibscript-2025-27-6-1075-1084
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