Awarding the Title of Hero of the Soviet Union in Pre-Military Armed Conflicts: Statistical Analysis (1936–1940)

Abstract

Introduction. The experience of conferring the title of Hero of the Soviet Union in armed conflicts before the start of World War II is analyzed. It is alleged that representatives of all power structures became Heroes: the People’s Commissariat of Defense, the People’s Commissariat of the Navy and the People’s Commissariat of Internal Affairs. Materials and methods. When solving the set research tasks, published data from official statistics, as well as scientific literature, were used. The study was based on the principles of historicism, objectivity and systematics. The need to process quantitative data led to the use of the statistical method. Analysis. In 94% of cases, the title of Hero was used solely to distinguish members of the security forces. It is noted that 71% of all the awards were for distinction in the Soviet-Finnish War. Military personnel received 93% of the awards. In fact, representatives of the ground triad (armored, rifle troops and artillery) received 2 / 3 awards. Conclusions. Award practice shows that the award has been rarely used, exclusively for personal courage in battle; almost a third of the awards were made posthumously.