Mechanism of Destruction: The Impact of the Occupation Regime on the Everyday Life and Mass Consciousness of the Population of Peterhof (1941-1944)

The subject of the study is the civilian population and the urban environment of Peterhof during the period of the German-Fascist occupation (1941–1944). The focus is on the comprehensive impact of the occupation regime on the daily life, social interactions, and collective consciousness of the residents, examined through the mechanisms of physical terror, economic exploitation, and targeted genocide. The source base of the work consists of archival materials from the Extraordinary State Commission for the Investigation of the Crimes of the Occupants, introduced into scientific circulation for the first time in such a complete volume concerning Peterhof, as well as detailed acts of examination of the destruction, statistical data on demographic losses and material damage, and numerous witness testimonies from surviving residents. The methodological foundation of the research is built on an interdisciplinary approach. Principles of microhistory are applied for analysis, allowing large-scale historical processes to be revealed through the fates of individual people and families. A social-anthropological approach is used to reconstruct daily survival practices, adaptation strategies, and forms of resistance in extreme conditions. Cultural analysis aims to comprehend the phenomenon of the deliberate destruction of the symbolic "treasure of the nation" – the palace and park ensemble of Peterhof – and its consequences for the collective historical and cultural memory. The scientific novelty of the work lies in the first detailed application of the mentioned methods to the study of the occupation of Peterhof, which allows for the proposal of a new, more comprehensive interpretation of events. The practical significance of the research is related to its relevance in the contemporary context, where issues of protecting cultural heritage in conflict zones, understanding the nature of war crimes, and preserving historical memory while countering its falsification become especially important. As a result of the study, key factors influencing the occupation regime are identified and systematized. The tactics of physical terror, mechanisms of economic exploitation and administrative control, as well as the strategy of ideological suppression through the desecration of cultural and religious symbols are analyzed. It is demonstrated that the combination of these measures was aimed not merely at achieving military superiority, but at civilizational superiority, with the goal of demoralizing and deculturizing the local population. It is concluded that the result of the occupation for Peterhof was not just substantial material damage, but a profound social upheaval, manifesting in a demographic catastrophe, the disintegration of social ties, and the formation of collective trauma, the consequences of which were felt for decades thereafter.