World War II trauma shaped Kazakh family norms and crime patterns, experts say

September 16, 2026 at 09:01 AM2 min

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The psychological trauma of World War II left a lasting imprint on Kazakh society, shaping family structures, parenting styles, and social behavior for generations. Experts from the Kazakhstan Institute for Social Development link wartime emotional suppression to later patterns of alcoholism and domestic violence. The war also transformed women's roles, as they took on major economic and social responsibilities amid mass male casualties.

Key Facts

More than 1.2 million Kazakhs went to the front during World War II, and about 600,000 did not return.
Expert Almat Nukenov states that the war strengthened the role of the Russian language in Kazakhstan's cultural sphere.
Psychologist Aibek Sidikov says the wartime survival mindset created a 'ban on feelings' that was passed down through generations.
Expert Temirlan Toleu links the tradition of silencing problems to the spread of alcoholism and domestic violence in Soviet Kazakhstan.
During the war, women, children, and the elderly took on a significant share of social and economic burdens, transforming women's roles in Kazakh society.

Demographic and Cultural Impact

Kazakhstan's wartime losses were severe: over 1.2 million people went to the front, around 600,000 never returned, and tens of thousands went missing. Almat Nukenov, an expert at the Center for Institutional Analysis and Reforms of the Kazakhstan Institute for Social Development, notes that the war's impact extended beyond demographics into the cultural sphere. Nukenov specifically points to the strengthening of the Russian language in Kazakhstan as a long-term cultural consequence of the war. He adds that the war coincided with the aftermath of the 1930s Asharshylyk famine, compounding demographic losses and hindering national recovery. Returning veterans, many with physical and psychological trauma, influenced family structures and parenting models across the country.

Emotional Suppression and Social Consequences

Psychologist-consultant Aibek Sidikov argues that the wartime period instilled a core belief that survival mattered more than feelings. This 'ban on feelings' was transmitted across generations: fathers who had been through the war were often emotionally closed, and mothers were overburdened and burned out. Families did not discuss fear, loss, or pain, and upbringing was built on principles like 'you must endure', 'never complain', and 'be strong and the best'. Temirlan Toleu, a senior expert at the Kazakhstan Institute for Social Development, agrees that this practice may have contributed to the spread of alcoholism in the Soviet Union, including Kazakhstan. Toleu also links the tradition of silencing problems to individual cases of domestic violence against women and children.

Women's Role Transformation

Despite the traditionally patriarchal structure of Kazakh society, women, along with children and the elderly, took on a significant share of social and economic burdens during the war. Visual culture of the time, such as advertising stands, portrayed women as an active and mobilizing force that took responsibility and led forward. During and after the war, women largely ensured the stability of daily life and the functioning of the economy.