Answer
World War II was a pivotal event in Russian history that profoundly affected the nation and its people. During this tumultuous period, Akhmatova bore witness to the horrors and devastation of the war, which left an indelible mark on both her life and her literary works. She experienced the siege of Leningrad, a harrowing time marked by starvation, death, and unrelenting hardship, which became a central theme in her poetry.