The problem of the life potential of post-war generations is investigated, its historical and demographic analysis is carried out. The author's focus is on the life expectancy of generations who suffered the hardships of the Great Patriotic War, and the factors that influenced it: the state of health of the population, the ability to reproduce and the survival of offspring. Much space is given to the impact on the life potential of the Russian population of the causes of the exogenous order: the demographic consequences of the war, the famine of 1946-1947, and the difficulties of the recovery period. The original concept of the features of the demographic transition in Russia from the traditional to the modern type of population reproduction is presented, the role of the demographic processes of the post-war years in its development is determined.