The Cult of Stalin

What great claims were made out to be Russian?

A lot of historical events, they claimed that Shakespeare was Russian and that Russian explorers were the first to discover America

Who was Sergei Eisenstein?

Acclaimed Russian dircetor, he was seen as not raising the cultural levels of the Russian people, his work (like many others) was heavily censored - Ivan the Terrible was seen as a disrespectful image of Stalin

What was "Socialist Realism"?

Art and literature must educate the workers in the spirit of communism. The art was to look realistic and easy to understand, it was to portray what life was becoming and how it was meant to be, rather than what it was

How did the USSR try to exert control over music?

Believed it needed to be joyous and positive in a major key. It was an art Stalin was most interested.

Why was history banished?

Believed it was tsarist construct, later reintroduced by Stalin, he wanted it to focus around great leaders who he could be likened to himself

What was the Stakhanovite movement?

Fictious movement that suggested Alexi Stakhanov, a miner, managed to individually hewn fourteen times his required quota of coal in one shift. Became a contemporary legend and ussed to illustrat ethe successes the workers can achieve

How did the USSR try to control poetry?

Had to conform to guidelines, many of the writers refused to write due to the restrictions on their work

Who was Dmitri Shostakovich?

He was a composer who created symphonies, one opera named Lady Macbeth of Mtsensk was banned on the grounds that Stalin deemed it too "bourgeois"

Who was Pavil Morozov?

Heroic story in USSR, denounced his father as a kulak anbd was brutally killed by his other relatives. His story was probably fictious but it was publicised highly and subject to books, songs, plays, poems, operas and six biographies. For the illiterate there were posters and propagandists films and radios so that all could hear the news

How was the cult spread?

Images of Stalin were everywhere: newspapers, books, films, every achievement was accredited to him

What is the meaning of the cult of personality in the USSR?

It allowed Stalin to creat and image of himself as personificiation of the greatness of the USSR in himself

How was propaganda controlled?

It was dispersed from above and the image was carefully manufactured - busts of Stalin were erected across the USSR

Was Stalin popular?

Its hard to judge, there was an emphasis on Stalin's political correctness and he was portrayed as never being wrong. He was not a great orator and so was kept out of the public eye, his mystique added to his character.

Who played a big role in promoting the cult of Stalin?

Krushchev, who praised him frequently and first coined the term Stalinism

Who was Boris Pasternak?

Later known for Doctor Zhivargo (which was banned in the USSR) limited himself to translating historical work

Who was Maxim Gorky?

Leading USSR writer, praised the FYPs as a great industrial achievement and was something of the "highest spirtual value"

What happened to writers who were not prepared to restrict themselves?

Lost their position, liberty and some even lost their lives. More writers are believed to have perished during the 1930 than those who survived (often second or third rate writers denounced their opponents)

How did the USS try to control cinema?

Main form of entertainment for the people of Russia, the primary task of theatre was to raise the cultural level of the masses. The CPSU wanted the films to be simple and realistic (one suggestion was that they have a cow being treated for tuberculosis)

How did the USSR try to exert control over non-fiction books?

Mainly historical books, the "Breif History of Russia" was made compulsory as history textbook. It centred around a Marxist idea of class warfare and struggles. Some books that didn't mention Stalin fell out of favour between 1930 and 1956

How did the USSR try to control art?

Painters and sculpturers had to portray images in a "Socialist realism" way. Sculptures were supposed to represent the joyful future of the USSR and the stridings of the people

Who was Anna Akhmatova?

Poet who chose to practice "the genre of silence" and gave up writing all together

What was the objective of the Soviet Union of Writers?

Promote "Socialist Realism", to be written to the party themes, easy vocab, socialist characters, class enemies, uplifting and optimistic

What was culture meant to do in USSR?

Promote socialist values

How did the USSR try to exert control over theatre?

Repress what was shown, in 1937/8 60 plays were banned from performance, ten theatres were closed in Moscow and another ten in Leningrad.

What was the RAPP?

Russian Association of Proletariat Writers - produced most of the literature in USSR

Why was the RAPP replaced?

Stalin felt that is had done its purpose and replaced it with the Soviet Union of Writers'

How was the religious nature of Russia exploited?

Stalin was turned into an iconic, godlike figure. His birthday was a huge celebrations with marching troops, tanks, dancing children, applauding workers

What was the task of those involved in culture?

To create art that was representative of culture and was not artisitic. Not supposed to be free-thinkers but part of the group of people trying to reshape the Soviet people

Who was Vsevolod Meyerhold?

Victim of theatrical repression, tried to create and innvovative style of theatre (breaking down barriers between audience and actors by using lights and sounds and unusual staging) he had a major influence on European and American acting technique. His belief that theatre was an evolving creative thing and needed freedom led to him being imprisoned and killed 1940