Russia: Control of the People 1917-85

• Lenin and the Press: The Decree of Press 1917, gave govt power to close any newspapers that were counter-revolutionary
• Revolutionary tribunal of the Press 1918- State powers to censor press. 
• All-Russian Telegraph Agency (ROSTA) 1918- State control of all advertising and reporting
• Glavlit 1922- employed professionals to censor all books for anti-communist ideas 

• Propaganda under Lenin: Gustav Klutis, Photomontage to advertise Electrification campaign.
• El Lissitzky, 'Beat the whites with the red wedge'. Abstract art 
• Rosta produced film to support media 

• Stalin's Media:
• Censorship tightened, work of opponents banned
• From 1928 Glavlit controlled access to economic data.
• Press was forbidden to publish 'bad news'
• Cult of Stalin, semi-divine figure, unique visions 
• Propaganda focused on idealised images to promote socialism. 

• Khrushchev encouraged publishing of readers' letter. 
• Exposed profound social issues (alcoholism, inequalities, abuse etc.)
• Satirical cartoons allowed, Krokodil poked fun at alcoholism and lateness
• Censorship relaxed during Khrushchev's Thaws (1953-64)

Media Under Brezhnev:

• Nostalgic
• Focused on the victory of WW2
• Focused on contemporary Russia
• Stocked public desire for Consumer goods and fashion
• Rich Russians exposed to western magazines

• The Cult of Lenin: 1918, Lenin's image used as a revolutionary symbol
• Saintly, willing to suffer for his people
• Didn't like the cult but recognised importance 

• The Cult of Stalin: Emphasised legitimacy of Stalin (Lenin's heir)
• Manipulation of history, Stalin fought the revolution with Lenin 
• Photos edited since early 1930's
• Presented as 'Vozhd', leader with ultimate authority 
• From 1941, presented as Generalissimo (a military leader)

• The Cult of Khrushchev: Criticised Stalin's cult
• Images of Stalin dropped 1955-64 (continued to use cult of Lenin) 
• K developed own cult; A disciple of Lenin 
• Responsible for new successes, a hero of WW2, Great reformer of Soviet system
• undermined by media.

• Brezhnev; Lenin cult persisted,
•  A great Leninist, Military hero, dedicated to world peace, true man of people
• Counterproductive, Cult led to ridicule and mockery 

• 1917 Land Decree allowed seizing of Church Land
• 1918 Decree Concerning Separation of Church and State, took away traditional privileges of Orthodox Church 
• Cheka terrorised church, Orthodox priests massacred Jan 1918,
• 1921, Introduced Living Church, alternative to Orthodox but never took off 
• Lenin attacked Muslim institutions, threatened by loyalty 

• Under Stalin: Churches closed, used as grain storage
• Used NKVD to destroy Islamic groups, e.g. Sufi Groups in Turkestan 1936
• War compromise, pragmatic alliance with church, 414 churches reopened 
• Ending of religious censorship, over 2,600 more priests 1946-48

• Under K: Religion had no place, Anti-religious campaign 1958
• Closure of re-opened churches, 8000 to 5000 buildings 1958-64 
• Anti-religious propaganda, 

• Under Brezhnev: Ended anti-religion campaign. Supported anti-American Islamic group
• Established Spiritual Board of Muslims, allowed Islamic leaders access to others. 

• Lenin introduced Cheka 1917, (Dzerzhinsky) to target counter-revolutionaries. 
• Broad definition, supporter of tsars, socialists, trade unionists. 
• Before 1921: requisitioned grain, torture/ execution of opponents
• During NEP: Class enemies (rich traders, Western clothed women, Westernised youth)
• Political trials, trial of socialist revolutionary leaders. 

• Stalin: NKVD Used against party instead
• Yagoda: 1934, treated soviet leaders w/ respect, slow purging. Turning point as used on CP
• Trial of 16, Zinoviev & allies 1936

• Yezhov, 1936-38, The Great Terror, Yezhovschina. 1.5mil arrested 10% population 635k deported, 680k executed
• Trial of 17, Trotsky and supporters 1937

• Beria: Mass execution and deportation, 1944 460k Chechens deported. 
• Leningrad Affair 1949, 200 members of party arrested.
• Trial of 21, Bukharim and allies including Yagoda 1938.
• First atomic bomb 1949. 

K's de-Stalinisation reduced the use of terror, Brezhnev concerned of controlling opponents but no return of mass terror.

• Andropov's suppression of dissidents, 1967-82: Suspicious of K's liberalisation, preferred targetting of specific individuals, who refused to reform (dissidents)
• Allowed 100k artists to leave the USSR
• Repressive Psychiatry, sent opponents to asylums 
• Sakharov & Solzhenitsyn biggest dissidents, bother forced to exile, immune due to support
• Helsinki Agreement 1975: used by dissidents to embarrass govt (HR agreement)

• 1982-85 popular discontent: loss of faith in the system due to:
• Alcoholism, disincentives, demand for western goods, poor labour discipline

• Dealing with discontent: Anti-corruption, investigated senior officials
• Anti-alcohol campaign, workers sacked for drunkenness 
• Operation Trawl, anti-drunkenness and anti-absenteeism campaign
• Unable to sustain campaigns due to health 

• Established Prolekult (1917-29) to nurture the Proletarian form of Art. 1920 300 studios set up.
• Lenin was critical as it wasn't universal. October 1920 Prolekult lots its independence. 

• The Avant-garde 1917-29: Revolutionary art, geometric shapes to create new forms of art
• Graphic posters during the civil war
• Alexander Rodchenko, photomontage celebrating revolution

• Socialist Realism 1930-53. Stalin argued art should use traditional techniques 
• Realistic Art
• Novels had to follow ordinary plots Fyodor Gladkov's 1924 'Cement' novel
• Focus on building socialism 
• Lenin and Stalin painted as revolutionary symbols

Transformed from free and independent to govt dominated and highly conservative. 

• Thaws & Nonconformity, 1954-64
• 1953-4, publications that criticised Stalin's terror allowed
• 1956-7, following Secret Speech, critical of party bureaucracy under Stalin
• 1961-62, following removal of Stalin's body, critical aspects of Stalin's rule

• Nonconformity 1950s: wanted to challenge alcoholism & laziness 
• Poster Campaign to challenge these (Popular Oversight) 
• e.g. The Lazy Bureaucrat 1961
• Campaign against Style Hunters 1950s-60s  

• Abandoned Cultural liberation 
• Brezhnev organised Sinyavsky-Daniel Trial 1966, writers of anti-soviet material, sent to labour camps 

Dissident Artists

• Secret shows: Samizdat 1970s exposed dullness of communist life 
• Bulldozer exhibition 1974, art exhibition bulldozed 

Lenin:Cheka 1917-21

GPU 1922 

Stalin:OGPU 1922-34

NKVD 1934-41

NKGB 1941-46

MGB 1946-54

K& Breznhev: KGB 1954-91