Media

Give two things Lenin did early on to reduce opposition media.

Decree on the Press 1917; Revolutionary Tribunal of the Press 1918; Closed 2000 newspapers; Controlled printing presses; Established Glavlit 1922

What measures did Lenin take to spread Bolshevik propaganda?

State monopoly of advertising; ROSTA distributed news; High circulation of Pravda; Controlled Izvestia

What were key features of the early Cult of Lenin?

Photos from 1918; Portrayed as heroic survivor; Busts and statues 1919; Man of the people image

What was the censorship office called and when was it established?

Glavlit 1922

Give two things Glavlit did.

Banned books; Investigated anti-communist bias; Employed censors

How was censorship expanded under Stalin?

Purged rivals’ works; Edited Lenin’s works; Censored bad news from 1928

How was propaganda expanded under Stalin?

Rewrote history; Cult of personality; Socialist Realism; Heroic worker imagery

How did propaganda change under Khrushchev?

Greater consumer media; Radios and TVs expanded

Give an example of media not supporting Khrushchev.

Letters in The Woman Worker complaining about inequality and domestic violence

How did cinema change under Khrushchev?

Focus on ordinary people not Stalin; Ballad of a Soldier

What was TV used for under Khrushchev?

Space Race celebration; News and Mail 1961

How did film and TV change under Brezhnev?

Focus on daily life; Promoted consumerism

How did Brezhnev use TV for propaganda?

Limited Afghanistan coverage; Broadcast speeches

How did media undermine Brezhnev?

Showed his frailty; Western magazines on black market