Culture

Who led culture and education in the 1920s?

Lunacharsky

Give three features of Proletkult.

- 1917-20

- 84,000 members of Proletkult across 300 studios

- Monthly magazine Gorn (Furnace)

- Independent organisation, free from party control

Why did Lenin dislike Proletkult?

Favoured bourgeois culture learning; Opposed Futurism

What happened to Proletkult?

Brought under state control 1920

When was Agitprop established?

1920

What was the purpose of agitprop?

Build support for regime

Give an example of agitprop art.

Beat the Whites with the Red Wedge

Which art form did Lenin value most?

Cinema

Give an example of a revolutionary filmmaker.

Eisenstein Battleship Potemkin; Vertov Man with a Movie Camera

What was art like under NEP?

Greater creative freedom but declining avant-garde

When was Socialist Realism developed?

1932

Which organisation developed Socialist Realism?

Union of Soviet Writers 1934

What was the purpose of Socialist Realism?

Promote socialism; Be accessible to masses

Give two examples of Socialist Realist works.

Cement; The Steel Step; Klutsis paintings; Merkurov sculptures

Give an example of dissenting art under Stalin.

Three Songs about Lenin

When were the Khrushchev thaws?

1953–54; 1956–57; 1961–62

Give an example of dissenting work in the thaw.

One Day in the Life of Ivan Denisovich; The Thaw

What was samizdat?

Illegal self-published literature

Give an example of illegal publication.

Syntax; Dr Zhivago

What was Khrushchev’s approach to music?

Some restrictions; Youth Festival 1957 allowed jazz

What happened at the Manege Affair?

Khrushchev attacked modern art 1962

How did propaganda change under Khrushchev?

Popular oversight; Admitted inefficiencies

How did Khrushchev control women’s behaviour?

Anti-western fashion campaigns; Limited consumer choice; Propaganda

What shows fashion policy failed?

Clothing spending tripled; Western magazines on black market

How did culture change under Brezhnev?

More conservative and nostalgic

What cultural area was successful under Brezhnev?

Bolshoi Ballet; Spartacus

What event showed thaw ended?

Sinyavsky-Daniel Trial 1966

How did Brezhnev deal with dissidents?

Emigration; Psychiatric institutions

What influenced Brezhnev’s cultural policy?

International pressure; Prague Spring

Give an example of a dissident writer under Brezhnev.

Forest Ritual; Ten Characters