Propaganda and control of mass media

Question 1

Newspapers

Answer 1

• Mouthpieces of bourgeoisie
• Pravda & Trud most popular (Pravda circulation- 10m)
• Were cheap and were everywhere (even stuck up on walls)
• Pictured USSR great, peaceful, crimeless- examples of achievements eg.: arctic sea expeditions
• Avoided disasters such as the nuclear waste tank explosion in 1957; Soviet people only noticed when 30 villages disappeared from maps

Question 2

Magazines

Answer 2

• Targeted at specific groups of workers, or interests
• Some off-limits like pornagraphy or religion
• Sovietskii sport, respected for its accuracy

Question 3

Radio

Answer 3

• important to reach 65% of population that were illiterate
• loudspeakers in public places, clubs, factories
• loads of propaganda, little music
• regulated by Commisariat for {psts and Telegraph;
• Under Brezhnev there were most stations, yet listening to foreign ones such as BBC was illegal
• To stop people from streaming BBC etc cheap radios with limited reception range were produced

Question 4

Television

Answer 4

• Pictured USSR as very happy, crimless etc and showing capaitalism as rife with crime
• By 1950s it was becoming a key method of propaganda.
• 1950 (10t tv sets) 1958 (3m)