The development of the Stalin cult Flashcards
In which years was the Stalin cult fully established?
Between 1933 and 1939, it reached it’s peak after the second world war
What was ‘The History of the All-Union Communist Party’ a.k.a. the ‘Short Course’?
This was the main historical textbook for all educational institutions in 1938. It falsified history by portraying Stalin as having a major role in the October revolution and Civil War whilst Trotsky and other old Bolsheviks are portrayed as enemies of the people
What was the Union of Soviet Writers and were there similar unions established for other professions?
The Union of Soviet Writers was a body which all writers had to belong to from 1932 onwards. Similar bodies were made for painters, musicians, film makers and sculptors. These controlled what was created and by whom
What was socialist realism?
It was a depiction of what Soviet life might become and what it was moving towards in the future
Who laid out the frame of reference for Socialist Realism?
It was laid out by Andrei Zhdanov at the first Congress of the Union of Soviet Writers in April 1934
Describe the design/ art in the Moscow metro
They were designed as ‘palaces of light’ with symbols of ‘all-victorious socialism’. Mosaic designs, marble pattern floors and stained glass panels were implemented to inspire pride and reverence
What was a method commonly used in propaganda?
Military illusions, for example collectivization was called a ‘full-scale socialist offensive on all fronts’
What was the ‘worker-hero’?
This was a common propagandist theme with Stakhanov as the role model, for example young men who accomplished heroic endeavors appeared on the front page of Pravda more than Stalin did from 1937 to 1938
