Theme 3 Flashcards
(77 cards)
In which order of effectiveness did leaders use propaganda / cult of personality to control?
Stalin
Lenin
Khrushchev
Brezhnev
How did Lenin control the press and media ?
2
Decree on press 1917
- banned all left wing newspapers
Glavlit - introduced. All books had to be approved by it to be published.
How did Stalin control press and media?
2
Socialist realism 1944- art needed approval
Glavlit became more powerful
How did Khrushchev and Brezhnev control media / propaganda?
Loosened culture
Allowed foreign music
Didn’t really have a choice about it though as because of increasing technological advances
What was lenin’s personality cult?
Lenin was not pro-personality cult as it was fundamentally anti Marxist because it would show Lenin as more important and above others
However the politburo wanted to use it
Phase 1 1918-1924
Lenin depicted as leader of revolution in front of red banner
After his assassination attempt, Lenin was opted enter as miraculous
Phase 2 post death Lenin is painted as a saint Statues Petrograd was changed to Leningrad Stalin used his cult for his own agenda
What were the three stages of Stalin’s personality cult?
Myth of two leaders
Vozhd
Generalissimo
What was Stalin’s personality cult? (Part one)
1920s - myth of two leaders
Photomontages would depict Lenin looking down approvingly of Stalin
History books were edited to exclude Trotksy and exaggerate Stalin’s part in the October Revolution I.e the histories of the communist party.
What was Stalin’s personality cult (part 2)
1930s Vozhd
Emphasis on Stalin being a leader
His birthday became a celebrated communist equivalent of a national holiday
Depicted with children - father figure
If anything went well, Stalin would be praised - 5 YP
What was Stalin’s personality cult (part 3)
Generalissimo 1940s
Depicted with tools and weaponry to show Stalin as a man of the people bringing in advanced technology
What was Khrushchev’s personality cult?
Criticised Stalin’s personality cult but developed one of his own
Books developed “adulation” - strong praise
Media depicted him as responsible for successful Virgin lands scheme. When it went wrong he was blamed 1958
Peace maker - Cuban midsole crisis
Cult of Lenin can
What was the cult of Brezhnev?
Excessive medals -Order of Lenin 9 times !
Cult of Lenin- acted as if he was continuing his work
Foreign policy success in developing détente - defender of world peace
What does the infamous Karl Marx❤️❤️❤️ say about religion ?
“Religion is the opium of the masses”
Created by the upper class to distract workers to put up with their misery without complaining
How was Lenin the most Marxist ?
Against personality cults
Very anti religion
How much of a threat were religions to Lenin? What did he do to them?
Decree on freedom of conscience 1918 - separated church and state so church lost privilege
Civil war - 1000 priests were killed, 28 bishops
Patriarch Tikhon (head of Orthodox Church) was put under house arrest and died in 1925
Islamic shrines were attacked.
What were the three religious groups targeted in the USSR and in which order
Christianity
Islam
Judaism
Which religious figures and how many were killed in the civil war?
1000 priests
28 bishops
They were denied rations as well
Who was Patriach Tikhon
Head of Orthodox Church put under house arrest by Lenin and died in 1925
What was the campaign against the veiling of women?
1927
Campaign against women wearing the burka
What was Stalin’s relationship with religion ?
Collectivisation 1928
Kulaks were sent to gulag which expanded to priests in dekulakisation
League of militant godless 1929
- took peasants to heaven to show them that there is no God
Great purge 1936-1939
12 out of 163 bishops were still in Liberty
CHANGE
During war 1941-1945
Godless is closed
Soldiers found comfort it god
Stalin forms pragmatic alliance with church.
Churches and seminaries reopened so new priests can be created
Why did Stalin’s relationship with religion change in 1941?
War!
People looked to religion in the war so Stalin formed a pragmatic alliance with the church
They were allowed to reopen as well as seminaries so more priests could be created
What was Khrushchev’s relationship with religion?
Anti religious campaign 58-64
Churches that were reopened were closed again as well as monestaries m
Priests were allowed to be beaten up, anti religious magazines, believers were denied access to holy sites
What did Brezhnev’s relationship with religion?
4
He ends Khrushchev’s campaign and stops church closures
1968- opens institute for scientific atheism.
Only 20% of population were professing religious faithS this remained the same
Still anti religious tho
1976- Christian committee for the defence of believers rights was created
-leader was sent to prison 5 years
How did the relationship with religion and the leaders in power change?
Lenin
- traditional Marxist anti religious stance
- decree on freedom of conscience + civil war (1000 priests)
Stalin
-pragmatic stance on religion
-league of militant godless 1929 and 12/163 bishops still in Liberty after purge
BUT
during war, church state alliance- churches reopened and ministries
Khrushchev
- anti religious campaign 1958-1964-closes churches
- patrols don’t let religious people on holy sights and priests beaten up
Brezhnev
-ends Khrushchev’s campaign and stopped church closures
However very atheist population with only 20% professing faith
-however Christian committee for the defence of believers rights 1976
1 Lenin 2 Khrushchev 3 Stalin 4 Brezhnev (Worst relations with religion)
What did Lenin think about terror and how did this contrast with Stalin (with examples)
Lenin tended to use terror when the party was at threat rather than himself
- he would not shed the blood of another Bolshevik in his chitska
- during the civil war, red terror was used against the whites with burying alive and freezing whites to death
Stalin however tended to use terror when he was at threat
-excessive purges
-show trials 16,17,21
-targets people in the party -Kirov?
He is able to do this as he is a personal dictator