Unit 3 test prep Flashcards
Stalins wartime alliance with the church
During WW2 Stalin made a practical alliance with Metropolitan Sergey (a senior orthodox figure), Christians were urged to fight for the motherland as Sergey proclaimed Stalin as ‘gods chosen leader’.
This alliance resulted in anti religious propaganda like Bezbozhnik (the godless) officially ending and the reopening of 414 churches at the end of the war.
Lenins hostile policy towards Christianity
Extreme or hostile methods were often taken against religion by Lenin like having the Cheka crucify priests or having religious figures like Archpriest Ivan Kochurov murdered.
Religion was seen to be a hindrance to thriving socialist society by the soviet government and leaders as it meant citizens held loyalties and obedience to a body other than the government, therefore giving it power and preventing communism from growing.
Khrushchevs hostile policies towards christianity
When Khrushchev took power he returned to the anti religious stance seen in the 1920s, churches reopened during the war were closed down and anti religious propaganda started to circulate once again.
Essentially the attitude towards religion was a return to the same sentiment Lenin shared of religion being a hindrance to socialist society
The soviet governemnts peaceful policy towards Islam
Muslims in central asia were encouraged to join the party by the soviet government during the 1920s, the USSR even offered more equal rights for joining.
The soviet government mostly disliked Islam for ‘crimes based on custom’ such as infringing on womens the rights, therefore making the easiest method of assimilation fixing rights rather than persecution.
Stalin’s government controlled artistic style for propganda
Artists were particularly restricted under Stalin, art had to be of the approved socialist realism style to help build a patriotic communist image, there were also quotas for the amount of work they must produce.
Under Stalin the restrictions on art reflected his views, art became a practical tool for the soviet regime to depict an idyllic life to the peasants.
Lenin restricted art to prevent the spread of idologies
The organisation Prolekult flourished from 1917-20 by encouraging artists however Lenin was suspicious it was promoting other movements like anarchism and had it merged into the Commissariat of education.
Lenin (like Stalin and Khrushchev) believed the restriction of art to be necessary because art could be used to spread dangerous opposing ideologies to communism.
cultural freedom under Khurshchev
Rules around art and culture relaxed under Khrushchev, one example of this was the 1957 World Youth Festival held in Moscow where young people danced to jazz and interacted with westerners.
This kind of interaction with western culture would never have been possible under Stalin who completely rejected and denounced all western influence.
Experimental art was allowed under Lenin through propganda
Lenin and Trotsky established agitprop in 1920 where avant garde artists built upon propaganda work which had been going since the revolution.
Since the propaganda produced by agitprop was often by avant garde artists it became highly experimental, more so than anything produced after 1929.
Islam was a threat to the soviet government in Stalins era
In the 1930s intervention was required by the NKVD to stop islamic groups like the Jadids and Sufi groups who were dedicated to ‘saving Islam from Marxist pollution’.
Islam was ingrained into middle eastern society which meant muslims were not as easily converted to atheism and often fought back against the spread of communism.
Western culture was a threat to soviet govs control of its people
Official campaigns had to be launched against ‘stillyaga’ (style hunters) who the government feared for chasing consumerist and promiscuous western style clothing and lifestyle.
Through the spread of Western culture which gained popularity among young urban people, western ideals like democracy and women’s rights started to spread and pose a greater threat to the soviet regime.
Lenin used the cheka to control religous (chrtistian) ideology
Extreme or hostile methods were often taken against religion by Lenin like having the Cheka crucify priests or having religious figures like Archpriest Ivan Kochurov murdered.
Religion was seen to be a hindrance to thriving socialist society by the soviet government and leaders as it meant citizens held loyalties and obedience to a body other than the government, therefore giving it power and preventing communism from growing.
The secret police was used during the great terror
In (1929-39) Stalin’s great terror as many as 13 million people died in labour camps after being accused of treason or being kulaks.
It was the secret police which gave Stalin the means to enact his great terror and dismantle all and any opposition, striking fear into the soviet union’s people and giving the regime (stalin) ultimate control.
The secret police lost alot of power after de-stalinization
As part of Khrushchev’s policy of de-stalinization the powers of the secret police were reduced and by 1958 8 million political prisoners had been released from Gulags.
Essentially from 1953 to 1963 the secret police lost most of the power it had been given during Stalin’s great terror as Khrushchev relied little on the use of terror and disliked the secret police.
censorship played a significant role in preventing spread of western ideology
For example the soviet government restricted access to the 1959 American National exhibition which promoted American beauty standards and fashion.
Khrushchev would censor competing ideologies to sustain the support for the soviet regime because if western culture became popular with young people likely so would concepts like democracy.
censorship was used to control politicl authors and artists
Many political authors and artists who deviated from the party line would be sent to psychiatric treatment wards (around 700-8000).
This helped the soviet government keep them monitored and controlled whilst discrediting their theories to the public as they were seen as ‘insane’.
