Russia 3 – Control 1917-85
Media, propaganda & religion
Core knowledge
Key dates
Media & propaganda
1917 – Nov - Decree
● 1917-18 - control of the press, advertising, electronic means of communisation
on Press
(Telegraph Agency), established censorship and controlled news distribution
(ROSTA). By 1921 575 printing presses and 2000 newspapers closed. Pravda & Dec – Cheka
Izvestia = official newspapers.
(Dzerzhinsky)
● Use of avant garde artists to promote policies e.g. Gustav Klutsis used
1918 – separation of
photomontage to promote Lenin’s electrification policies
church and
● 1921 Felix Dzerzhinsky (head of Cheka) established Glavlit to censor
publications. ‘Book Gulags’ created. Under Stalin, it suppressed bad news (even state
bad weather). Under Brezhnev black market meant illegal and western
Aug – photo
publications increasingly available
of Lenin = start
● Radio was controlled by the government. Only 1 station until 1964.
of Cult
● Khrushchev & Brezhnev = media pluralism: magazines, TV, radio. Reader’s
letters allowed criticism of social problems. 1 st TV news in 1961. TV celebrated 1921 – first radio
space advances e.g. Sputnik, Gagarin & Tereshkova. Brezhnev’s increasing broadcast
frailty exposed by TV pictures. Sovetskii Sport was very popular and had a
reputation for honest coverage (of sport at least) 1922 – Glavlit
Cults of Personality 1925 – Tsaritsyn
renamed
● Lenin’s cult was very successful. First photo of him August 1918 after he
survived assassination attempt. He was presented as a man of the people, Stalingrad
wearing workers cap. He reluctantly went along with the cult – face of the 1932 - Vozhd
revolution.
1941 – religious attacks
● Stalin’s cult was more extensive and went through phases: disciple of Lenin
(removal of opponents from pictures and rewriting of Soviet history), Vozhd scaled back
(leader) birthday = national celebration, infallible; Generalissimo (after WWII, 1945 – Height of
white military uniform, lots of gold braid, all-powerful genius)
Stalin’s Cult
● Khrushchev’s cult less successful. Focus on him as Lenin’s disciple, successful
statesman with successful policies. Hindered by association with policy failures 1950s – consumer
● Brezhnev’s cult inspired cynicism. Portrayed as a Leninist, military hero, magazines
committed to world peace. He was mocked. 1961 – first TV news
1980s – most have TVs
Media, propaganda & religion
Core knowledge
Key dates
Media & propaganda
1917 – Nov - Decree
● 1917-18 - control of the press, advertising, electronic means of communisation
on Press
(Telegraph Agency), established censorship and controlled news distribution
(ROSTA). By 1921 575 printing presses and 2000 newspapers closed. Pravda & Dec – Cheka
Izvestia = official newspapers.
(Dzerzhinsky)
● Use of avant garde artists to promote policies e.g. Gustav Klutsis used
1918 – separation of
photomontage to promote Lenin’s electrification policies
church and
● 1921 Felix Dzerzhinsky (head of Cheka) established Glavlit to censor
publications. ‘Book Gulags’ created. Under Stalin, it suppressed bad news (even state
bad weather). Under Brezhnev black market meant illegal and western
Aug – photo
publications increasingly available
of Lenin = start
● Radio was controlled by the government. Only 1 station until 1964.
of Cult
● Khrushchev & Brezhnev = media pluralism: magazines, TV, radio. Reader’s
letters allowed criticism of social problems. 1 st TV news in 1961. TV celebrated 1921 – first radio
space advances e.g. Sputnik, Gagarin & Tereshkova. Brezhnev’s increasing broadcast
frailty exposed by TV pictures. Sovetskii Sport was very popular and had a
reputation for honest coverage (of sport at least) 1922 – Glavlit
Cults of Personality 1925 – Tsaritsyn
renamed
● Lenin’s cult was very successful. First photo of him August 1918 after he
survived assassination attempt. He was presented as a man of the people, Stalingrad
wearing workers cap. He reluctantly went along with the cult – face of the 1932 - Vozhd
revolution.
1941 – religious attacks
● Stalin’s cult was more extensive and went through phases: disciple of Lenin
(removal of opponents from pictures and rewriting of Soviet history), Vozhd scaled back
(leader) birthday = national celebration, infallible; Generalissimo (after WWII, 1945 – Height of
white military uniform, lots of gold braid, all-powerful genius)
Stalin’s Cult
● Khrushchev’s cult less successful. Focus on him as Lenin’s disciple, successful
statesman with successful policies. Hindered by association with policy failures 1950s – consumer
● Brezhnev’s cult inspired cynicism. Portrayed as a Leninist, military hero, magazines
committed to world peace. He was mocked. 1961 – first TV news
1980s – most have TVs
