Theme 3: Control of the People, 1917-1985
Leader Media & propaganda Cult of Personality Role of the Secret Police Religion Cultural Change (Art / music
/ literature etc)
Lenin Initially Lenin only closed papers Lenin did not approve of his image Cheka + red terror Following decrees announced by Lenin and revolutionary culture:
that supported the czar or the being used in the media Established in December 1917 Lenin and defined the relationship Lunacharsky argued that art
provisional government this Felix Dzerzhinsky was head of the between the state and religion should be made by working
changed to outlawing opposition cult of Lenin was an example of a Cheka from 1917-26 people.
socialist newspapers type of propaganda that emerged 1. Oct. 1917 Decree on Land à Lenin was critical of Lunacharsky’s
in the early communist regime Role of the Cheka gave peasants the right to seize philosophy and Proletkult. He
Decree on the press in November that Lenin disapproved of protect Communist rule. land belonging to church argued that the best culture was
1917 gave the government the In January 1918, the Cheka and 2. Jan. 1918 Decree concerning universal.
the focus on Lenin and Separation of Church and State,
emergency power to close the any propaganda increased in August the Red Army closed down the He believed that in searching for a
newspaper which supported Constituent Assembly and of School and Church meant new culture, Proletkult was
1918 following an assassination that the Church lost its privileged
counterrevolution attempt (Lenin was seen as this Between 1917-1921, used terror encouraging artists to embrace
in many ways: position in society Futurism.
Nationalizing the Petrograd modern-day Christ for surviving Church land and property
the attack) à Helped Red Army requisition Lenin argued that Futurism was
Telegraph agency in November grain from the peasants. (War nationalized, and state subsidies degenerate. In the sense that it
1917 gave the government control Lenin’s photo associated with Communism) ended celebrated individual self-
of electronic means of titles such as “leader of the à Closed down opposition 3. 1922 Soviet Constitution expression. Most working people
communication revolutionary proletariat” newspapers and imprisoned guaranteed freedom of simply could not understand it.
socialist opponents. conscience for all Soviet people
Establishing a revolutionary During 1919 to 1920 a new form
tribunal of press in January 1918 à Extreme violence against Agitprop:
of writing emerged that involved enemies of the Communist Party In the first year of the revolution, Lenin and Trotsky believed that
gave power to censor press and Lenin (depicted as a humane church = terrorized
journalists and editors who in recently captured areas. art could be used to inspire
leader, a man who refused luxury à Supported Red Army attack on 1. Nov. 1917, Archpriest Ivan people to support the
committed crimes could be and a man of great power) Kochurov murdered outside
punished by the Cheka the Kronstadt Naval base. government.
à Stopped private trading. Petrograd In 1920, this led to the
Examples of cartoons and photo 2. Jan 1918, Metropolitan Vladimir
Control of the press was also very montage including Lenin: Secret Police and the NEP: establishment of the Department
important during the civil war End of the Civil War led to a tortured and shot in Kiev of Agitation Propaganda.
1. a specter is haunting change in Lenin’s policies 3. Orthodox priests in Moscow
Following the civil war, Europe - the specter of regarding the Cheka. massacred in January following a Painting and sculpture:
Dzerzhinsky Introduced Glavlit a communism Red Terror brought to an end. Church degree excommunicating El Lissitzky, a graphic designer and
the Bolsheviks photographer, created the poster
,new organization, designed to 2. an early poster which During the NEP, the Cheka Nov 1918 Politburo issued secret “Beat the Whites with the Red
overlook the censorship regime showed a grim and continued to attack the order to Cheka sanctioning the Wedge” in 1918, one of the most
determined Lenin Government’s political opponents. mass execution of priests famous experimental posters of
By 1921, the communists had shut standing in front of a red (terror = smaller scale) Roman catholic priests treated the Civil War.
down 2000 newspapers, 575 banner and pointing to Surveillance and deportations: differently because they had been Vladimir Tatlin was another artist
printing presses the West In 1922, Lenin ordered a persecuted minority rather who use sculptures to support the
Because of these policies, the 3. Klutsis used Dzerzhinsky to set up an agency being backed by the Tsar regime. His “monument for the
communist newspaper “Pravda” photomontage to create within the GPU to monitor the New govt also used propaganda Third International” was designed
was a lot higher in circulation than posters advertising press. against the Church and seized to be the tallest in the world.
any other newspaper Lenin’s plans Again in 1922, Lenin ordered Church property A ten-foot model of the
Dzerzhinsky to supervise the Govt policy towards Islam monument was completed in
GPU compiled a list of banned deportation of professors and contradictory. 1920, but it was never fully built.
books à “Book gulags” engineers who were suspected of Initially à communist forces used
introduced to hold books which anti-Communist ideas. the Decree concerning separation Revolutionary cinema:
were banned GPU had power to intercept the of Church and State to justify Lenin believed that cinema was
mail and other forms of taking land from ‘Waqfs’ (Islamic the most important art form of
communication. foundations + charities) the 20th century. Also argued that
GPU surveillance reports sent - Quickly reversed as Waqfs it should be used to inspire
straight to the Central Committee. formed schools in Muslim areas support for the new government.
Political Trials: and Communist leaders During the Civil War cinematic
Ordered Dzerzhinsky to set up encouraged Muslims to joint he equipment, such as cameras, films
political trials of the leading party and projectors were quite scarce.
socialist opponents. No link between Islam and the Nonetheless, in the 1920s, Soviet
In 1922, Dzerzhinsky organised Tsar cinema flourished.
the trial of SR leaders. Religion in the 1920s Experimental filmmakers such as
Accused of treason, sabotage, and Mass executions stopped asw as Dziga Vertov and Sergei Eisenstein
plotting to overthrow the Soviet deportations and violence made films that supported the
state. The Living Church regime.
At the end of the Trial, in August Claimed to be a reformed version Dziga Vertov: preferred to make
1922, all of the defendants were of the old Orthodox church in “cinema of fact”.
sentenced to death. which ordinary people have His most famous film, A Man with
Religious, moral and economic power a movie camera, was filmed in
crimes: Aided by the GPU, organized a some of the Soviet Union’s biggest
GPU monitored the semi-capitalist national congress in April 1923 cities and tells the story of a day in
marketplace created by the NEP: which deposed Patriarch Tikhon the life of a Soviet city.
Art under the NEP
Leader Media & propaganda Cult of Personality Role of the Secret Police Religion Cultural Change (Art / music
/ literature etc)
Lenin Initially Lenin only closed papers Lenin did not approve of his image Cheka + red terror Following decrees announced by Lenin and revolutionary culture:
that supported the czar or the being used in the media Established in December 1917 Lenin and defined the relationship Lunacharsky argued that art
provisional government this Felix Dzerzhinsky was head of the between the state and religion should be made by working
changed to outlawing opposition cult of Lenin was an example of a Cheka from 1917-26 people.
socialist newspapers type of propaganda that emerged 1. Oct. 1917 Decree on Land à Lenin was critical of Lunacharsky’s
in the early communist regime Role of the Cheka gave peasants the right to seize philosophy and Proletkult. He
Decree on the press in November that Lenin disapproved of protect Communist rule. land belonging to church argued that the best culture was
1917 gave the government the In January 1918, the Cheka and 2. Jan. 1918 Decree concerning universal.
the focus on Lenin and Separation of Church and State,
emergency power to close the any propaganda increased in August the Red Army closed down the He believed that in searching for a
newspaper which supported Constituent Assembly and of School and Church meant new culture, Proletkult was
1918 following an assassination that the Church lost its privileged
counterrevolution attempt (Lenin was seen as this Between 1917-1921, used terror encouraging artists to embrace
in many ways: position in society Futurism.
Nationalizing the Petrograd modern-day Christ for surviving Church land and property
the attack) à Helped Red Army requisition Lenin argued that Futurism was
Telegraph agency in November grain from the peasants. (War nationalized, and state subsidies degenerate. In the sense that it
1917 gave the government control Lenin’s photo associated with Communism) ended celebrated individual self-
of electronic means of titles such as “leader of the à Closed down opposition 3. 1922 Soviet Constitution expression. Most working people
communication revolutionary proletariat” newspapers and imprisoned guaranteed freedom of simply could not understand it.
socialist opponents. conscience for all Soviet people
Establishing a revolutionary During 1919 to 1920 a new form
tribunal of press in January 1918 à Extreme violence against Agitprop:
of writing emerged that involved enemies of the Communist Party In the first year of the revolution, Lenin and Trotsky believed that
gave power to censor press and Lenin (depicted as a humane church = terrorized
journalists and editors who in recently captured areas. art could be used to inspire
leader, a man who refused luxury à Supported Red Army attack on 1. Nov. 1917, Archpriest Ivan people to support the
committed crimes could be and a man of great power) Kochurov murdered outside
punished by the Cheka the Kronstadt Naval base. government.
à Stopped private trading. Petrograd In 1920, this led to the
Examples of cartoons and photo 2. Jan 1918, Metropolitan Vladimir
Control of the press was also very montage including Lenin: Secret Police and the NEP: establishment of the Department
important during the civil war End of the Civil War led to a tortured and shot in Kiev of Agitation Propaganda.
1. a specter is haunting change in Lenin’s policies 3. Orthodox priests in Moscow
Following the civil war, Europe - the specter of regarding the Cheka. massacred in January following a Painting and sculpture:
Dzerzhinsky Introduced Glavlit a communism Red Terror brought to an end. Church degree excommunicating El Lissitzky, a graphic designer and
the Bolsheviks photographer, created the poster
,new organization, designed to 2. an early poster which During the NEP, the Cheka Nov 1918 Politburo issued secret “Beat the Whites with the Red
overlook the censorship regime showed a grim and continued to attack the order to Cheka sanctioning the Wedge” in 1918, one of the most
determined Lenin Government’s political opponents. mass execution of priests famous experimental posters of
By 1921, the communists had shut standing in front of a red (terror = smaller scale) Roman catholic priests treated the Civil War.
down 2000 newspapers, 575 banner and pointing to Surveillance and deportations: differently because they had been Vladimir Tatlin was another artist
printing presses the West In 1922, Lenin ordered a persecuted minority rather who use sculptures to support the
Because of these policies, the 3. Klutsis used Dzerzhinsky to set up an agency being backed by the Tsar regime. His “monument for the
communist newspaper “Pravda” photomontage to create within the GPU to monitor the New govt also used propaganda Third International” was designed
was a lot higher in circulation than posters advertising press. against the Church and seized to be the tallest in the world.
any other newspaper Lenin’s plans Again in 1922, Lenin ordered Church property A ten-foot model of the
Dzerzhinsky to supervise the Govt policy towards Islam monument was completed in
GPU compiled a list of banned deportation of professors and contradictory. 1920, but it was never fully built.
books à “Book gulags” engineers who were suspected of Initially à communist forces used
introduced to hold books which anti-Communist ideas. the Decree concerning separation Revolutionary cinema:
were banned GPU had power to intercept the of Church and State to justify Lenin believed that cinema was
mail and other forms of taking land from ‘Waqfs’ (Islamic the most important art form of
communication. foundations + charities) the 20th century. Also argued that
GPU surveillance reports sent - Quickly reversed as Waqfs it should be used to inspire
straight to the Central Committee. formed schools in Muslim areas support for the new government.
Political Trials: and Communist leaders During the Civil War cinematic
Ordered Dzerzhinsky to set up encouraged Muslims to joint he equipment, such as cameras, films
political trials of the leading party and projectors were quite scarce.
socialist opponents. No link between Islam and the Nonetheless, in the 1920s, Soviet
In 1922, Dzerzhinsky organised Tsar cinema flourished.
the trial of SR leaders. Religion in the 1920s Experimental filmmakers such as
Accused of treason, sabotage, and Mass executions stopped asw as Dziga Vertov and Sergei Eisenstein
plotting to overthrow the Soviet deportations and violence made films that supported the
state. The Living Church regime.
At the end of the Trial, in August Claimed to be a reformed version Dziga Vertov: preferred to make
1922, all of the defendants were of the old Orthodox church in “cinema of fact”.
sentenced to death. which ordinary people have His most famous film, A Man with
Religious, moral and economic power a movie camera, was filmed in
crimes: Aided by the GPU, organized a some of the Soviet Union’s biggest
GPU monitored the semi-capitalist national congress in April 1923 cities and tells the story of a day in
marketplace created by the NEP: which deposed Patriarch Tikhon the life of a Soviet city.
Art under the NEP
