KT3 Control of the people, 1917-85

• Lenin's view on the press and media

  Central to advancing the revolution and ensuring the Communists kept control of power
• Russian government's control over the press

  1. Decree on the Press in November 1917

  2. Creating a state monopoly of advertising in November 1917

  3. Nationalising the Petrograd Telegraph Agency in November 1917

  4. Establishing a Revolutionary Tribunal of the Press in January 1918

  5. Establishing the All Russian Telegraph Agency (ROSTA)
• Initially, Lenin only closed down papers that supported the Tsar or the Provisional Government
• This changed to outlawing opposition Socialist newspapers
• By 1921, the Communists had shut down 2000 newspapers and 575 printing presses
• Control of the press was also important during the Civil War
• The Communist newspaper "Pravda" was the best selling publication in the Soviet Union
• Initial Cult of Lenin


  Lenin did not approve of his image being used in media, but the cult emerged anyway
• Early propaganda posters featuring Lenin


  • A spectre is haunting Europe- the spectre of Communism
• Lenin was aware of the cult of personality trends and allowed it to grow, as he understood its importance
• The media and propaganda focus on Lenin gave the revolution a face that the population could look up to
• Lenin's press censorship regime continued throughout the civil war, and victory in the Civil War did not lead to increased press freedom
• Glavlit censorship regime under Lenin

  1. GPU put in charge of policing every publication

  2. New professional censors employed

  3. All books investigated for anti-Communist bias

  4. GPU compiled a list of banned books

  5. Soviet libraries purged of politically dangerous books

  6. "Book gulags" introduced to hold banned books
• Under Stalin, censorship tightened further, with works of revolutionaries purged and Soviet history rewritten to emphasise Stalin's role
• From 1928, Glavit controlled access to economic data and restricted "bad news" from being published
• Under Khrushchev and Brezhnev, magazines were encouraged to publish letters from readers, which often exposed long-term economic issues in the USSR
• Soviet cinema and television under Khrushchev and Brezhnev


  • Focused on traditional themes like Soviet victory in WWII and the Communist victory in the Civil War
  • Played a major role in celebrating the Soviet Union's success in the Space race
• Under Brezhnev, Soviet film and TV culture changed, with more films dealing with the working people's lives and a spike in desire for consumer goods and fashion
• Brezhnev's attempts to use television to promote himself backfired, as the cameras showed his physical incapacity
• Under Brezhnev, the Soviet leaders lost control of the print media, as Western magazines became more publicly available in Soviet cities
• Cult of Stalin


  Much more extensive than the Cult of Lenin, served to emphasise Stalin's legitimacy and create a figure the Soviet citizens could trust
• Myth of Two Leaders


  The myth that the October revolution, victory in the Civil War, and the foundations of the USSR were masterminded by the duumvirate between Stalin and Lenin
• Techniques used to support the Cult of Stalin


  • Publication of edited histories of the Communist Party
  • Socialist Realist paintings showing Stalin and Lenin working together
  • Altering photos to remove Trotsky
• Vozhd


  The title given to Stalin, meaning "The Leader", with no legal significance like a prime minister
• Cult of Stalin after WWII


  Focused on Stalin's role as Generalissimo or War leader, presented as a military genius who defeated Hitler
• Cults of personality under Khrushchev


  Khrushchev revived Lenin's cult, depicting him as fun and humane, and created his own cult, presenting himself as a disciple of Lenin, a respected statesman, and a great reformer
• Khrushchev's cult became problematic as his claims of expertise unraveled and he failed to deliver on his promises
• Cult of Brezhnev


  Brezhnev presented himself as a great Leninist, a military hero, dedicated to ensuring world peace, and a true man of the people
• Brezhnev's cult was counterproductive, as it was mocked and resented by veterans and young people
• Military hero


  Brezhnev attempted to present himself as a military leader and he stressed his military prowess in WW2. Promoted to Marshall of the Red Army and received 60 medals.
• Dedicated to ensuring world peace

  Brezhnev stressed his foreign policy success in developing detente with the USA.
• A true man of the people

  Brezhnev biographies talked of a man with humble origins, worked as an engineer in the steel industry.
• Brezhnev created his image


  Through public festivals marking important anniversaries, such as the fiftieth anniversary of the October revolution, Brezhnev's major birthdays, Anniversaries of World War Two in 1965 and 1975
• Cult of Brezhnev was counterproductive
• Mocked for his claims of greatness
• Veterans of World War Two resented the inflation of Brezhnev's role in the war
• Young people who were fully aware of the scale of the Soviet Military did not believe his claims for World Peace
• Lavish lifestyle of Brezhnev's family, ruined his claims to be the man of the people
• Where Stalin was feared and respected, Brezhnev cult was not plausible and filled with jokes and humility
• Marxism and religion


  Lenin and most Marxist revolutionaries of that period, believed that Marx was an enemy of religion. Marx famously claimed that religion was an 'Opium of the masses'