The fight against cosmopolitanism, the date of which is firmly rooted in Soviet history, was authorized by the government. It was an ideological campaign directed against citizens who, in the opinion of the country's leadership, posed a danger to the state. They differed in other thoughts that did not agree with the direction of the domestic and foreign policies of the Soviet government. Let us further consider how the struggle against cosmopolitanism took place.
General information
The fight against cosmopolitanism in the USSR, in short, was directed against the Soviet intelligentsia. They were considered carriers of pro-Western ideas. What marked the beginning of the fight against cosmopolitanism? The date of the campaign coincides with the period of the Cold War. Its main target was cultural and scientific figures, Soviet Jews. They all considered themselves Russian, but were accused by the government of lack of patriotism, ties with the West, and deviation from the ideas of Marx and Lenin.
Reasons to fight cosmopolitanism
The victory in the Great Patriotic War caused the country pride in the feat of its people, a powerful upsurge of patriotism. All this sowed in people's minds hope for an improvement in life, an expansion of freedom, and the weakening of strict state control in various fields. But the Cold War was ripe . She destroyed faith in a brighter future. The first signs of a deterioration in relations between the country and the West were government policies in 1946. The government put pressure on representatives of the bourgeoisie and the intelligentsia. Popular magazines in the front pages published Central Committee resolutions on culture. In the publications Leningrad and Zvezda, writers, poets, directors, and composers were criticized. Among them were Akhmatova, Dovzhenko, Zoshchenko, Twardovsky, Eisenstein, Shostakovich, Prokofiev. They, like many others, were described in the decisions of the Central Committee as vulgar and immoral people. Tarle’s work was also condemned by the government. He was accused, in particular, of the fallacy of the estimates of the Crimean War, of the justification of the battles that took place under Catherine II. All this was accompanied by dismissals from their posts, arrests. These people were persecuted due to the fact that they considered themselves to some extent independent of the ideology of the Soviet Union, free to choose between East and West. The word cosmopolitan means universality. It expresses the citizen's belonging to the world, regardless of the country in which he was born and lives.
The fight against cosmopolitanism in the USSR (briefly)
The first accusations of people following Western traditions began to appear even before the Cold War and even before World War II. So, repression against those who did not agree with the socio-political structure of the country is widely known. If we talk about who led the fight against cosmopolitanism in the USSR, then this was undoubtedly Stalin. The impetus for the campaign was given by his speech on May 24, 1945. In it, Stalin noted the importance of the Russian people, calling it the guiding force of the whole nation. All his words were actively supported by the Soviet press. The opinion was rooted in the minds of the people that it was the Russians who were the main force that destroyed the fascists, that without their help, no other nation within the Soviet Union could cope with this. All agitation took place under the banner of the cultivation of patriotism. Often, in foreign and domestic publications, the struggle against cosmopolitanism, in short, is equated with Stalin's anti-Semitism. This opinion is expressed by many historians.
Goals
The ideological campaigns in the postwar period were widespread and caused great public outcry. The main goal of the government, according to some researchers, was to establish and maintain control over nations for subsequent manipulation. The fight against cosmopolitanism (the year of the first manifestations - 1948) has always been under the scrutiny of Stalin. He attached special ideological significance to her.
Courts of Honor
How did the struggle against cosmopolitanism develop? The year 1948 is considered the most striking period of its manifestation. At the initiative of Stalin, "courts of honor" were established. Their education is the official beginning of the fight against cosmopolitanism. “Courts of honor” were to reveal all manifestations of cringing and servility before the culture of the West. They were obliged to eliminate the underestimation of the role of the figures of Soviet culture and science in the development of world civilization. The beginning of the fight against cosmopolitanism was accompanied primarily by the persecution of Jews. The campaign was held in all cities of the country. Courts operated in each department. They examined antisocial and anti-state acts and actions that were not subject to punishment under the Criminal Code in force at that time.
The Case of the Kyrgyz Republic
It became an occasion for a large-scale campaign in all research institutes of the country. Scientists Klyuev and Roskin created in 1947 an effective drug against cancer. It was called "Krutzin" ("KR"). The discovery immediately became interested in America. The United States has proposed joint research. Upon completion, it was proposed to publish a book. With the consent of the government, an agreement was reached. Parin (academician-secretary of the Academy of Medical Sciences) was sent to America. He handed over to the Americans the ampoules of the drug and the draft records of biotherapy for malignant tumors. Parin performed all these actions with the consent of the USSR Minister of Health. But Stalin was extremely dissatisfied with this event. Returning from America, Parin was arrested. He was sentenced to 25 years under the article "Treason to the Homeland." In addition, the trial of Roskin and Klyueva took place.
Campaign in Leningrad
The fight against cosmopolitanism has also unfolded actively in the city on the Neva. In 1948, he became the center of the campaign. Leningrad University suffered the most. At the historical and philological faculties there were arrests and expulsions of the best professors. Among them were Weinstein, Gukovsky, Rabinovich, Mavrodin and others. Jews were expelled from graduate school. After graduating from university, after distribution, they received a referral to a remote province or even remained unemployed. For a long time, the reception of Jews as teachers was stopped. All employees and students were forbidden to print in foreign publications. The fight against cosmopolitanism was very beneficial to the "mediocre scientists." Many of them covertly used banned foreign publications, passing off publications as their own.
Negative coloration of the term
In March 1945, Alexandrov published an article in the journal Questions of Philosophy. He accused her of the anti-patriotic moods of such prominent figures as Trotsky, Milyukov, Bukharin. Cosmopolitans, in his opinion, were the Left Socialist-Revolutionaries and Communists, especially General Vlasov who passed to the Nazis during the war. It is with this article that many historians attribute the appearance of a bright negative coloration of the term. Cosmopolitans were compared with "enemies of the people" or "traitors to the motherland." Alexandrov in his article called specific surnames. Among them was the chief editor of Voprosy filosofii, the journal where it was published. From this moment, the struggle against rootless cosmopolitanism passed into literature.
"Anti-Patriotic Theater Critics Group"
Stalin, giving the ideological significance of the campaign, he himself was often printed in leading editions under a pseudonym. So, he published an article in the newspaper Pravda. There were several explanations of the concept, however, only one "rootless cosmopolitan" was spread in the literature. In 1949, a real conflict erupted between critics of the Theater Society and the leaders of the Writers' Union. The first in their articles disgraced the works of socialists (Fadeev, in particular). The latter, in turn, accused critics of cosmopolitanism. The initiator of the conflict was Popov, who personally drew Stalin's attention to the incident. As a result, a large-scale struggle against cosmopolitanism in the literary circles was launched. Of course, the Jews suffered the most.
Effects
The struggle against cosmopolitanism led to the isolation of the Soviet people from the outside world. According to some researchers, the whole campaign was launched by Stalin to tighten his policy (both foreign and domestic). Among the consequences should be called the negative impact of the struggle on the development of Soviet science and culture. The possibilities of scientists and figures were significantly limited. The strengthening of ideological control significantly threw the Soviet Union back in comparison with the West. An example is the closure of the road to domestic geneticists. Academician Lysenko monopolized agrobiology. Many doctors, soil scientists and other specialists have been relegated to the last plan. This seriously impeded the development of key agrobiological areas. As part of the campaign, critical areas of science were criticized, and cooperation with foreign colleagues was prohibited. The possibility of discussion and expression of opinion in the midst of the most educated and advanced figures was significantly limited.
Conclusion
It should be said that the fight against cosmopolitanism was considered a manifestation of anti-Semitism. However, according to some researchers, it was not specifically aimed at Jews. In addition, large-scale repressions, such as they were in the 30s, were not carried out. The main goal of the struggle was to seize public thought and establish control over it. As a result of the government’s actions, the “courts of honor” caused serious damage to many scientific fields. Significant restrictions were established for freedom of speech, thought, and press. The government conducted activities aimed at isolating the country from any Western influence. It was a voluntary sacrifice of the state’s position in the international arena. In Soviet society, work was done to eradicate the moral and scientific authority of the West. The impact of the Cold War on the revitalization of the campaign is undoubted. Stalin, assessing the situation in the world and in the country, decided to shift the emphasis in communist propaganda and ideology against dissent in order to strengthen patriotism among the population. In the course of the struggle, figures of different nationalities suffered. However, according to historical sources, a greater blow was dealt to the Jews.