The Union of Soviet Socialist Republics - the USSR - this abbreviation is known not only in Russia and the CIS countries, but throughout the world. This is a state that lasted only 69 years, however, its military power, greatness, outstanding scientists are remembered to this day. And the name of the first and only Generalissimo of the Soviet Union still terrifies everyone. What kind of state is this? What is the ideology of the USSR? Why doesn’t such a country exist today? What are the features of its culture, outstanding public figures, scientists, artists? Many other questions arise if we recall the history of this country. However, the objects of this article are the ideology and culture of the USSR.
Union of Soviet Socialist Republics
As a result of the October Revolution of 1917 on the territory of Russia (then it was called the Russian Empire), the Civil War began, the overthrow of the Provisional Government ... Everyone knows this story. December 1922 (December 30) was marked by the unification of the Russian, Ukrainian, Byelorussian and Transcaucasian Republics, as a result of which one large state was formed, in terms of the occupied land area incomparable with any other country in the world. In December 1991 (namely, December 26), the USSR ceased to exist. An interesting question of this amazing state is ideology. The USSR was a state in which no ideology of the state was officially proclaimed, but Marxism-Leninism (communism) was generally accepted behind the scenes.
Marxism-Leninism
It’s worth starting with the definition of communism. A theoretically possible social and economic system that would be based on equality (i.e., not only equality before the law, but also social), public ownership of the means of production (i.e., no one has their own business, private enterprises and etc.) is called communism. In the practical sense, such a state in which there would be such a system never existed. However, the ideology of the USSR in the West was called precisely communism. Marxism-Leninism is not only ideology, it is the doctrine of building a communist society through the struggle to destroy the capitalist system.
The first decades in the cultural life of the USSR
These times are marked by many changes in the cultural aspect of the state. First of all, transformations in the field of education began - a commission for education and a commission for the control of culture (state bodies), and departments of public education were created. Through meetings of the people's commissars of education of the republics, control over this sphere was carried out. There was such a thing as a cultural revolution. These are political actions of the government of the Soviet Union aimed at creating a truly socialist (primordially popular) culture, eradicating illiteracy of the population, creating a new and universal education system, compulsory education in the native languages of the peoples of Russia (to achieve universal learning), providing conditions for scientific development and art .
Post-war years (1945-1953) in the Soviet Union
The ideology and culture of the USSR in 1945-1953 (the post-war period) were toughened by the influence of the authorities. It was during this period that such a frightening concept arose as the Iron Curtain - the desire of the government to protect its country, its people from the influence of other states.
This phenomenon concerned not only the cultural development in the country, but also all other areas in the life of the state. The literature was hit first. Many writers and poets have been harshly criticized. Among them are Anna Akhmatova, and Mikhail Zoshchenko, and Alexander Fadeev, and Samuel Marshak, and many others. Theater and cinema were no exception in terms of isolation from the influence of Western states: not only films were actively criticized, but also the directors themselves. The theater repertoire underwent harsh criticism of itself, up to the removal of productions of foreign (and, therefore, capitalist) authors. Under the press of the ideology of the USSR in 1945-1953, music also fell. The works of Sergei Prokofiev, Aram Khachaturian, Vano Muradeli, which were created for the anniversary of the October Revolution, were especially indignant. Other composers were also criticized, including Dmitry Shostakovich and Nikolai Myaskovsky.
Joseph Vissarionovich Stalin (Dzhugashvili)
The most bloody dictator of the Soviet Union is Joseph Stalin. When power was in his hands, mass repressions, political investigations were carried out, shooting lists were created, there were prosecutions for political views that were disagreeable to the government and the like were terrible things. The ideology of the USSR depended directly on this very contradictory personality. His contribution to the life of the state, on the one hand, is simply terrifying, however, it was during the period of Stalinism that the Soviet Union became the winner in World War II, and also received the title of one of the superpowers.