Full notes for chapter three of the A-Level 'From Lenin to Yeltsin' Edexcel course ( 'Control of the People in the USSR, 1917-85' ). These notes cover every bullet point of the specification, and are organised by these.
Revision Notes - Chapter Three, Control of
the People 1917-85
HOW DID THE SOVIET GOVERNMENT EXERCISE CONTROL OVER
THE MEDIA, PROPAGANDA, AND RELIGION?
NEWSPAPERS
Lenin viewed newspapers as mouthpieces of the bourgeoisie. A decree in November 1917 banned all
non-socialist newspapers, and by the 1920s all non-Bolshevik newspapers were eliminated
● The printing press was nationalised, with access restricted to those working ‘in the interests of
the workers and the Socialist order’.
● All editors and journalists were employees of the government, members of the Union of Soviet
Journalists, and expected to be Party members.
● Approval from Glavit, the censorship office, was needed for every article written for publication.
There were two main Soviet newspapers:
● Pravda (Truth) was the newspaper of the Communist Party - it had a circulation of 10.7 million in
1983.
● Izvestiya (News) was the paper of the government.
● Both were used as vehicles of propaganda, highlighting the achievements of the government and
socialism, and the guiding principle of the Soviet press was partiinost (party-mindedness).
○ E.g. successful expeditions to the Arctic and northern Russia, in search of gold and oil -
represented bravery, adventure, and the pushing back of frontiers.
● To ensure high readership, these papers were cheap to buy and widely available. Copies were
posted on boards along pavements and at workplaces, enabling people to read them for free.
● The paper of the government controlled state unions, Trud (Labour), was very popular, with a
print run of 13.5 million.
● Criticising Party leaders was not allowed, and stories such as plane crashes and natural
disasters were censored.
○ A nuclear waste storage tank in Kyshtym exploded in 1957, resulting in at least 200
fatalities and over 270,000 people being exposed to dangerous radiation levels. The
government took two years to evacuate unsafe areas and it was ignored by the press.
RADIO
Soviet scientists quickly developed voice radio, and by 1921 programmes were being broadcast.
● The Spoken Newspaper of the Russian Telegraph Agency featured news and propaganda
material, with little emphasis on music.
● Radio receivers were expensive, so the Bolsheviks installed loudspeakers in public places and
factories to ensure that the intended messages reached a mass audience.
○ By 1922, Moscow had a well developed broadcasting system.
● Radio was also useful, as it enabled the government to get its message to the 65% of the
population who were illiterate.
● In 1941 Stalin gave a speech commemorating the October Revolution live on radio from the Red
Square in Moscow, despite the German invading forces being less than 50 miles away, which
was effective in reassuring the Soviet population that all was not lost in the war.
, ● Under Brezhnev in 1964, the number of radio stations was extended from 1 to 3, including Radio
Maiak (Lighthouse) which played some foreign music and was popular with Soviet youth.
● The government tried to restrict access to foreign stations by mass producing cheap radios with
limited reception range, but they also had to rely on jamming foreign broadcasts and threatening
to arrest those who listened to stations like the BBC.
TELEVISION
By the 1950s, television was becoming a key method used by the government to spread its message to
the Soviet population. In 1950 the USSR had 10,000 sets, but by 1958 this number had risen to almost 3
million.
● Mass production in the 1960s brought their price within the range of most of the population, even
if availability failed to keep pace with demand. By the early 1980s most of the rural population
had access to television.
● The government stations provided a mix of news, documentaries on the achievements of
socialism, and cultural programmes on ballet and classical arts.
○ Children's programmes & feature films - life in the Soviet Union was presented as joyous,
whereas life under capitalism was rife with crime, homelessness, and violence.
By 1985 there were two television channels and a greater emphasis on light entertainment.
● In the 1970s, the Soviet singer Eduard Khil (Trololo) became a noted and popular celebrity.
● Also the broadcast of local programming to the regions of the USSR, often in local language.
MEDIA RESULTS
● Censorship and restriction of material was often used so the Soviet public got used to reading
between the lines
○ E.g. a fall from favour of a politburo member would be shown as a continued
non-appearance in the press.
● The government ensured that the steady diet of propaganda was conveyed but due to advances
in technology in the 1980s the challenge of restricting the population’s access to information
became more challenging.
STALIN’S CULT OF PERSONALITY
Allowed him to 1) link himself to Lenin when fighting for power in the 1920s, 2) reinforce his personal
dictatorship in the 1930s. Key features included:
● Stalin was presented as Lenin’s closest colleague and a hero of the civil war, while Trotsky was
removed from photos and pictures.
● In 1925 (early!!) the town of Tsaritsyn was renamed Stalingrad
● In 1924 the slogan ‘Stalin is the Lenin of today’ became widely used by ordinary Party members
● Pictures of Stalin presented as a father figure were common - surrounded by children looking up
at him and presenting him with flowers
● Propaganda posters of him in military uniform in front of masses of troops were common in the
Second World War = defender of Mother Russia
● Also posters usually represented him as a man of the people, posing with workers - the sheer
number of images presented to the public had an intimidating effect
● Statues of Stalin were erected in most cities and towns - made him look much taller than he was
(actually 5”6)
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