The fight against cosmopolitanism, the date of which has become firmly established in Soviet history, was sanctioned by the government. It was an ideological campaign directed against citizens who, in the opinion of the country's leadership, were a danger to the state. They differed in other thoughts that did not agree with the direction of the domestic and foreign policy of the Soviet government. Consider further how the struggle against cosmopolitanism went.
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 struggle against cosmopolitanism? The date of the campaign coincides with the Cold War period. 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, retreat from the ideas of Marx and Lenin.
Reasons for fighting cosmopolitanism
The victory in the Great Patriotic War aroused pride in the country for the feat of its people, a powerful upsurgepatriotism. All this sowed in the minds of people hope for a better life, the expansion of freedom, the weakening of strict state control in various areas. But the cold war is over. She destroyed faith in a brighter future. The policy of the state in 1946 acted as the first signs of the deterioration of relations between the country and the West. The government put pressure on representatives of the bourgeoisie and the intelligentsia. In popular magazines, the decisions of the Central Committee on culture were published on the front pages. Writers, poets, directors, and composers were criticized in the Leningrad and Zvezda publications. Among them were Akhmatova, Dovzhenko, Zoshchenko, Tvardovsky, Eisenstein, Shostakovich, Prokofiev. They, like many others, were characterized 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 erroneous assessments of the Crimean War, the justification of the battles that took place under Catherine II. All this was accompanied by dismissals from their positions, arrests. These people were persecuted because they considered themselves, to a certain 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 against people of following Western traditions began to appear even before the cold and even before the Great Patriotic Warwar. Thus, repressions against those who did not agree with the socio-political structure of the country are widely known. If we talk about who led the fight against cosmopolitanism in the USSR, then it was undoubtedly Stalin. The impetus for the campaign was given by his speech on May 24, 1945, in which Stalin noted the importance of the Russian people, calling them the guiding force of the entire 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 Nazis, that without their help no other nation in the Soviet Union could cope with this. All agitation took place under the banner of cultivating patriotism. Often, in foreign and domestic publications, the fight against cosmopolitanism, in short, is equated with Stalin's anti-Semitism. This opinion is expressed by many historians.
Goals
Ideological campaigns in the post-war period were widespread and caused a great public outcry. The main goal of the government, according to a number of researchers, was to establish and maintain control over nations for subsequent manipulation. The struggle against cosmopolitanism (the year of the first manifestations - 1948) has always been under the close attention of Stalin. He attached special ideological significance to it.
Courts of Honor
How did the fight against cosmopolitanism develop? The year 1948 is considered the most striking period of its manifestation. On Stalin's initiative, "courts of honor" were established. Their education isthe official start of the fight against cosmopolitanism. "Courts of honor" were supposed to reveal all manifestations of servility and servility to the culture of the West. They were entrusted with the duty to eliminate the underestimation of the role of figures of Soviet culture and science in the development of the entire world civilization. The beginning of the struggle against cosmopolitanism was accompanied primarily by the persecution of the Jews. The campaign was held in all cities of the country. There were courts in every department. They considered anti-social and anti-state acts and actions not subject to punishment under the Criminal Code in force at that time.
KR case
It became the occasion for a large-scale campaign in all research institutes in the country. Scientists Klyueva and Roskin created in 1947 an effective drug against cancer. It was called "Krutsin" ("KR"). The discovery immediately became interested in America. The United States offered to conduct joint research. Upon their 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 ampoules of the drug and a draft of records on the biotherapy of malignant tumors. Parin performed all these actions with the consent of the Minister of He alth of the USSR. But Stalin was extremely dissatisfied with this event. Parin, who returned from America, was arrested. He was sentenced to 25 years under the article "Treason to the Motherland". In addition, the trial of Roskin and Klyueva took place.
Campaign in Leningrad
The fight against cosmopolitanism has actively unfolded in the city on the Neva. In 1948 it became the center of the campaign. Leningrad University suffered the most. At the historical and philological faculties, the best professors were arrested and expelled. Among them were Weinstein, Gukovsky, Rabinovich, Mavrodin and others. Jews were expelled from graduate school. After graduating from the university, after distribution, they received a direction to a remote province or remained unemployed at all. For a long time, the admission of Jews to teaching positions was stopped. All employees and students were forbidden to publish in foreign publications. The fight against cosmopolitanism was very beneficial for the "talentless scientists". Many of them secretly used banned foreign publications, passing off publications as their own.
Negative coloration of the term
In March 1945, Aleksandrov published an article in the journal "Problems of Philosophy". In it, he accused such prominent figures as Trotsky, Milyukov, Bukharin of anti-patriotic sentiments. Cosmopolitans, in his opinion, were both the Left Social Revolutionaries and the Communists, especially General Vlasov, who went over to the Nazis during the war. It is with this article that many historians associate the appearance of a bright negative connotation of the term. Cosmopolitans were compared to "enemies of the people" or "traitors to the Motherland". Alexandrov in his article named specific names. Among them was the editor-in-chief of Voprosy Philosophii, the journal where it was published. From now on the fight against the rootlesscosmopolitanism passed into literature.
The Anti-Patriotic Theater Critics Group
Stalin, attaching ideological significance to the campaign, himself often published in leading publications under a pseudonym. So, he published an article in the Pravda newspaper. It contained several explanations of the concept, but only one "rootless cosmopolitan" became widespread in the literature. In 1949, a real conflict broke out between the 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 was launched in writers' circles. The Jews, of course, suffered the most.
Consequences
The fight against cosmopolitanism led to the isolation of the Soviet people from the outside world. According to a number of researchers, the entire campaign was launched by Stalin to tighten his policy (both foreign and domestic). Among the consequences should be mentioned the negative impact of the struggle on the development of Soviet science and culture. The possibilities of scientists and activists were significantly limited. Increasing ideological control set the Soviet Union back significantly in comparison with the West. An example is the closure of the road to domestic geneticists. Academician Lysenko monopolized agrobiology. A lot of physicians, soil scientists and other specialists were relegated to the last plan. This seriously hindered the development of key agrobiological areas. As part of the campaign, the most important areas of science were criticized, and cooperation with foreign colleagues was prohibited. The opportunity for discussion and expression of opinion among the most educated and progressive figures was significantly limited.
Conclusion
It should be said that the fight against cosmopolitanism was considered a manifestation of anti-Semitism. However, according to a number of researchers, it was not directed specifically at the Jews. In addition, large-scale repressions, such as were in the 30s, were not carried out. The main goal of the struggle was to capture public thought and establish control over it. As a result of the actions of the government, the "courts of honor" caused serious damage to many scientific areas. Significant restrictions were placed on freedom of speech, thought, and the press. The government carried out activities aimed at isolating the country from any Western influence. It was a voluntary sacrifice of the position of the state in the international arena. In Soviet society, work was underway to eradicate the moral and scientific authority of the West. The impact of the Cold War on the revitalization of the campaign is undeniable. Stalin, assessing the situation in the world and in the country, decided to rearrange 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, asHistorical sources testify that the biggest blow was de alt to the Jews.
