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, but 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 is this state? 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, the Civil War began on the territory of Russia (then it was called the Russian Empire), the overthrow of the Provisional Government … Everyone knows this story. December 1922 (December 30) was marked by the unification of the Russian, Ukrainian, Belarusian and Transcaucasian Republics, resulting in the formation of one largea state that, in terms of land area, is incomparable with any other country in the world. In December 1991 (namely, December 26), the USSR ceased to exist. An interesting issue of this amazing state is ideology. The USSR was a state in which no official ideology was proclaimed as a state, but Marxism-Leninism (communism) was tacitly accepted.
Marxism-Leninism
Start with a 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 a practical sense, such a state, in which there would be such a system, never existed. However, the ideology of the USSR was called communism in the West. Marxism-Leninism is not only an ideology, it is a 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 began in the field of education - a commission for education and a commission for the control of culture (state bodies), departments of public education were created. Through the meetings of the people's commissars of education of the republics, control over this area was exercised. There was such a thing as a cultural revolution. These are the political actions of the government of the Soviet Union aimed at creating a truly socialist (originally folk) culture, eradicating the 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 education), 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 (post-war period) were subjected to a tightening of the influence of the authorities. It was during this period that such a frightening concept as the iron curtain arose - 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. First of all, literature was de alt a blow. Many writers and poets have been severely criticized. Among them are Anna Akhmatova, and Mikhail Zoshchenko, and Alexander Fadeev, and Samuil Marshak, and many others. Theater and cinema were no exception in terms of isolation from the influence of Western states: not only films, but also the directors themselves were actively criticized. The theatrical repertoire was subjected to just the most severe criticism, up to the removal of productions by foreign (and therefore capitalist) authors. Music also fell under the pressure of the ideology of the USSR in 1945-1953. The works of Sergei Prokofiev, Aram Khachaturian, Vano Muradeli, which were created for the anniversary of the October Revolution, aroused particular indignation. Others have been criticizedcomposers, including Dmitry Shostakovich and Nikolai Myaskovsky.
Joseph Vissarionovich Stalin (Dzhugashvili)
Joseph Vissarionovich Stalin is generally recognized as the bloodiest dictator of the Soviet Union. When power was in his hands, mass repressions were carried out, political investigations were created, execution lists were created, there were persecutions for political views objectionable to the government, and similar terrible things. The ideology of the USSR directly depended on this very controversial personality. His contribution to the life of the state, on the one hand, is simply terrifying, but 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.
