Propaganda
History: KS3, topic 17.5.6
Arts and Propaganda
Using Agitprop (Agitation and Propaganda Section of the Central Committee Secretariat of the Communist Party), the communists tried to influence people through art and propaganda.
New forms of art
- Art which put the workers at its centre was encouraged.
- New forms of art such as Futurism emerged, experimenting with geometric and spatial forms.
- Art and culture came increasingly under the political control of the Communist party.
Glavit
- ‘Glavit’ (the government censorship office) ensured that literature was in keeping with the communist message.
- The Russian Association of Proletarian Writers (RAPP) had control over censorship from 1925, and they promoted a movement called ‘socialist realism’.
Film and music
- Propaganda films were shown for free to factory workers, including films about the origins of the Soviet Union.
- Many composers, particularly classical composers left Russia because their music was viewed as old-fashioned.
- The Russian Association of Proletarian Musicians (RAPM) was responsible for the censorship of music.
Test yourself on Propaganda
What is an example of an artistic movement that emerged in the USSR?
Which artistic movement experimented with shape space in the USSR in the 1920s?