Media and Communication in the Soviet Union (1917–1953) : General Perspectives

This book provides a systematic account of media and communication development in Soviet society from the October Revolution to the death of Stalin. Summarizing earlier research and drawing upon previously unpublished archival materials, it covers the main aspects of public and private interaction in the Soviet Union, from public broadcast to kitchen gossip. The first part of the volume covers visual, auditory and tactile channels, such as posters, maps and monuments. The second deals with media, featuring public gatherings, personal letters, telegraph, telephone, film and radio. The concluding part surveys major boundaries and flows structuring the Soviet communicate environment. The broad scope of contributions to this volume will be of great interest to students and researchers working on the Soviet Union, and twentieth-century media and communication more broadly.-- Provided by publisher Preface Contents Notes on Contributors Abbreviations List of Figures List of Tables Chapter 1: Soviet Communication and Soviet Society (1917–1953): Alignments and Tensions Overview Soviet Society in Communication: Political Conditions and Interactional Consequences Communication in Soviet Society: Adaptations, Changes and Repercussions References Part I: Channels Chapter 2: Visual Channels (1): Posters and Fine Art Posters Fine Art References Chapter 3: Visual Channels (2): Cityscapes Talking to the Uninitiated A More Planned Approach Conclusion References Chapter 4: Visual Channels (3): Cartography Introduction The Development of Soviet Cartography Mapping the Revolution: The Cartographic Communication of Spatial Ideology Cartographic Secrecy in Post-revolutionary Russia References Published Sources Archival Sources Chapter 5: Auditory Channels: Crowing Roosters and Wailing Sirens Human Vocal Organs, Musical Instruments, and Records Soundscapes: A General View Russia Between Rural and Industrial Soundscapes: A Comparative Glance Sound Design and the Recording Rituals: Constructing Soviet Soundscape Noise with a Soul: Soundscapes of Soviet Cinema Conclusion References Filmography Chapter 6: Tactile Channels: Brotherly Kisses, Handshakes, and Flogging in a Bathhouse Proximity as a Social Identifier Touch and Proxemics The Politics of Brotherly Kissing in Russia and the Soviet Union Rubbing the Back in a Bathhouse from Old to Stalinist Russia Conclusion References Part II: Media Chapter 7: Public Body (1): Popular Assemblies Popular Assembly as a Special Interactional Setting Birth of Popular Assembly from the Spirit of Revolution Modifications of Popular Assembly in Mature Stalinism Conclusion References Chapter 8: Public Body (2): Mass Festivals 1917–1927 1927–1941 1941–1953 Epilog: Mass Festivals Under Khrushchev and Brezhnev References Chapter 9: Public Body (3): State Celebrations and Street Festivities Introduction Variety of Soviet Mass Assemblies A Chronology of Mass Assemblies 1918–1920 1921–1926 1927–1933 1934–1941 Mass Assemblies Theorized by the Contemporaries Mass Assemblies in the View of the Modern Scholarship Conclusion References Chapter 10: Private Body: Kitchen Gossip and Bedroom Whispers Romantic Love Family Conclusion References Chapter 11: Public Print (1): Books and Periodicals The Civil War The New Economic Policy The Stalin Revolution References Chapter 12: Public Print (2): Coins and Bank Notes Money as a Medium of Communication: Some General Remarks Soviet Money: A Concise Prehistory Soviet Money as a Medium of Communication: A Standard of Value Soviet Money as a Medium of Communication: A Store of Value Soviet Money as a Medium of Communication: A Means of Exchange Soviet Money as a Medium of Communication: A Propaganda Tool References Chapter 13: Private Handwriting (1): Diaries The Invention of the Soviet Self Public Faces in Private Narratives Private Handwriting and the Totality of the Public Sphere Searching for Truth References Chapter 14: Private Handwriting (2): Personal Letters Institutionalization, Official Procedures, and Legal Framework Addressees and the Classification of Letters Authors Letters to Newspapers Personification of Power, Reciprocity, and Exchange Structure of the Letters Conclusion References Chapter 15: Private Handwriting (3): Denunciations Promoting the New Practice Behind the Scene The Meaning of Soviet Denunciation References Chapter 16: Private/Public Handwriting: Self-reports Self-Report as “Samootchet” Self-Report as Self-Criticism Self-Report as Self-Education: Gender Roles References Chapter 17: Electrical Signalling (1): Telegraph Imperial Heritage The Telegraph, a Tool of Territorial Conquest Telegraphic Hierarchies The Persistence of the Telegraph Conclusion References Chapter 18: Electrical Signalling (2): Telephone References Chapter 19: Electrical Signalling (3): Film The Scissors of “Ideology” and “Commerce”: Seeking the Art Form Intelligible for the Millions Sound on: The Voice of State Power Screened Reality: Not Image but Formula Conclusion References Filmography Chapter 20: Electrical Signalling (4): Radio Defining Radio and Radio Communication How Soviet Union Failed to Become a Part of the Global Village Promises and Pitfalls of Broadcasting at a Distance “Wheezing Stalin,” or the Quality of the Sound Reception in Early Soviet Radio Radio During Stalin’s Industrialization Campaign Conclusion References Part III: Boundaries and Flows Chapter 21: Boundaries (1): “Nomenklatura” Versus the Rest Nomenklatura as Code of Administration Nomenklatura as Code of Privilege The Code of Administration and Regime Discourse Conclusion References Chapter 22: Boundaries (2): “Comrades” vs. Deviants Introduction The Bolshevik Idea of the Revolution The Concept of the Proletariat as an Example of Circular Thinking The Tenth Party Congress: How the Party Saw Itself in the Early 1920s The Party: Recruitment, Purges, and the Dynamics of Membership From Circular Thinking to the Great Terror The Party as a Deviant: Trotsky, Riutin, and the Dissidents References Chapter 23: Top-down Verbal Messaging: Textbooks Introduction The New Pedagogy and Tensions between Center and Periphery: In Search of the New Soviet Textbook The Centralization of the State Control: In Search of the New Bolshevik Textbook Conclusion References Chapter 24: Bottom-up Non-verbal Messaging: Applause Introduction Applause as a Messaging Device: Organization, Functions, Limitations, and Ambiguities Applause in Russia Before 1917: Some Pre-history Applause as a Messaging Device in Soviet Politics from Lenin to Stalin Never-ending Applause from Below: Exhausted Followers Never-ending Applause from Above: Infuriated Leader References Chapter 25: Top-down Extraction of Bottom-up Messages: Surveillance References Index