I came across this Flickr photo set dedicated to Soviet Children's Books. By themselves, they are a fascinating study in esthetics. Yet, what is of chief interest to me is how communist ideology felt its need to touch every segment of its citizenry. See Spot Run couldn't merely be See Spot Run. Instead, it had to be See Spot Run From the Capitalist Hordes. Everything had to be a lesson.
The imagery in the above photo is frightening to me. As I get older, I tend to embrace greater and greater individualism. Uniformed men kicking in my front door is not a situation I feel like dwelling upon. Yet, here in this picture book, not only is it dwelt upon, it is celebrated. Totalitarianism can be an ugly thing.
Many commentators state that North America is headed towards totalitarianism. I don't know how true that is, but I will know to worry when children start reading books about the friendly-but-stern secret policeman who kicks in the dissident's front door. Maybe it will be entitled Johnny Arrests a Traitor.
6 comments:
Obviously the aothor has little knowledge of soviet or russian literature. Most of the books in the flickr set suck. Where are "Uncle Fedor", "Crocodile Gena" and other good books that incidentally contain little to none propaganda. The flickr set only inlcudes books that would create sensationalism. Try compiling a set of most brainwashing american books from the same time without inlcuding any good ones and the list will be much worse.
I'm reminded of a toy museum I went to in Germany. The books they had from the Nazi times showed kids getting praised by teachers and police officers for turning in their parents for hiding jews in their homes. Disturbing.
To anonymous: whether every book was filled with propaganda or not, every book still had to coincide with communist ideology. Thus, a book didn't have to be outright communistic but it still had to be literature approved through a communist lens. Hence why the Gulag Archipelago didn't make the Soviets too happy.
Hey Christopher,
Thanks for visiting my blog. Yes, these old soviet CB's are creepy and look evil, but boy they're fun to look at. Thanks for the link.
I think that you must be very young. I was a child during Ford, Carter and Reagan. Try to find me a book sympathetic to, or even not hostile toward the Soviet Union. Every child was taught about the 'Iron Wall' and we grew up on stores of 'White Nights' defections. Both sides of the Post WWII Allies Split painted the other as such an evil as could not be human: Much better to control a population when you can point to some menace with horns and tail.
We think of today's Russia as being so much better than the Soviet Union of Stalin and after, but poll after poll shows the majority of non-metro Russians remembering Stalin with nostalgia.
Had to toe the line of Communist Propoganda? You somehow slept through history class when they were talking about 'Ol Joe up on the hill who had a list in his pocket of name? Actors and writers that were completely unable to get work? Hoover's FBI?
Much better to understand that whole time as a time of insanity and ignorance. Much better to treat this time as no better than the 50's.
Christopher,
I may not be much older than you (I am 28), but I grew up in Soviet Union, not Stalin's Soviet Union, but still a communist state that had things going wrong. It was crumbling while I was young, and shattered when I was 12. I have seen some of the books from that flickr set, I have read a few as well, and I have to say that you've got a few things wrong in your judgement.
"Instead, it had to be See Spot Run From the Capitalist Hordes. Everything had to be a lesson" - no, that's not true. Imagine Lassi, and just change names to Ivan, Shurik (popular dog name), and so on. That's what children where exposed to. Now, grown ups is a different story.
The photograph that you chose for the blog entry, has actually nothing to do with uniformed men tearing down a door. There are metalsmiths working hard. The novel is about the hard-working men of Soviet Union. Yes, it was a propaganda, but not as evil as you think.
Most literature and film went through censorship. Un-Soviet works would not make it through. But, un-Soviet does not necessarily mean lack of criticism towards Capitalism, or lack of a child informing police about parents doing something un-Soviet. The machine broke down in 1980ies though. Lots of criticism started flowing from within after that. If you get a chance check out a film called "Repentance". It is one of the prime examples of the inside criticisms of the system. While long and somewhat depressing (could you expect anything else), the film is worth watching.
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