Social and Cultural Life Under Stalinism: the Life in Soviet Union

Stalin’s rule utterly transformed the entirety of the Soviet Union through strictly regimenting every facet of Soviet life in accordance with the ideals of the Communist Party and Stalin himself. Stalin’s rule did face some minor limitations in terms of irreversibly transforming the Soviet Union however these limitations were mostly intangible due to Stalin’s successes in depriving Soviet society of freedom and controlling every aspect of their behaviour. Stalin rapidly eradicated all improvements made for women under Lenin’s rule, while also creating the revolutionary Komsomol (all-union Leninist Communist League of youth), which irreversibly transformed youth culture in Russia. Stalinism also eradicated Soviet culture and religion, gradually removing all influence on Soviet society until Stalin was the sole form of authority in Russia. Stalin’s implementation of censorship and the regulation of art in Soviet society also contributed to its profound transformation. Despite the considerable and evident transformation, each facet of social and cultural life faced its own limitations in terms of total radicalisation. Stalinism profoundly transformed Russia, rigidly dictating all aspects of cultural and social life however Stalin did face measurable limitations.

Stalinist rule completely overturned all previous improvements made for women’s rights through the Great Retreat in the 1930s, and revolutionised life for soviet youth through the creation of the komsomol, despite facing limitations. After the November Revolution, a genuine desire for gender equality was evident and Lenin greatly supported the efforts of Alexandra Kollontai, the Commissar of Social Welfare. Women made significant gains under the early Bolshevik government, gaining civil, legal and electoral rights in January 1918, and subsequently achieving equality in marriage, divorce by consent and the legalisation of abortion. Women were also given wider education and employment opportunities during this time. Despite these gains, Russia never lost its deep seated male chauvinism, and Stalin brought this to the surface when he emerged as leader. Stalin entirely overturned all improvements made through the policy of “the Great Retreat”, which encompassed his desire to revert to traditional and conservative values. Whilst under the Great Retreat, Soviet Russia was in a state of great upheaval, with the birth rate falling, increasing level of juvenile crime and an increasing population of homeless children, in 1936 Stalin introduced a Family Code which allowed him to infiltrate the homes of Russian people, further consolidating the notion that Stalin completely overturned society in order to render himself the sole form of authority. However, these transformations were measurably limited, as for the vast majority of soviet women in the 1930s, issues of ideology and concern about the roles of women were irrelevant, as they were required to focus on enduring the dire living standards of the time and they also remained unaffected by the changes in policy.

Under Stalin’s rule, students of the USSR were forced into this youth group, the Komsomol, which had a revolutionary impact on the lives of youth. The Komsomol taught students about Marxist thinking, maintaining a healthy body and learning to love Stalin. Membership to the Komsomol could be seen as a form of blat (in russian blat is a form of corruption/informal agreement/favour) and the only limitation to the Komsomol was that membership was voluntary, however, it was highly expected that all young people would become members. Many Komsomol members had high enthusiasm for the regime and this was often taken to the extreme, resulting in children reporting their parents to Stalin for “anti-party behaviour”, as seen in the case of Paulik Morozov. The creation of the Komsomol completely overturned life in the USSR, creating an environment of fear and suspicion that was inescapable. The lives of women and youth were undoubtedly revolutionised by Stalin’s rule.

Stalinist rule thoroughly uprooted previous ideals of education and religion in the USSR, completely eradicating any form of influence that did not come from him or his party. After the November Revolution, students in Russia were encouraged to criticise bourgeois values, discover their revolutionary self and proletariat values as well as values of schools. Authority of teachers was highly questioned and many teachers were branded as bourgeois. However, when Stalin became leader in the 1930s, he called for the end to the cultural revolution and critical thinking and decided that Russia needed educated and disciplined citizens. Following this, the culture of education was radicalised according to Stalin’s wishes with teaching being based in a strict party approved curriculum, emphasis on ‘practical subjects’ such as physics, chemistry and mathematics, and focus on discipline for children and respect for teachers. Stalin also declared that history should hold greater emphasis on dates, chronology and ‘great men’ throughout history in fact he rewrote history portraying himself as the sole saviour of Russia. Any historical book that had no mention of Stalin was erased, along with all of Trotsky’s work. In 1938, it became compulsory for all students to be taught Soviet history from A. V. Shestakov’s “A short history of the USSR”, which painted Stalin as the central figure in the revolution, and Trotsky was eliminated completely unless he was portrayed negatively. Despite Stalin’s efforts, this falsification of history was inconsequential to any non-student of the USSR or University students, as they all were truly aware of the events of the revolution and the key figures involved.

Stalinist rule did not have a place for religion, as any form of influence or authority aside from Stalin was not to be tolerated. Stalin’s regime portrayed him as a God-like figure and indicated that there was to be no commitment to any other ‘God’. All churches and organised religions were strictly condemned, with many priests being arrested or executed, many by invasion of the Komsomol. In 1925, the League of Militant Atheists was established, and by the 1930s there was a membership of 5 million. However, the 5 million members barely made up 0.5% of the population, and many citizens continued to adhere to their religious traditions in secret. Stalinist rule provoked a profound cultural revolution and attempted to eradicate the influence of religion and education that did not idolise Stalin.

Stalinist rule instigated the cult of personality, which had immeasurable impacts on social and cultural life in the USSR, most significantly through repression of the arts and implementation of censorship. The cult of personality infiltrated all aspects of Soviet life, presenting Stalin as an ever present figure through displaying images of him everywhere. The cult of personality was necessary in terms of providing a unifying figure for the Soviet Union. The cult of personality meant that it was impossible to pick up a newspaper without seeing Stalin on the front page nor visit the cinema without seeing a newsreel praising Stalin, and any public celebration would have people carrying portraits of Stalin. Despite the implementation of the cult of personality, a large portion of the USSR was enthusiastic about Stalin’s regime and was unaffected by the infiltration of images and praise about him.

Stalin’s regime also oppressed creativity in terms of arts with the implementation of “socialist realism”. Socialist realism meant that all forms of art had to reflect and represent the efforts of the new Russia and align with the view of Stalin hence Stalinism. This meant that art in Russia no longer expressed one’s individual artistic view and values but rather it was another way to praise Stalin and his work and any piece of art that did not align with the views of the state was wholly disregarded. Art at this time superficially portrayed the 1930s under Stalin as a glorious time and illustrated the promises of the future, supporting more nationalist themes working to unify the USSR. Socialist realism also instructed that art should assist in the social construction of the time and be in accord with the views of the party, whilst also being didactic. The policy of socialist realism transformed art from a form of creative expression into a form of ambiguous propaganda to Stalin’s advantage. The policy of socialist realism also created illegal groups of people that would secretly express art in their own personal perception of it.

Stalin’s regime also introduced the radical concept of censorship in the USSR; the communist party ensured that a positive image of the regime was constantly portrayed and any shortcomings or failures of any party decisions were strictly concealed from the public. The brutality of the NKVD and their actions were also concealed from the public, creating a falsified image of a peaceful nation and cohesive government. Censorship also involved Stalin’s rewriting of history through the removal of undesirable leading party figures from photographs. Censorship wasn’t only used to eliminate any undesired material but also to maintain the correct ideological perception that Stalin wanted as soviet citizens would start doubting the government if they knew about any failures or things that would damage Stalin’s image hence in that sense Stalin was paranoid.

In conclusion, Stalinism radically changed social and cultural life in the USSR through the infiltration of party views into every facet of Soviet society. The lives of women and youth in the USSR were revolutionised through the implementation of the Great Retreat and the Komsomol, Stalinism uprooted education and religion by attempting to exterminate all forms of authority besides Stalin, Arts and culture were radicalised through censorship, cult of personality and propaganda. Despite the various limitations faced it is undoubted that Stalin irreversibly remodelled social and cultural life in the USSR through various concepts, ideologies and policies that eliminated any view that did not align with the communist party.