Censorship
Censorship is the act of filtering information that people receive in order to show only what the leader wants shown. Joseph Stalin used censorship as his greatest weapon against the people of his country, keeping order, and keeping the people blind to the harsh realities of the gulags and Stalin's brutality.
http://www.tealeafnation.com/2012/10/censorship-scandal-reaching-over-1000-miles-is-exposed-on-chinas-twitter/
This video below is an example of Russian propaganda used during the reign of Stalin, propaganda is an example of the censorship of the media, glorifying the country and ignoring or covering up its worst flaws.
The Beginning
When the Bolshevik party came to power in the October 1917 revolution it immediately began creating the world's first modern propaganda state. This is not at all surprising. Before 1917 many Bolsheviks lived the life of underground agitators. As underground men they devoted their days and nights to propaganda. They operated by avoiding the tsar's secret police and by stirring up factory workers with leaflets, slogans, songs, and speeches. Bolshevik leaders toiled as journalists, pamphleteers, and lettered instigators long before they seized state power. As revolutionaries, making messages gave their lives meaning. As human beings hackwork gave them the means to buy bread i.e. to live. Many a professional revolutionary who lived outside of Russia, most in European cities (Paris, Geneva, Warsaw, London, Berlin, Krakow) wrote about revolution long before he or she dirtied their hands making one---let alone running the new state born of revolutionary upheaval.
"Propaganda In the Propaganda State." PBS. PBS, 1999. Web. 10 Dec. 2014.
The Organization Responsible
Enforcing limits on the printed word—and all cultural and artistic expression—was maintained by means of a vast censorship apparatus known as Glavlit (the Chief Administration for the Protection of State Secrets) and only official institutions published newspapers (e.g., the Communist Party published Pravda). Each publishing house answered to the State Committee for Publishing, Printing, and the Book Trade. Party authorities approved all editors and publishers of newspapers, magazines, and journals.
RUUD, CHARLES A. "Censorship." Encyclopedia of Russian History. Ed. James R.
Millar. Vol. 1. New York: Macmillan Reference USA, 2004. 216-218. World History
in Context. Web. 10 Dec. 2014.
The Soviet leadership under Joseph Stalin (1879–1953), untroubled by the negative connotations of propaganda, viewed the role of the media as mobilizing and legitimizing support for expansionist policies. Stalin's determination to control the countries "liberated" by Soviet armies led to a growth in arms production and strident anticapitalistpropaganda, which contributed to growing tensions. The Department of Agitation and Propaganda(Agitprop) of the Central Committee of the Communist Party fed official propaganda to the media, closely scrutinized by the Soviet censors, while the Communist Information Bureau (Cominform) in September 1947 began a systematic campaign, masterminded by Agitprop, to marshal international support for Moscow against the West.
Welch, David. "Propaganda." New Dictionary of the History of Ideas. Ed. Maryanne
Cline Horowitz. Vol. 5. Detroit: Charles Scribner's Sons, 2005. 1916-1923.
World History in Context. Web. 10 Dec. 2014.
Censorship and Propaganda in action
Stalin banned that very American music form jazz. Censors curtailed showing of American films (even though Stalin loved cowboy movies); contact with foreigners was outlawed. In the last years of Stalin's life a Soviet citizen could be arrested for talking to the few American citizens left in that land. More than ever under the autarky, the economic isolation of the 1930s, late Stalinist Soviet society was cut off by the Iron Curtain and by its iron fisted "Man of Steel" leader (that is the translation of Stalin's name) from the rest of the world. Instead of admiring American inventiveness the propaganda apparatus cranked up immense lies. Moscow reporters claimed that baseball, the electric light, telephones, television and submarines had all been invented in the Soviet Union.
"Propaganda In the Propaganda State." PBS. PBS, 1999. Web. 10 Dec. 2014.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Censorship_of_images_in_the_Soviet_Union
In this picture Stalin was standing with his advisors and as he deemed them disloyal to him, he had them killed and edited out of the picture and dissapearing from media, effectively trying to wipe them from the memories of the Russian people freeing himself of guilt.
Interesting presentation especially the video about censorship, which used characters that would pertain to kids. This resembles how Dr. Seuss was used for propaganda during WWII. It was interesting to learn about how Stalin would fade images of his deceased comrades. Good job of connecting English w/ history by adding in the note about nationalism.
ReplyDeleteThis was really detailed and organized. I think it is interesting to compare how the Bolsheviks used pamphlets and newspapers etc. to spread propaganda as a more innocent effort to reform the Soviet Union. The United States similarly used pamphlets such as Common Sense to spread awareness for the Revolutionary War. These pamphlets and newspapers are often credited with creating the attitude, spunk and aggressiveness America needed to beat the British. But in America freedom of press and freedom of speech are two important pillars that prevent censorship from getting out of hand as it did in Russia under Stalin. His censorship limited art like One Day in the Life of Ivan Denisovich from being produced and allowed the Stalin's torment to go on unchecked.
ReplyDeleteI had no idea that some people's job was to just create propaganda, and you made it clear that these people worked very hard. I also find it incredible that the government ran all of the media companies. I cannot believe how different this is from out society where the media actually (at least should) keeps the government in check, and makes sure that their actions do not get out of hand. Lastly, I now realize why the people were not able to just rebel because most likely people latched onto what they were hearing about Stalin in the media.
ReplyDeleteI liked how you broke up the blog into sections because it made it easier to read and follow. I found it very interesting how Stalin banned and jazz and american movies. I can see how movies might be something to be concerned about but I don't see how jazz could've caused any issues in communist Russia. The picture at the bottom was very powerful and a good choice as it represent the topic well. It really shows how easy it was for Stalin to erase people from his life and from the public's view. I think you could have tried to relate this topic to One Day in the Life of Ivan Denisovich for example you could have talked about the censorship that was used to hide from the Russian citizens and the rest of the world how harsh the gulags really were.
ReplyDeleteThis post really went into the lack of freedom of speech. I had not realized that Stalin was in charge of all of the media and controlled anything that was made or published. Also that Stalin had specific people hired to make propaganda that made him look like a paternal figure that had good intentions for the people of Russia. It is interesting how pictures of Stalin and his comrades would simply be cropped every time Stalin killed one of them and in the end it is just a picture of Stalin alone. This is a great example of how he manipulated media to hide the corrupt side of him and his rule.
ReplyDeleteThis post was a really nice overview about Stalin's censorship, and showed how paranoid he was as a ruler that he had to prohibit contact with the outside world. I enjoyed how you gave a background about propaganda and censorship used by the Bolsheviks, then related it to Stalin and how he used it unfairly and out of proportion. This post made me feel fortunate that we are not monitored by our government and have freedom of speech. Stalin was smart to not let the Russian people contact people from other countries, the foreigners probably would have swayed the opinions of the Russian people about Stalin. I like how you included information about the government committees in Russia that supposedly censored the people, it reminded me of our government today and how we have different societies that monitor television and other media, but we obviously we have the freedom that the Russian people did not posses. Along with Stalin's propaganda, his censorship also kept his people in the dark about how bad of a ruler he was which led to the gulags to exist, which is how Ivan fell into the situation he was in.
ReplyDeleteThis topic was nothing short of fascinating to me. It is amazing how one man can literally change history just through something as simple as cropping someone out of a photo. You also had a cool video showing the propaganda that Stalin used. It also kind of humorous how exaggerated the cartoons were of the people from other countries. It is at the same time eye opening to know that your country can sensor what you know and learn about.
ReplyDelete