audiobook The Russia Reader: History; Culture; Politics (The World Readers) by From Barker Adele Marie Grant Bruce in History

Description

Most narratives depict Soviet Cold War cultural activities and youth groups as drab and dreary; militant and politicized. In this study Gleb Tsipursky challenges these stereotypes in a revealing portrayal of Soviet youth and state-sponsored popular culture. The primary local venues for Soviet culture were the tens of thousands of klubs where young people found entertainment; leisure; social life; and romance. Here sports; dance; film; theater; music; lectures; and political meetings became vehicles to disseminate a socialist version of modernity. The Soviet way of life was dutifully presented and perceived as the most progressive and advanced; in an attempt to stave off Western influences. In effect; socialist fun became very serious business. As Tsipursky shows; however; Western culture did infiltrate these activities; particularly at local levels; where participants and organizers deceptively cloaked their offerings to appeal to their own audiences. Thus; Soviet modernity evolved as a complex and multivalent ideological device. Tsipursky provides a fresh and original examination of the Kremlin’s paramount effort to shape young lives; consumption; popular culture; and to build an emotional community—all against the backdrop of Cold War struggles to win hearts and minds both at home and abroad.