Vodka, the Church, and Cinema, are three ingredients to a revolutionary cocktail as well as the title of a piece written by Leon Trotsky. Trotsky was a Marxist theorist as well as a Revolutionary who lived in Russia during the early 20th century. As the Bolshevik Revolution simmered down, Trotsky was made into the commander […]
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[Top show a Komsomol membership card with a picture of Lenin on the front; Bottom shows a Komsomol poster stating “Prepare for worthy successors to the Leninist Komsomol”] The Komsomol, also known as the Russian Communist Union of Youth, was an organization for young adults from the ages 14 to 28 that was established to teach and […]
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In the 1920’s Russia was rapidly changing. The revolution was on, and not only was the government changing but also the way that people lived. Blue Blouse Skits were a change in the Russian theater that showed how living standards were changing. These plays were often preformed in the workplace to teach and inform the … Continue reading Lights of the Revolution →
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In 1919, playwright and revolutionary Pavel Arsky published his one-act play “For the Cause of the Red Soviets”. The play details one fateful evening in the lives of a family in which the father is a Soviet commander who is currently away from home, fighting in the civil war. It served as a serious piece […]
Read moreBacked by Lenin as, “the most important of all the arts for us” and campaigned for by Trotsky as “the weapon excelling any other”, cinema roared into the minds of the Bolsheviks and the eyes of the masses(1,2). The Bolsheviks believed that this new and revolutionary form of culture would be able to shape the … Continue reading →
Read moreWhen a revolution takes over a country, the every day lifestyle begins to change. Revolution needs morale. To topple a government, the people have to be inspired to support the cause. The Bolsheviks had to maintain this revolutionary day to day lifestyle for their followers to support them. The Bolshevik was tough, eager for equality, […]
The Young Guard is a classic Soviet poem written by Aleksandr Bezymensky, who was a member of the first wave of Soviet poets and literary minds who came after the Revolution of 1917 occurred. The poem is about the men and women who led the Russian revolution, known as the Young Guard. The poem outlines their […]
Leon Trotsky phenomenally described the noticeable flaws in popular cinema in his editorial from Pravda titled “Vodka, the Church, and Cinema”. This article initially describes changes in early Soviet life such as vodka prohibition and the eight hour cap on working days, but then expands on the potentially devastating, but useful role of cinema during the […]
Trotsky’s essay on the role of cinema in the revolution gives a unique look into the philosophical foundations for almost ubiquitous policies in the USSR. Firstly, the analysis by Trotsky of the 8 hour work day interested me, because I’d always though of the 9-5 work day being an institution of the western world, whereas … Continue reading Cinema, the new Vodka, the new Church.
Read more“Vodka, the Church, and the Cinema” This writing by Leon Trotsky provides a glimpse into what Trotsky envisioned the new culture as. As one of the leaders of this new soviet endeavor Trotsky looked towards the future but also the past. He saw how the old fit with the new, and how the old would […]
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