Joseph Stalin's Influence On Russian Music

One of the characteristics of Totalitarianism is propaganda. Stalin ruled by terror and with a totalitarian grip in order to get rid of anyone who might oppose him. Stalin expanded the power of the secret police, and encouraged citizen to spy on one another and millions killed and sent to forced labor camps. Stalin had a cult of personality built around himself in the Soviet Union. Cities were renamed in his honor; Soviet history books were rewritten to give him a more important role in the revolution and mythologize parts of life. He was the subject artwork, literature, music, and his name actually became a part of their national anthem. His government controlled the Soviet Media which had a lot to do with propaganda.

To define how Stalin’s methods in removing opposition is effective, compared to tsarist and other communist leaders, his methods of suppression alongside the tsars and other communists are assessed to see how successful they were in defeating opposition without evoking further opposition in their regimes. Therefore, Stalin’s reforms of collectivisation, Five-Year-Plans, Gulags, and labour camps etc. have been successful in appeasing opposition with his increased and radicalized input of terror compared to Lenin’s use of terror during the Civil War in 1917-1921, which does not equate to the same economic success that Stalin achieved with his policies. This is similar but different to the social and economic change after the 1905 revolution with Stolypin’s Duma and October manifesto used to supress revolutionaries but resulted in another assassination after reforms in 1911 with Stolypin and Alexander 2nd in 1881 with the Emancipation Edict in 1861. Whereas, Stalin’s strict rule of repression there was little room for revolutionaries to overthrow Stalin as during 1930 to 1933 the death toll in the camps were 10 million higher than the First World War to which, in 1936 the prisoners were nearly extinct in 1940 . Alongside this, Nicholas 2nd’s control of the army during the 1905 revolution, which went for stability to a catastrophic lack of control as the military conflict sparked economic and political disorder which led to Nicholas 2nd abdicating in 1917; similar to the

The symphony is in four very powerful and entertaining movements. The first movement begins in the pianissimo tone with the strings section, but quickly enters the fortissimo tone with the introduction of the woodwind, brass and percussion sections. The dynamics of the musical melody varies throughout the movement moving from crescendo to decrescendo modes. The first movement reminds you of a raging storm from soft blowing winds to thunder and lighting. The audience is mesmerized by this first movement of the sonata.

Soso Djugashvili, more commonly known as Joseph Stalin, ‘man of steel’, dictator of the Soviet Socialist Republics (USSR) Russia, can be considered a ‘Red Tsar’ to an extent when features of Stalinism are compared to those of Tsarism and Russia ruled by Nicholas II’s autocratic regime from 1894 to 1917. A ‘Red Tsar’ is a communist leader whom follows similar principles followed under the leadership of a Tsar, that were influenced by few opinions allowing sole leadership and little opposition from others. Stalin can be considered a ‘Red Tsar’ to an extent as he ruled Communist Russia as a somewhat totalitarian state and was considered a ‘God-like’ figure sent to Earth to lead the nation and its people. From Stalin’s reign of terror from 1929 to 1953 there can be similarities seen in his regime to features of Tsarism as well as differences, this is why there are alternative interpretations for Stalin being considered a ‘Red Tsar’.

Joseph Stalin greatly influenced Russia in the years 1924 through 1932. His rise to this power can be explained by the Russian Revolutionary experience that allowed him to gain authority in Russia. Although historians often refer to Stalin as a ruthless, mindless dictator, he redirected the Russian Revolution to major economic development. Stalin’s character in Russia during the Revolution catalyzed the many events that took place during the time period. Because of Stalin’s ability to both appeal to the masses, and take advantage of events, like Lenin’s death, Stalin was able to rise to power. Essentially, the Russian Revolution fostered the development of Stalin’s dictatorship leading the country into a state of economic growth and influence. The Revolution fostered Stalin’s ability to maintain a central leadership, use violence to gain control, and regenerate a previously disconnected economy.

The 20th century was marked by many unforgettable events such as World War I, World War II, and the Cold War. Some of these events occurred because of the birth of a government system called totalitarianism. A totalitarian regime is gained either through legal or illegal means and transforms the entire society into a single party regime with the sole purpose of conquering society (Zani, 2003). One of the founding fathers of totalitarianism, Joseph Stalin, ruined the lives of many by taking complete control over their lives through brainwashing techniques and destroying their rights to express their opinion.

The concept of Stalinism, being the ideologies and policies adopted by Stalin, including centralization, totalitarianism and communism, impacted, to an extent, on the soviet state until 1941. After competing with prominent Bolshevik party members Stalin emerged as the sole leader of the party in 1929. From this moment, Stalinism pervaded every level of society. Despite the hindrance caused by the bureaucracy, the impact of Stalinism was achieved through the implementation of collectivization and the 5-year plans, Stalin’s Political domination and Cultural influence, including the ‘Cult of the Personality’. This therefore depicts the influence of Stalinism over the Soviet State in the period up to 1941.

Scholars and artists commonly describe music as a reflection of the human condition. The period in history from the mid-1930s onward marked a tragic phase in twentieth century music and this reflection: the total politicizing of the art by totalitarianism means. Dictators, including Joseph Stalin of the Soviet Union, were manipulating popular culture to take control of their people. Stalin supported the idea of a “Soviet modernism,” a school of art that would embody the power of the new proletarian state. He monitored every recording made in the country, writing judgments of “good,” “so-so,” and “bad” on their sleeves. Stalin believed music to be the engineer of the human souls, and hoped to use this as a way to influence his people that Soviet life was improving. Fearing a phone call from the dictator or being arrested in the night, Soviet composers such as Dmitri Shostakovich wrote music with chained hands in an effort to please their leader. A study of Shostakovich’s Symphony No. 5 and Symphony No. 7 will reveal the influence of communism in the Soviet Union on his music as well as his dynamic relationship with Joseph Stalin.

During the Stalin Era of governing, totalitarianism remained a guaranteed part of life. Marxism-Leninism was the only ideology of the state. The police would watch a citizens every move, a parent could not even talk in front of their children. The great terror was initiated by Stalin, and made sure that no one remained part of the state that he did not like. The Bolshevik party controlled the entire method of communication. No one knew what the Bolshevik’s did not want him or her to. The economy was fixed. Prices were set, and output was as well, so quality was low and competition was non-existent. The military

The assumption of power by Joseph Stalin was arguably one of the most significant periods of Bolshevik Russia’s history. Stalin is recognised as one of the most influential men to have ever lead Russia, and he did so through the largest war the world has ever faced, World War II, and through the beginning of one of the most tense periods of modern history, the Cold War. It is easy however, to get lost in the legacy Stalin left behind, and forget about the events leading up to his total control over the communist regime of the 20th century Russia.

The story begins when a Soviet agent gives an American agent a “wooden box” which contained a microfilm with Shostakovich’s seventh symphony inscribed in it. This box was taken “across the desserts of the Middle East and North Africa to Cairo, then flown to Brazil, and from there to the United States” (p. 2). The symphony would be played across the country and it would encourage Americans to aid the Soviets in their attempt to defeat the Nazis.

through major change. Music was viewed as an innocent luxury, and composers had to react

The Cold War was a worldwide conflict from 1948 to 1989 which put socialist states against communist states around the world. This was a time of political hatred and for musicians this was a time of uproar and crackdowns by the government. One of the largest communist states at the time was the Soviet Union (U.S.S.R.) and within this state there was the Central Committee of the Communist Party of the Soviet Union. Although this group were not law makers they did hold a great deal of power within the state. “The Central Committee’s membership was elected by the party congress in which this membership ordinarily went to the holders of the most important positions in the Soviet government and economy, thereby enabling the committee to serve as the party’s chief tool within the government” (The Editors of Encyclopedia Britannica). In 1948, this group had made a special resolution to music which criticized many famous Soviet composers. Through this resolution there would now be strict criteria for which music was acceptable including the music had to use traditional harmony, should not be too discordant, should include folk and popular idioms, should have words, and many others. These criteria would keep the music in line therefore keeping the artists and from there the people in line. We have seen through this course that music is a very powerful motivator for not only the artist but also for the audience.

Very similar to the way Big Brother from 1984 operated, Stalin ruled his country with total terror, and squashed anyone that made even the tiniest noise that was out of line. Stalin ruled with an iron fist and made his people believe that everything he was doing was wonderful and sublime. Stalin made himself a role-model/celebrity and became part of the national anthem. Instead of burning books, Stalin rewrote books that cast him in the best light, ad brainwashed his people into knowing and believing that Stalin was basically a God. Stalin also used children to further his brain-washing of his realm.

Joseph Stalin’s three decade long dictatorship rule that ended in 1953, left a lasting, yet damaging imprint on the Soviet Union in political, economic and social terms. “Under his inspiration Russia has modernised her society and educated her masses…Stalin found Russia working with a wooden plough and left her equipped with nuclear power” (Jamieson, 1971). Although his policies of collectivisation and industrialisation placed the nation as a leading superpower on the global stage and significantly ahead of its economic position during the Romanov rule, this was not without huge sacrifices. Devastating living and working standards for the proletariat, widespread famine, the Purges, and labour camps had crippling impacts on Russia’s social