Transcript Russian Youth and “Western” Cultural Influence, 1945 to the Present Gleb Tsipursky, UNC Chapel Hill.

Russian Youth and “Western” Cultural
Influence, 1945 to the Present
Gleb Tsipursky, UNC Chapel Hill
Cold War Cultural Propaganda
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My goal is to give some pragmatic suggestions for your teaching
Something you can easily use in your classroom
New curriculum – invasions
Cold War superpower invasions – through cultural propaganda
U.S. western European governments invested many resources
Radio Free Europe (U.S. - CIA) and BBC (British government)
Jazz ambassadors
Support for export of exciting Hollywood blockbusters
Limitations on films critical of U.S. reality
U.S. advertising specialists heavily involved in U.S. propaganda
This combined with Soviet exposure to “western” life during WW II
Also intrinsic Soviet youth curiosity about “western” reality
Altogether, resulted in “western” influence on Soviet youth
Stiliagi
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Postwar xenophobia – Iron Curtain
“Western” world mostly closed off
Rise of stiliagi in major cities
Children of elites
Fashion
Music and Dance
Manners
Slang
Black market
Surprisingly minimal suppression by state
Actual Stilaga
Official Censorship of Stiliaga
1957 Moscow International Youth Festival
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Stalin’s death
Post-Stalin leadership under Khrushchev – Thaw
Secret Speech
Hesitant opening for limited “western” influence
Minimal “western” music allowed – Sovietized jazz
1957 Moscow International Youth Festival – turning point
Meant to be propaganda for USSR
Unintended consequence – mass impact of “western” culture
Surprisingly uncontrolled event
American-style jazz and dancing
Casual conversations
Even Russian sexual encounters with foreigners
Powerfully impacted Soviet youth
Lenin Stadium – U.S. Festival Contingent
Youth Cafes in 1960s
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By late 1950s, Soviet authorities set new goal
Alternative, socialist version of modern consumer society
Tried to combine capitalist forms with socialist content
Appeal to youth desires
Youth cafes: one example
Managed by Party youth wing, the Komsomol
Aimed to promote officially-sanctioned aesthetic tastes
While playing jazz and having “western” atmosphere
Served as haven for “western” influence
Youth Cafe - Atmosphere
Youth Cafe - Jazz
Rock’n’roll
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Rock'n'roll began to be popular in mid-1960s
Beatlemania
Underground rock'n'roll groups
Hippies
By early 1970s, rock more popular among youth than jazz
Officials more wary of rock than jazz
Rock'n'roll – strong association with counter-culture
Also had “western”-language lyrics, mostly English
Underground rock'n'roll vs. officially-sponsored groups
By early 1980s, authorities began hesitant compromise
Official rock'n'roll club in Leningrad (current-day St. Petersburg)
Very limited until Gorbachev
Official Rock – “Singing Guitars”
Perestroika and Alternative Youth Cultures
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Perestroika – undermined Soviet way of life
Opened door to widespread “western” influence
Wide expansion of rock'n'roll, heavy metal, etc.
“Western” fashions and styles
Rapid growth of “western”-like counter-cultural scene
Hippies, punks, motorcycle riders, etc.
Yet, also appearance of nationalistic Russian youth cultures
Liubery most prominent
From Liubertsy, a suburb of Moscow
Centered on weight-lifting parlors and street corners
Opposed “western” counter-cultures
Came into Moscow to beat up “western”-oriented youth
Liubery
Current Russian Youth
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After collapse of USSR, “western” influence only grew
Much more exposure to “western” cultural products
“Western” counter-cultures further expanded
Mainstream youth – characterized by two ideal-types
One type - globally-oriented
Generally better educated, middle class
Lived in centers of major cities
Second type – strongly nationalistic
Rejected many global elements
Less educated, working class
Outskirts of major cities or in towns + villages
Sources
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A lot of information on this: www.soviethistory.org
This is a site that essentially emulates a Russian history textbook online
Has brief historical essays, combined with primary sources
Not only texts, but also images + videos
Some more specific books:
Hilary Pilkington, Elena Omel’chenko, Moya Flynn, Ul’iana Bliudina, and
Elena Starkova, Looking West? Cultural Globalization and Russian Youth
Cultures (2002)
Sergei Zhuk, Rock and Roll in the Rocket City: The West, Identity, and
Ideology in Soviet Dniepropetrovsk (2010)
Hilary Pilkington, Russia's Youth and its Culture: A Nation's Constructors
and Constructed (1994)
William J. Risch and Kate Transchel eds., The Socialist Beat in the Soviet
Bloc (forthcoming in 2011).
Eva-Maria Stolberg ed., "Rivals of the Twentieth Century": USSR and USA.
Two Geopolitical Powers in Competition (forthcoming in 2011)