The personality cult of Stalin in Soviet posters, 1929–1953: Archetypes, inventions & fabrications

538 Pages·2017·16.51 MB·English

by  Pisch A.

THE PERSONALITY CULT OF
STALIN

IN SOVIET POSTERS, 1929–1953
ARCHETYPES, INVENTIONS & FABRICATIONS

THE PERSONALITY CULT OF
STALIN

IN SOVIET POSTERS, 1929–1953
ARCHETYPES, INVENTIONS & FABRICATIONS
ANITA PISCH
Published by ANU Press
The Australian National University
Acton ACT 2601, Australia
Email: [email protected]
This title is also available online at press.anu.edu.au
National Library of Australia Cataloguing-in-Publication entry
Creator: Pisch, Anita, author.
Title: The personality cult of Stalin in Soviet posters, 1929 - 1953
: archetypes, inventions and fabrications /
Anita Pisch.
ISBN: 9781760460624 (paperback) 9781760460631 (ebook)
Subjects: Stalin, Joseph, 1879-1953--Symbolism.
Political posters, Russian.
Symbolism in politics--Soviet Union.
Symbolism in mass media.
Symbolism in art.
Dewey Number: 741.670947
All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a
retrieval system or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical,
photocopying or otherwise, without the prior permission of the publisher.
Cover design and layout by ANU Press. Cover image adapted from: ‘26 years without
Lenin, but still on Lenin’s path’, Mytnikov, 1950, Izdanie Rostizo (Rostov-Don),
edn 15,000.
This edition © 2016 ANU Press
CES Prize
This publication was awarded a Centre for European Studies Publication Prize in 2015.
The prize covers the cost of professional copyediting.
Contents
Acknowledgements . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . vii
List of illustrations . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . ix
Abbreviations . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . xxi
Introduction . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1
1 . The phenomenon of the personality cult —
a historical perspective . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 49
2 . The rise of the Stalin personality cult . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 87
3 . Stalin is like a fairytale sycamore tree — Stalin as a symbol . . . 191
4 . Stalin saves the world — Stalin and the evolution
of the Warrior and Saviour archetypes . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 291
Conclusion . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 441
Appendix 1: Breakdown of posters in the research
sample by year . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 447
Appendix 2: Frequency trends in posters with images of Stalin
in the research sample, and Stalin’s appearances in Pravda . . . . . . . 449
Appendix 3: Posters of Stalin and Lenin by year . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 451
Bibliography . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 453
Index . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 499

Acknowledgements
This research began as PhD research in the School of Art History and
Curatorship at The Australian National University (ANU). I would
like to gratefully acknowledge the expert guidance and support of my
thesis supervisor, Professor Sasha Grishin, throughout the three years
of my research, as well as from the other members of my supervisory
panel, Dr Andrew Montana and Dr Kevin Windle. Professor Grishin
has been generous with his time and knowledge, and managed to make
me laugh at times when I thought I had forgotten how. Dr Windle
assisted with some of the translations of the ‘curlier’ Russian captions
and Dr  Kirill Nourzhanov assisted with the translation of the
Uzbek poster captions. Thanks are also due to Dr Zoja Bojic and to
Margaret Travers.
The staff of the graphics department at the Russian State Library in
Moscow were very helpful and hospitable during my two periods of
fieldwork, and I would particularly like to thank Dr Liubov Rodionova
for facilitating my research at the library, the legendary Nina Baburina
for her assistance in targeting folders containing Stalin posters, and
Dr Svetlana Artamonova for her assistance in gaining access to other
relevant library holdings and her willingness to answer my queries
and discuss various aspects of my research. Dr Olga Litvinova was
extremely helpful at the Museum of Contemporary History in Moscow,
granting me access to all posters in the collection that contain an image
of Stalin. Svetlana Khrodakovskaia was happy to discuss with me the
poster collection at the Museum of Political History in St Petersburg.
Dr Liudmila Riabova of the History Department at the St Petersburg
State University provided assistance by facilitating my participation
in the ‘Russia’s statehood: The authorities and society across the
twentieth century’ conference at which I was able to present some of
my research findings and discuss them with scholars from a number
of academic disciplines. I am particularly indebted to Svetlana Petrova
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The PerSonALITy CuLT oF STALIn In SovIeT PoSTerS, 1929–1953
for her assistance in the presentation of my conference paper. I am
also grateful to Dr Tatiana Tabolina of the Russian Academy of
Sciences for her interest in, and encouragement of, my research and
for her feedback.
I thank the dedicated librarians at the National Gallery of Australia
Research Library, ANU libraries, the National Library of Australia and
the Baillieu Library at the University of Melbourne. I would like to
particularly thank staff at the Chifley Library at ANU for answering
my queries concerning interlibrary loans and for assisting me to access
a variety of materials that have proved invaluable to my research.
I am grateful to my colleagues in Art History at ANU for their helpful
comments and critiques of oral presentations of my research at our
regular gatherings and for providing a wonderful milieu in which
to work.
This research and my fieldwork and conference attendance in Russia
were made possible through the financial support provided by the
Australian National University Postgraduate Award and ANU College
of Arts and Social Sciences research support fund. The publication
of this book has been supported by the generous financial and
professional assistance provided by ANU Centre for European Studies
Publishing Prize – I am particularly grateful to Christine Huber of
the Humanities and Creative Arts Editorial Board for guiding me
through this process. Special thanks also go to my eagle-eyed editor,
Justine Molony, for her excellent and professional work in editing
the manuscript. I would like to acknowledge the assistance and
professionalism of the team at ANU Press — especially Emily Tinker,
Publications Coordinator, for her expertise in the publication process;
and Teresa Prowse, Digital Design/Publishing Officer, for her excellent
design of the cover and layout.
No prolonged project is possible without the support of family and
friends. Sputi Piosik has been unwavering in his friendship and
merry spirit. My long-suffering family have put up with my bouts
of irritability and anxiety and offered constant support and love.
My mother is, as always, my rock and, along with David, Theresa and
Alana, have never faltered in their belief in me. My father, the first
in our family to receive a PhD, was always a role model of scholarly
courage and sadly passed away before I completed my research. I know
he was delighted I was following my dream.
viii
List of illustrations
Fig. 2.1 ‘Komsomol political education system mid-Volga
organisation V.L.K.S.M for 1930–31’, unidentified artist,
1930, (Samara), 28 x 75 cm, edn 5,000 ................. 165
Fig. 2.2 ‘Under the Lenin banner for socialist construction’,
Gustav Klutsis, 1930 ............................... 166
Fig. 2.3 ‘With the banner of Lenin we were victorious in the
battle for the October revolution …’, Viktor Deni, 1931,
Izogiz (Moscow, Leningrad), 52 x 72 cm, edn 20,000 ...... 167
Fig. 2.4 ‘Shock work at the machine is combined with the study
of Marxist–Leninist theory’, A.M. Rumiantsev, 1931,
Izogiz (Moscow), 85 x 58 cm, edn 40,000 ............... 168
Fig. 2.5 ‘With the banner of Lenin …’, Viktor Deni, 1933,
Izogiz (Moscow), 77 x 109 cm, edn 60,000 .............. 169
Fig. 2.6 ‘With the banner of Lenin …’, Gustav Klutsis, 1933,
Izogiz, 62 x 88 cm, 300,000 ......................... 170
Fig. 2.7 ‘With the banner of Lenin …’, Iraklii Toidze, 1933,
Izogiz (Moscow, Leningrad), 62 x 94 cm (edn of 300);
82 x 110 cm, edn 1,000 ............................. 171
Fig. 2.8 ‘Long live the great party of Lenin–Stalin — leader
and organiser of the victorious building of socialism!’,
L. Stenberg, 1937 ................................. 171
Fig. 2.9 ‘Chronicle of the arrests, exiles and escapes of Comrade
Stalin’, unidentified artist, 1938 ...................... 172
Fig. 2.10 ‘Be as the great Lenin was’, Vasilii Elkin, 1938,
Izogiz (Moscow, Leningrad), 60 x 94 cm, edn 100,000 ..... 173
Fig. 2.11 ‘Be as the great Lenin was’, A.I. Madorskii, 1938,
edn 15,000 ...................................... 174
ix
The PerSonALITy CuLT oF STALIn In SovIeT PoSTerS, 1929–1953
Fig. 2.12 ‘Be as the great Lenin was’, A.I. Madorskii, 1939,
60 x 90 cm, edn 20,000 ............................. 175
Fig. 2.13 ‘Departing from us …’, Vladimir Kaidalov, 1940,
UzFimgiz (Tashkent), 60 x 92 cm, edn 7,000 ............. 176
Fig. 2.14 ‘Under the banner of Lenin, under the leadership
of Stalin — forward to new victories!’, Petr Golub, 1945,
Iskusstvo, 85.5 x 61 cm, edn 200,000 .................. 177
Fig. 2.15 ‘1918–1943 Long live the XXV anniversary of the
Leninist–Stalinist Komsomol’, Vladimir Serov, 1943,
Iskusstvo (Leningrad), 70 x 52 cm, edn 5,000 ............ 178
Fig. 2.16 ‘The banner of Lenin …’, L. Stenberg, 1949, Iskusstvo
(Moscow, Leningrad), 85 x 56.5 cm, edn 100,000. Another
edition of 100,000 was issued in 1951 .................. 179
Fig. 2.17 ‘26 years without Lenin, but still on Lenin’s path’,
Mytnikov, 1950, Izdanie Rostizo (Rostov-Don), edn 15,000 . 180
Fig. 2.18 ‘In the name of communism’, Viktor Govorkov, 1951,
Iskusstvo (Moscow), 86 x 97 cm, edn 600,000 ........... 181
Fig. 2.19 ‘Glory to the great leaders of October’,
Naum Karpovskii, 1951, Iskusstvo (Moscow),
64.5 x 87.5 cm, edn 100,000 ......................... 181
Fig. 2.20 ‘Glory to Lenin, glory to Stalin, glory to great October’,
V. Reshetnikov, 1952, Latgosizdat, edn 3,000 ............ 182
Fig. 2.21 ‘Long live the great, united party of Lenin–Stalin …’,
unidentified artist, 1952 ............................ 182
Fig. 2.22 ‘Long live the Bolshevik Party, the Lenin–Stalin Party,
the vanguard of the Soviet people forged in battle, the
inspiration and organiser of our victories!’, Vladislav Pravdin,
1950, Iskusstvo (Moscow, Leningrad), 64.5 x 87.5 cm,
edn 1,000,000 .................................... 183
Fig. 2.23 ‘Raise higher the banner of Marx, Engels, Lenin, and
Stalin!’, Gustav Klutsis, 1933, edn 50,000 and then an edition
of 30,000. In 1936 an edition of 250,000 was released ...... 183
Fig. 2.24 ‘Long live the great, invincible banner of Marx–Engels–
Lenin’, Nikolai Dolgorukov, 1934, 163.5 x 56 cm ......... 184
x