September 2015

 

[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 spread Communism in Russia starting in 1918. Though this organization started as war focused but eventually moved toward teachings of “service and industrial” projects. These young adults grew up to be members and leaders of the Communist Party.

I found this organization and these images interesting because of the question being asked: What is a revolutionary culture? Or perhaps where in society is revolutionary culture reflected? To me, youth is a perfect representation of how far a revolution can go and how deep through society it runs. Like the revolution of the proletariat, this revolution also has roots from the bottom (the youth), and I believe because like the proletariat they have the most to gain in a revolution (their future). However, the major point of this (and maybe why the Communist party lasted as long as it did) is that this party was smart enough to instill the ideals of the revolution and the new ideals that is began teaching and influencing kids as early as nine years old. Furthermore, they were able to not only teach Communist ideals, but also focused on professional skills, sports, theatre, and education. To me, this is revolutionary culture. These Communist youth were the future of not only the party but of Russia for the next seven decades.

Mallory Wyne

Works Cited

“Komsomol | Soviet Youth Organization.” Encyclopedia Britannica Online. Encyclopedia Britannica, n.d. Web. 20 Sept. 2015. <http://www.britannica.com/topic/Komsomol>.

“Komsomol.” Wikipedia. Wikimedia Foundation, n.d. Web. 20 Sept. 2015. <https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Komsomol>.

Von Geldern, James. “Young Communist.” 17 Moments in Soviet History. N.p., n.d. Web. 20 Sept. 2015. <http://soviethistory.msu.edu/1924-2/young-communists/>.

“The Autocratic System” (1917) by Aleksei Radakov

Reads From The Top:

We reign, we pray for you; we judge you; we guard you; we feed you; AND YOU WORK!

 

Also by Radakov, “The Illiterate Person is Like a Blind Man, on All Sides Failure and Misfortune Lie in Wait for Him”  (1920)

 

The first one of these paintings come from the very beginning of the Russian Revolution. It displays the class system in Russia during the time period and also explains what each classes’ role is. At the very top you see a tsar topped with a crown, holding obvious power. Below him you see the clergy and then the court systems. Even further down appears to be a militia and then middle class workers giving their scraps to the poor peasants way on the bottom. Every class on the pyramid has the tsar’s royal cape draped over them. What captured my attention most was the lowest class who are all bent over like they are struggling or doing back breaking work. They are bottom of the barrel with no respect or advantage in the world, which brings me to the next painting. The title is a dead give away on the meaning however since it is created by the same artist, I see a connection between the two images. As mentioned in the top cartoon, all the bottom class does is WORK. The lower class never receives education and is ultimately filled with illiterates who have “failure and misfortune” lying in wait for him his whole life. I believe the second picture is very reflective upon the first and both speak to what was going on in Russia at the time. Part of the reason for the Russian Revolution was the extreme poverty among the peasants and the widening gap between the upper and lower classes. Both of these images show the neglect of the peasant class in the early 1900’s.

About the artist: Aleskei Radakov was known for propaganda cartoons, many images and representations of peasant life and illiteracy.

Mallory Wyne

Works Cited

“Art Display by Leading Russian Poster Artists | UTS Library – University of Technology, Sydney.” Art Display by Leading Russian Poster Artists | UTS Library – University of Technology, Sydney. N.p., May 2013. Web. 03 Sept. 2015. <http://www.lib.uts.edu.au/news/30477/art-display-leading-russian-poster-artists>.

“February Revolution.” Seventeen Moments in Soviet History. N.p., 22 May 2015. Web. 03 Sept. 2015. <http://soviethistory.msu.edu/1917-2/february-revolution/>.

“Google Translate.” Google Translate. N.p., n.d. Web. 03 Sept. 2015. <https://translate.google.com/translate?hl=en&sl=de&u=https%3A%2F%2Fde.wikipedia.org%2Fwiki%2FAlexei_Alexandrowitsch_Radakow&prev=search>.

“Konstantin Pervukhin.” THE PREMIER SITE FOR RUSSIAN CULTURE. N.p., n.d. Web. 30 Oct. 2015. <http%3A%2F%2Fwww.rusartnet.com%2Fbiographies%2Frussian-artists%2F19th-century%2Flate-19th-century%2Fimpressionist%2Fkonstantin-pervukhin>.

“Union of Russian Artists.” TheFreeDictionary.com. N.p., n.d. Web. 30 Aug. 2015. <http://encyclopedia2.thefreedictionary.com/Union+of+Russian+Artists>.
Wikipedia. Wikimedia Foundation, n.d. Web. 30 Aug. 2015. <https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Konstantin_Pervukhin>.

Wilde, Robert. “Causes of the Russian Revolution.” About Education. N.p., n.d. Web. 03 Sept. 2015. <http://europeanhistory.about.com/od/russiaandukraine/a/Causes-Of-The-Russian-Revolution.htm>.