November 2015

The Dissident Movement in the Soviet Union took place in the 1960s and 1970s and was created by opposition of the citizens to Soviet government policies.  Although participation wasn’t quantitatively huge, the protests made by a few leaders made great impacts for human rights and peace.

(Andrei Sakharov speaking for human rights and against the nuclear bomb in Russia; Source: Russiapedia.)

One of the major human rights leaders to emerge from this time period and movement was Andrei Sakharov. Sakharov began his work in the Soviet Union as a nuclear physicist and would later be know as the “father of the hydrogen bomb.” However this profession led him towards the Dissident Movement and becoming an activist. He began to see the harmful sides of his work in nuclear physics and began to question the effects of these bombs.

“When you see all of this yourself, something in you changes. When you see the burned birds who are withering on the scorched steppe, when you see how the shock wave blows away buildings like houses of cards… How not to start thinking of one’s responsibility at this point?”

From there on out he advocated for human rights, expressed his discontent with the arms race, and challenged Moscowand the Soviet nuclear program through his books, protests, and speeches. Consequently, he was fired from his job and the faced major consequences from his country and was exiled. However, his actions and faith in human rights led him to win two huge honors; the Nobel Peace Prize in 1975 (which his wife had to accept for him because he wasn’t allowed to leave the USSR) and the International Humanist Award in 1988.

“I’ve always thought that the most powerful weapon in the world was the bomb and that’s why I gave it to my people, but I’ve come to the conclusion that the most powerful weapon in the world is not the bomb but it’s the truth.”

(Andrei Sakharov on the Cover go Time Magazine in 1972 for his opposition to the nuclear bomb; Source: Time Magazine)

Today, there is a museum dedicated to Sakharov in Nizhny Novgorod (where Sakharov was exiled) that shows a history of human rights issues through out Soviet and Russian history.

 

Works Cited

“Andrei Sakharov, (1921 – 1989).” PBS. PBS, n.d. Web. 15 Nov. 2015. <http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/amex/bomb/peopleevents/pandeAMEX67.html>.
Bird, Maryann. “Physics and Freedom.” Time. Time Inc., 09 June 2002. Web. 15 Nov. 2015. <http://content.time.com/time/magazine/article/0,9171,260661,00.html>.
“The Dissident Movement.” The Dissident Movement. N.p., n.d. Web. 15 Nov. 2015. <https://sites.google.com/site/thedissidentmovementsputniks/>.
“Nuclear Files: Library: Biographies: Andrei Sakharov.” Nuclear Files: Library: Biographies: Andrei Sakharov. N.p., n.d. Web. 15 Nov. 2015. <http://www.nuclearfiles.org/menu/library/biographies/bio_sakharov-andrei_print.html>.
“Prominent Russians: Andrey Sakharov.” Andrey Sakharov – Russiapedia Politics and Society Prominent Russians. N.p., n.d. Web. 15 Nov. 2015. <http://russiapedia.rt.com/prominent-russians/politics-and-society/andrey-sakharov/>.
“TOP 18 QUOTES BY ANDREI SAKHAROV | A-Z Quotes.” A-Z Quotes. N.p., n.d. Web. 15 Nov. 2015. <http://www.azquotes.com/author/20532-Andrei_Sakharov>.

Yershov, Anatoly. “News Hotline: A. D. SAKHAROV MUSEUM.” East View. East View INformation Services, June 1991. Web. Nov. 2015. <http://dlib.eastview.com.ezproxy.lib.vt.edu/browse/doc/13537001>.

(The Cranes are Flying film poster depicting a young couple looking to the sky at the cranes; Source: Electronic Museum of Russian Poster)

The Cranes are Flying  (1957) is a dramatic war time love story about a young woman who doesn’t know whether or not her beloved boyfriend is alive after being sent off to fight in World War II. One of the most powerful pieces of culutral art to come out of this award winning film was the song Cranes by Marc Barnes.

(Cranes by Marc Barnes with lyrics in English; Source: Youtube)

This song became almost a theme to the entire movie. It is such a sad but beautiful ballad that portrays a devastating time period in which men were sent to fight on the front lines leaving their loved ones behind to wonder if they were still alive or not. The lyrics of this song are sticking because of how relatable they were to the people in Russia at the time who were grieving the loss of family members. This song helped for those affected by the war to be able to remember their solders who had passed, every time they look to the sky and see cranes flying around. It also helped them remember their loved ones were looking after them still. Finally is lets them know they will see them again one day, as they will eventually become cranes also.

“Imagine for a moment that the solders
who didn’t come from gory battle places
instead of being buried in the ground
transformed themselves to snow colored cranes”

“and this is why so often and so sadly
we stop the talk and stare to the sky”

“there is a gap in their flying order
perhaps i am the one to fill the gap
the day will come when i will join the others”

In the final scene of the film the young woman looks above after learning her beloved has past and sees a group of flying cranes and is set to ease. The final scene of this movie perfectly depicts the meaning of the song Cranes.

(The final scene of The Cranes are Flying; Source: Youtube.)