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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.)

Praskovia (Pasha) Lukianova was a Soviet heroine during WWI. After having gone throw a series of tragic events in her life and throughout the war, she grew into a the strong, independent, and Moscow defending woman that became popular through the war recruiting post “The Motherland Calls You.”

She is further popular for her protaganist character in the film “She Defends the Mother Land.” After hearing that the Nazi had taken over Moscow (and learning her peers believed it) she got quiet upset and gave a passionate speech about Moscow, her love for her country, and how it must be protected.

“If Moscow is taken, how can we keep on living, how can we keep our hears from breaking?”

“Moscow is ours!”

“Our people could never give up what is dearest and most kindred to them!”

She further gets upset with her peers and how they go straight into mourning rather than doing something to “defend” Moscow.

“You started mourning like women, shame on you!”

Pasha started a partisan band to defend her country, drive out invaders, and even capture Nazis. Her story reflects upon the Soviet’s nationalism and desire to win this war against the Nazi. Their struggles and determination were so deeply rooted that their women were becoming some of the strongest supporters and soldiers of the USSR.

Her story can also be used to answer questions of why did they fight or how did they win? Through the poster and short clip we can see how strong Soviet nationalism is. “The Motherland Calls You” is a great comparison to American Rosie the Riveter and Uncle Sam posters. The idea that your country needs you in the war effort grabs the attention of everyone, including women. Soviets fought with Moscow in mind and that they needed to do whatever possible to defend it.

http://soviethistory.msu.edu/1943-2/women-in-war-films/

[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>.

 The End Of Autumn (1887) by Konstantin Pervukhin

This painting by Konstantin Pervukhin reminds me a lot of the paintings we reviewed in class on Thursday. The landscape of bare trees and Russian architecture in the background is very similar to other paintings by “The Wanders.” Additionally, like other Peredvizhniki paintings, it isn’t breath taking, yet it is still beautiful in the eyes of this group of artists. What I find interesting about this picture and what I liked about it, is that its exactly how I picture Russia. I have always seen it as kind of gloomy, barren, with the “classical” Russian architecture you see in Moscow.

About the artist and painting: Pervukhin painted mostly Impressionist landscapes while contributing much work to many different art exhibitions and working as a photographer and writer. He was also a founding member of the Union of Russian Artists, which set up 18 exhibitions in Russia. However, when looking up more information about this specific piece there was none. I think he chose to paint this scene because it is a very classic Russian scene.

Mallory Wyne

Works Cited
“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>.

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