Soviet Propaganda Under Stalin

What was Soviet Union propaganda under Stalin?

Propaganda is information which tends to be deliberately biased or misleading, and it is used to promote a certain point of view. The Soviet government used propaganda to make its people believe certain things or have certain attitudes.

Why did the Soviet Union use propaganda?

Soviet propaganda had 2 key aims:

• ❖ To control the people of the Soviet Union.
• ❖ The Soviet government wanted to create the 'new Soviet man' and the 'new Soviet women' who would show desirable Socialist qualities, eg care more about the community than the individual.

What methods of propaganda did the Soviet Union use?

There were 7 main methods of propaganda:

• ❖ Stalin's cult of personality used all forms of the media to create a specific image of Stalin as a heroic and all-knowing leader.
• ❖ All art and culture was controlled and the only official culture allowed was socialist realism.
• ❖ Through different organisations such as the youth group, the Komsomol, or through education.
• ❖ By rewriting history and changing facts to suit the Soviet cause.
• ❖ All books, newspapers and magazines were controlled and written to support the Soviet government.
• ❖ Photographs were altered to suit the Soviet government's view of events.
• ❖ Radios were put up in public places such as work and clubs in the 1920s for group listening.