Clashes between artists and the government to 1985

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What was Brezhnev's stance on the arts?
He was less interested in them than Khrushchev but was aware of the political impact of art and literature. He was critical of Khrushchev's willingness to publish works that exposed the difficulties of life in the USSR.
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How did art change in general under Brezhnev?
It became nostalgic- B. attempted to revive faith and interest in the heroic days of the revolution whereas Khrushchev appealed to a bright future and shook faith in the past by criticising stalin.
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What exceptional art was created under Brezhnev's conservatism?
Ballet. 1970s-80s Soviet ballet in much demand. Bolshoi ballet, most famous ballet company was a source of national pride. Ballet 'Spartacus' celebrates ancient slave rebellion and was a cultural triumph
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What were the three groups of artists and intellectuals under Brezhnev, according to political scientist Piero Ostellino?
Obedient functionaries (prepared to work with the system w/out question), loyal oppositionists (critical of the system but expressed their criticisms through official channels), dissidents (expressed their criticism publicly)
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Why was the post-Khrushchev leadership extremely concerned about his 'cultural liberalism' and what did they do about it?
They believed it was undermining faith in the soviet system. They commissioned a KGB report which stated that there were 1292 anti-soviet writers who had written 10000 anti-soviet documents. Arrest and trial- authors Andrei Sinyavsky and Yuli Daniel
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When did the Sinyavsky-Daniel trial take place and what was the nature of the trial?
1966- essentially a show trial. The evidence presented against them was their own writings, Daniel's 'this is moscow speaking' and Sinyavsky's 'the trial begins'
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How had Sinyavsky and Daniel been treated under Khrushchev?
They had been allowed considerable freedoms and had experienced some fame
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What was the outcome of the trial both for the authors and the ussr?
Two authors found guilty and sentenced to 7 and 5 years in a labour camp. The trial had revived stalinist methods and there were fears that the new leadership were reviving stalinism
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How did international pressure/outrage impact the treatment of artists?
some writers who had been imprisoned in Khrush's last years were released e.g Brodsky released in 1965, show trials and imprisonments became rare, well known dissidents allowed to emigrate - Brodsky emigrated to USA
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How did the gov. treat lesser known dissident artists differently?
They sent them to psychiatric institutions as they lacked the profile of major artists and psychiatric treatment was not as newsworthy as a prison sentence.
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How many dissidents were estimated to have received psychiatric treatment by the early 70s?
7000-8000
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What was the Prague spring?
1968 Czechoslovakia had attempted to liberalise communism and create 'socialism with a human face', rejected stalinism and =freedom of artistic expression. This led to popular pressure for independence which was crushed by Brez's forces
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What did the Prague Spring confirm for Brezhnev and what did this result in?
Confirmed his view that cultural liberalisation was a threat to communist rule, so it led to increasing pressure on artists to conform- Solzhenitsyn found it increasingly difficult to publish in the soviet union and the editor of New World resigned
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How did art change after the Prague Spring of 1968?
It became profoundly nostalgic, films like 'Liberation' celebrated the soviet victory in WW2.
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What are some examples of dissident art after 1968?
Nonna Goriunova's Forest ritual was a live naked performance in a forest protesting prohibition of female nudity, Ilya Kabakov created a fictional autobiography called Ten Characters to illustrate dullness of Soviet life
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Who were the moscow conceptualists and what was their aim?
They were a group formed in the 1970s who attempted to make art which was a rebellion against everyday life. They wanted to expose the truth of soviet society and provide an antidote to propaganda
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Who was Natalia Zhilina and what was her role?
She was a painter and writer who helped form Leningrad Underground Art
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What was the Mitki Collective?
Underground art group inspired by Dmitry Shagin's book Mitki, a series of essays about the absurdity of soviet life. They rejected the system by drinking cheap wine and wearing shabby clothes
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How did the government respond to the underground art scene?
Inconsistently- on some occasions exhibitions took place without interference such as Mitki collective's first one in 1984. On other occasions there was repression e.g the second Mitki exhibition of 1985 was raided by the police
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Other cards in this set

Card 2

Front

How did art change in general under Brezhnev?

Back

It became nostalgic- B. attempted to revive faith and interest in the heroic days of the revolution whereas Khrushchev appealed to a bright future and shook faith in the past by criticising stalin.

Card 3

Front

What exceptional art was created under Brezhnev's conservatism?

Back

Preview of the front of card 3

Card 4

Front

What were the three groups of artists and intellectuals under Brezhnev, according to political scientist Piero Ostellino?

Back

Preview of the front of card 4

Card 5

Front

Why was the post-Khrushchev leadership extremely concerned about his 'cultural liberalism' and what did they do about it?

Back

Preview of the front of card 5
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