OCTOBER,1946 299 11.Documentariesofthefive-yearplan. 12.Industry,agricultureandlife inthesixteenSoviet republics. 13.Popularizationofachievementsinscience,engineering andtechnicalprogress. Thislistisasmucha"resignationfromtheworld"aswas Stalin'sFebruaryspeech.Itisalsoaresignationfromart,and evenfromentertainment.Apeoplewhowouldwilinglysit throughfiveyearsofmoviesontheabovethemesarenota peoplelikeourselvesorlikeanyotherpeopleknowntohistory.One'shopeisthattheRussians,iftheydosit,willat leastnotsitwilingly. Thepurgeopensinthefieldofartaboutthesametimeas inindustry.OnJuly7 it isannouncedthatthejust-completedsecondpartofEisenstein'snewfilmtrilogy, Ivanthe Terrible, wouldnotbereleased.(TheEisensteincaseisconsideredindetaillateron.)Aweeklaterthepurgebeginsto broadenoutandgathermomentum. CultureandLife, the officialorganofthePropagandaandAgitationBoardofthe CentralCommitteeoftheAll-UnionCommunistPartyas Iwassaying, CultureandLife initsJuly17issueprintsa longdenunciationoftendenciesinopera,theatre,painting, filmsandarchitecture.Thearticletakesadimviewofany furtherstagingofforeignplaysbecausetheydistractaudiencesfrom"thefundamentalproblemsofSovietreality"and becausetheyare"soakedthroughandthroughwithanideologyalientoSovietSociety." TheLightningStrikes OnAugust14,theCentralCommiteeofthepartymeets toreview"thestateoftheideologicalfront,"whichitfinds inverybadshape.Theseriousnesswithwhichthesematters areviewedinRussiaisshownbytheCommitee'sentrusting theinitiationofthegrandpurgeinarttothesecondmost importantbureaucratinRussia:Col.-Gen.AndreiZhdanov, ChairmanoftheSovietUnionandSecretaryoftheparty's CentralCommitee. Aweeklater,onAugust21,thelightningstrikes. TheideologicalfrontsemstohavebeenweakestinLeningrad,perhapsbecauseLeningradhasalwaysbeenmore"West- ern"initsoutlookthantheothergreatcities,perhapsbecauseitsuferedparticularlyduringthewar,whichforced thebureaucracytoslackentheirreinsalittle.OnAugust21, therefore,thewritersofLeningradholdalengthymeeting presidedoverbythewel-knownliteraryman,Col.-Gen. Zhdanov,whoexpoundshistheoryofartinanhour-long lecture.HereprovestheLeningradwritersforhavingstrayed into"nonpoliticalchannels,deprivedofideologyandprin- ciples"andforhaving"lostthesenseofresponsibilityto theirpeople,Stateandparty."Hismainpositivepointsare: (a)literatureisaduty;(b)thisdutyconsistsinrepeling "thehideousslandersandatacksagainstourSovietculture" andlaunchinghideousslandersandatacksagainstWestern culture(notputquitethatway);and(c),whichisworth italicsandanewparagraph: "Iffeudalismand,lateron,thebourgeoisieintheperiodof itsflourishing,couldcreateartandliteratureassertingthe newsystems.. .thensurelyournewsocialistsystem,embody- ingallthatisbestinthehistoryofhumancivilizationand culture,iscapableofcreatingthemostadvancedliterature, whichwillleavefarbehindthebestcreationsofoldentimes." (Thefactthatnotonlyhassuchaliteraturenotbeencre- echhe6gdgodifirotsThsikey,butthatsinceStalin'saccessiontopower in 1929Sovietarthassteadilydegenerated inallfieldsthissuggeststoZhdanov'sbureaucraticmind notthathispremisemaybefaultyastothenatureof"our newsocialistsystem"butsimplythatpurges,plans,anddirectivesareurgentlyneeded.Norisheworriedbythefactthat twelveyearsagothebureaucracywaspointingoutprecisely thesame"contradiction."In MoscowNews ofJune 9, 1934, forexample,weread:"Thebrightesthopesofallmankind arebeingfulfiled in theSovietUnion,wherealllifeisbased onthedoctrineofsocialism.Artisstilllaggingbehindthe practiceoftriumphantsocialism.Itseesthefutureverydim- ly."Purges,plans,directiveswereshowereddownonthe artsthen,withtheresultsZhdanovseestoday.Thisdrying upofallthespringsofartisticcreationisthesurestindicationoftherealqualityoftheSovietsocialsystem.) ThesecontributionsofCol.-Gen.Zhdanovtoesthetic theoryinstantlyconvincetheassembledliterateursofLeningrad,whounanimouslypassanumberofinterminablereso- lutionsrestatingeachofthemainpointsofhislecture,admitingtheirownlackofcultureandtaste,pledgingthem- selvestoa"mercilessfightagainstideal-lessness,vulgarity, politicalaloofnessandso-caled'pureart,'"andpromising tosetaboutatoncecreatinginnumerablepoems,plays,novels andessayswhichwouldbe"highqualityartisticwork"and wouldexpress"themajestyofourvictory,thepathosofrehabilitationandSocialistconstruction,andtheheroicdeeds oftheSovietpeopleinfulfillingandover-fulfilingthenew Stalinfiveyearplan." ButtheCentralCommiteeistakingnochances;evenbe- foreZhdanovmountsthelectureplatformtheLeningrad literaryworldhasbeenpurged.OnAugust20,thedaybe- forehislecture, CultureandLife publishesanoficialarticle (whichisreprintednextdayonthefrontpageof Pravda) announcingthattheliterarymagazine, Leningrad, hasbeen suspended,andthataneweditorhasbeenappointedforthe otherleadingLeningradliteraryorgan, Zvezda; tomake everythingdoublysure,thisneweditoristhevice-chairman oftheCentralCommitee'spropagandadepartment.The formereditorsofbothmagazinesarecastigatedforhaving publishedtheworkoftwowel-knownwriters:thesatirist, Zostchenko,andtheromanticpoet,AnnaAkhmatova.The former'sworkis"alientoSovietliterature"and"calculated todisorientouryouthandpoisontheirminds.Hepaintsthe Sovietorderandpeopleinadistortedform,libelouslydescribingtheSovietpeopleasprimitive,uncultured,foolishpeople withprovincialtastesandmorals.Zostchenko'sviciously hooligandescriptionofouractuallifeisaccompaniedby anti-Sovietattacks."AsforMissAkhmatova:sheis"atypicalrepresentativeofempty,ideal-lesspoetry,alientoour people,"whoseworkis"saturated"withpessimism,decadenceandartforart'ssake;it isfurthermoreharmfulto Sovietyouthandit"cultivatesaspiritofworshipofWestern bourgeoisculturealientotheSovietpeople."* *Thisrepudiationofbothrealismandart forart'ssakesuggeststhat whatthebureaucratsarerealyafteristhekindofartthatadornsour post-oficesandstatecapitols:virilemen,bosomywomen,drapedinclassic robesandbathedingoldenlight,representingallsortsofseriousand worthyideaswithborethehelloutofanyonewhoseeyeaccidentaly lightsonthem.ThisinturnsuggeststhattheRussiansmustbeavery patientpeople.Alsothat it isimpossiblefor abackwardcountrylike RussiatobreakwithWesternculture;allthebureaucratscandoisto seethattheirartworkersfolowthemostprimitiveformsofthatculture.
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