Integration of communist propaganda in the USSR education system in the 1920s: a historical and political aspect
Hrytsenko A., Mozghovyi O.
DOI: doi.org/10.21272/shaj.2023.i41.p.5
Abstract. The basis of communist propaganda is the views of Karl Marx and Friedrich Engels as the founders of communist ideology. The Soviet state was built on their works and ideas. But Marx and Engels were quite critical of the issue of propaganda. From their point of view, the revolution and the transition to communism are the consequences of scientific and technological progress, which do not depend on the activities of individuals and will definitely happen in the future. Therefore, there is no need to create documents and programs that would help to implement a communist revolution in the future, especially since they did not see the need for propaganda, because humanity, over time, will understand the superiority of communism over capitalism.
Also, Marx and Engels denied the idea of revolution in the Russian Empire because they believed that the Russian working class was too weak to carry out a revolution, and Russia was still an aristocratic state. The true founder of communist propaganda in the USSR was Lenin. He wanted to create a new working class in the country through propaganda, which would be devoted to the party and the ideas of communism. With this, he wanted to find a compromise between his desire for a revolution in Russia and the views of Marx.
From the beginning of the USSR, education was given one of the first places in the propaganda system. Because education played the role of the primary link in the process of socialization of the individual, filling it with ideological propaganda made it possible to raise future generations as committed communists.
By the end of the 1930s, both a new education system and new teaching methods were formed, in accordance with the new ideology. Changes introduced by Anton Makarenko played an important role in this process.
In Makarenko’s opinion, education and upbringing should be carried out only in and with the help of the collective. Only the collective is capable of forming a full-fledged personality, revealing its potential and making it a conscious part of society. Individual interests should always be subordinated to collective interests, both in education and in life. In addition, Makarenko was a great supporter of military discipline, and accordingly, he sought to incorporate elements of the army system into the education system. It was from the collective organization of army units that he rejected when organizing collectivism in schools.
Makarenko’s ideas were very important for the new state. They were supposed to help reeducate the country’s population in accordance with the principles of communism, including military methods and concentration camps. Thanks to Makarenko, the Soviet state developed its own theory and methodology of authoritarian and imperative influence on society’s consciousness. The Soviet authorities became confident that regardless of a person’s age and social status, with the help of education, he can be reeducated into a true communist, using propaganda.
Lenin and his entourage sought to cover the entire society with the education system, not only the proletariat, as Marx wanted. The future member of the communist society began to perceive communist propaganda from kindergarten, school, and communication in the family and participation in youth organizations: Little Octobrists, Pioneers and Komsomol.
Keywords: Soviet propaganda, education, USSR, Marxism, Leninism, education, labor schools, philosophy of education, mass media, political system, political education.
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