September 11, 2013

Patriotism: A USSR Story


Patriotism: A USSR Story

Patriotism in general is no simple concept. But on this Patriot Day in the US, perhaps it is worth appreciating that at least patriotism in the US is not nearly as complex and dangerous as it was in the Soviet Union.

Patriot Day in the US commemorates an attack on US soil – and in that, at least, we have a clear parallel: a solid portion of Russian and Soviet patriotism revolves around the troubled memories of World War II. Russians still give thanks to their fathers and grandfathers (occasionally mothers and grandmothers) who saved the country from “the fascists,” and praise the heroic deeds of soldiers, civilians, batalions, and even entire cities. Support for the current armed forces is also an accepted patriotic form – certainly a familiar one to the American observer.

What happens, though, when the Communist Party enters the picture? They certainly did a good job riffing on the same themes of military strength and victory over the invaders. However, under Communist leadership patriotism became a duty, a necessary prerequisite for success, with an obligatory component of praising the CPSU specifically, or at least Lenin and the current leader. Like a piece of gum chewed a little too long for lack of a trash can, patriotism became an inescapable, tasteless burden.

Soviet-style Patriotism: November 7th Parade, 1983
Military display with "Praise to the CPSU!" in the background

No one felt the pressure more than cultural icons of the day: writers, singers, directors, actors, etc. To be successful – or even to survive – they had to curry favor with the Party. Currying favor with the Party often meant creating or performing work that was artificially patriotic, which was selling out – and therefore became an obstacle to success. And yet the Soviet Union did have its own set of wildly popular performers. How did they ever navigate this Catch-22?

Joseph Kobzon

Joseph (Iosif) Kobzon, who turns 80 today, is a perfect case in point. A popular singer who remained on stage for over 50 years, he managed to both satisfy the party leadership and become an idol to many Soviet listeners. He was known both as a singer of patriotic songs – always a suspicious kind of fame – and as “one of us” in a system where the government was always “them.” In fact, over 80 percent of his songs were love songs, like the playful “If you love me, find me” (just look at that mischievous smile!).

So how did he avoid listeners’ disdain? At least he sang about the war, not about “giving the Earth to children” or other, more politically-oriented themes. Politics, however, is very insidious: Kobzon’s song “Malaya zemlya,” which at first seems like an awkwardly named run-of-the-mill WWII song, is in fact a blatant sell-out, as a musical tribute to General Secretary Brezhnev’s memoir The Small Land. In a society so ideologically controlled by the Communist Party, it’s not really patriotism until you’ve honored and sucked up to the current party elite.

Photo credits: Wikimedia Commons

Like this post? Get a weekly email digest + member-only deals

Some of Our Books

Marooned in Moscow

Marooned in Moscow

This gripping autobiography plays out against the backdrop of Russia's bloody Civil War, and was one of the first Western eyewitness accounts of life in post-revolutionary Russia. Marooned in Moscow provides a fascinating account of one woman's entry into war-torn Russia in early 1920, first-person impressions of many in the top Soviet leadership, and accounts of the author's increasingly dangerous work as a journalist and spy, to say nothing of her work on behalf of prisoners, her two arrests, and her eventual ten-month-long imprisonment, including in the infamous Lubyanka prison. It is a veritable encyclopedia of life in Russia in the early 1920s.
Fearful Majesty

Fearful Majesty

This acclaimed biography of one of Russia’s most important and tyrannical rulers is not only a rich, readable biography, it is also surprisingly timely, revealing how many of the issues Russia faces today have their roots in Ivan’s reign.
The Little Humpbacked Horse (bilingual)

The Little Humpbacked Horse (bilingual)

A beloved Russian classic about a resourceful Russian peasant, Vanya, and his miracle-working horse, who together undergo various trials, exploits and adventures at the whim of a laughable tsar, told in rich, narrative poetry.
Moscow and Muscovites

Moscow and Muscovites

Vladimir Gilyarovsky's classic portrait of the Russian capital is one of Russians’ most beloved books. Yet it has never before been translated into English. Until now! It is a spectactular verbal pastiche: conversation, from gutter gibberish to the drawing room; oratory, from illiterates to aristocrats; prose, from boilerplate to Tolstoy; poetry, from earthy humor to Pushkin. 
Faith & Humor: Notes from Muscovy

Faith & Humor: Notes from Muscovy

A book that dares to explore the humanity of priests and pilgrims, saints and sinners, Faith & Humor has been both a runaway bestseller in Russia and the focus of heated controversy – as often happens when a thoughtful writer takes on sacred cows. The stories, aphorisms, anecdotes, dialogues and adventures in this volume comprise an encyclopedia of modern Russian Orthodoxy, and thereby of Russian life.
Stargorod: A Novel in Many Voices

Stargorod: A Novel in Many Voices

Stargorod is a mid-sized provincial city that exists only in Russian metaphorical space. It has its roots in Gogol, and Ilf and Petrov, and is a place far from Moscow, but close to Russian hearts. It is a place of mystery and normality, of provincial innocence and Black Earth wisdom. Strange, inexplicable things happen in Stargorod. So do good things. And bad things. A lot like life everywhere, one might say. Only with a heavy dose of vodka, longing and mystery.
A Taste of Chekhov

A Taste of Chekhov

This compact volume is an introduction to the works of Chekhov the master storyteller, via nine stories spanning the last twenty years of his life.
Life Stories: Original Fiction By Russian Authors

Life Stories: Original Fiction By Russian Authors

The Life Stories collection is a nice introduction to contemporary Russian fiction: many of the 19 authors featured here have won major Russian literary prizes and/or become bestsellers. These are life-affirming stories of love, family, hope, rebirth, mystery and imagination, masterfully translated by some of the best Russian-English translators working today. The selections reassert the power of Russian literature to affect readers of all cultures in profound and lasting ways. Best of all, 100% of the profits from the sale of this book are going to benefit Russian hospice—not-for-profit care for fellow human beings who are nearing the end of their own life stories.
The Frogs Who Begged for a Tsar (bilingual)

The Frogs Who Begged for a Tsar (bilingual)

The fables of Ivan Krylov are rich fonts of Russian cultural wisdom and experience – reading and understanding them is vital to grasping the Russian worldview. This new edition of 62 of Krylov’s tales presents them side-by-side in English and Russian. The wonderfully lyrical translations by Lydia Razran Stone are accompanied by original, whimsical color illustrations by Katya Korobkina.
Turgenev Bilingual

Turgenev Bilingual

A sampling of Ivan Turgenev's masterful short stories, plays, novellas and novels. Bilingual, with English and accented Russian texts running side by side on adjoining pages.

About Us

Russian Life is a publication of a 30-year-young, award-winning publishing house that creates a bimonthly magazine, books, maps, and other products for Russophiles the world over.

Latest Posts

Our Contacts

Russian Life
73 Main Street, Suite 402
Montpelier VT 05602

802-223-4955