Western Intellectuals and the Soviet Union, 1920-40
From Red Square to the Left Bank
1st Edition
Published on 16. October 2006
Book
Hardback
276 pages
978-0-415-36005-0 (ISBN)
Description
Despite the appalling record of the Soviet Union on human rights questions, many western intellectuals with otherwise impeccable liberal credentials were strong supporters the Soviet Union in the interwar period. This book explores how this seemingly impossible situation came about.
Focusing in particular on the work of various official and semi-official bodies, including Comintern, the International Association of Revolutionary Writers, the All-Union Society for Cultural Relations with Foreign Countries, and the Foreign Commission of the Soviet Writers' Union, this book shows how cultural propaganda was always a high priority for the Soviet Union, and how successful this cultural propaganda was in seducing so many Western thinkers.
Focusing in particular on the work of various official and semi-official bodies, including Comintern, the International Association of Revolutionary Writers, the All-Union Society for Cultural Relations with Foreign Countries, and the Foreign Commission of the Soviet Writers' Union, this book shows how cultural propaganda was always a high priority for the Soviet Union, and how successful this cultural propaganda was in seducing so many Western thinkers.
Reviews / Votes
"It is no secret that a large number of distunguished Western intellectuals used to admire the Soviet Union under Joseph Stalin, but far less is known about the specific Soviet policies and organizations designed to nurture these attitudes. One major tool was the meticulously designed conducted tour. It is the major objective of Ludmila Stern's original and well-researched study to establish and document precisely the Soviet contribution to the persuasion of Western intellectuals...This informative volume deserves to be widely read and pondered."--Paul Hollander, American Historial Review, October 2007
'This book brings to light a hitherto neglected aspect of Soviet policy. It is required reading for scholars interested in Soviet myth-creation' - Bernice Glatzer Rosenthal Fordham University, Russian Review, 2008
More details
Series
Language
English
Place of publication
London
United Kingdom
Publishing group
Taylor & Francis Ltd
Target group
College/higher education
Dimensions
Height: 240 mm
Width: 161 mm
Thickness: 20 mm
Weight
593 gr
ISBN-13
978-0-415-36005-0 (9780415360050)
Copyright in bibliographic data and cover images is held by Nielsen Book Services Limited or by the publishers or by their respective licensors: all rights reserved.
Schweitzer Classification
Other editions
Additional editions
Book
05/2009
1st Edition
Routledge
€83.80
Shipment within 15-20 days
E-Book
10/2006
Routledge
€77.99
Available for download
E-Book
10/2006
Routledge
€77.99
Available for download
Person
Ludmila Stern is Senior Lecturer in the School of Modern Language Studies at the University of New South Wales, Australia, where she coordinates Russian Studies, and Interpreting and Translation Studies. She has published on VOKS and French intellectuals, and her other research interests include courtroom interpreting (Australian War Crimes Prosecutions and ICTY).
Content
1. The Soviet Myth and Western Intellectuals: From Attraction to Action 2. Comintern - The Origins of Soviet Cultural Propaganda 3. MORP - Propaganda through Coercion 4. MORP - The Closing Years 5. Laying the Foundations of Relations with Western Intellectuals: VOKS in the 1920s 6. Manufacturing Support: VOKS in the 1930s 7. VOKS and the 'Famous Foreigners' 8. The Bond of Friendship: Foreign Commission of the Soviet Writers' Union and French Writers