Popular Perceptions of Soviet Politics in the 1920s: Disenchantment of the Dreamers

267 Pages·2013·1.508 MB·English

by  Olga Velikanova (auth.)

Popular Perceptions of Soviet Politics in the 1920s
Also by Olga Velikanova
Making of an Idol: On Uses of Lenin
The Myth of the Besieged Fortress: Soviet Mass Perception in the 1920s–1930s
The Public Perception of the Cult of Lenin Based on Archival Materials
Popular Perceptions of
Soviet Politics in the 1920s
Disenchantment of the Dreamers
Olga Velikanova
Assistant Professor, Russian History, University of North Texas, USA
© Olga Velikanova 2013
Softcover reprint of the hardcover 1st edition 2013 978-1-137-03074-0
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ISBN 978-1-349-44059-7 ISBN 978-1-137-03075-7 (eBook)
DOI 10.1057/9781137030757
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10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1
22 21 20 19 18 17 16 15 14 13
To Mikhail, Alexei, Konstantin
In memory of A. I. Velikanova
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Contents
Photographs and Figure x
List of Tables xi
Acknowledgments xii
Glossary and Abbreviations xiv
Introduction 1
The Mobilization Model and Popular Opinion in the USSR 4
Society in the 1920s: Everyday Hardships and Dissatisfaction 10
Sources 16
1 T he Foreign Threat: Leadership and Popular Perceptions
in 1923 and 1924 22
1.1 The Spectre of War in Russia and the World 22
1.2 The War Scare of 1923 26
1.3 Reactions of the Population to the Alarm of 1923 31
1.4 The War Scare of 1924 36
2 The War Scare of 1927: Power Discourse 45
2.1 Various Views on the War Threat: OGPU, Comintern,
NKID, Stalin, and the Opposition 46
2.2 Views on the War Threat: The Military 48
2.3 Potential Aggressors 50
2.4 Prelude 51
2.5 The A nglo- Soviet Break 53
2.6 The Propaganda Campaign 55
2.7 The Militarization of Society 57
2.8 Terrorist Attacks 60
2.9 The Turn to Repression 61
2.10 Extrajudicial Powers 64
2.11 Targets of the Mass Operation 67
2.12 Widening of Repression 69
2.13 The Significance of the Mass Operation 72
2.14 Reactions to the Repression 74
2.15 Steps Back 76
2.16 Analysing the Power Discourse 78
vii
viii Contents
3 The War Scare of 1927: Popular Perceptions 82
3.1 Economic Behaviour 86
3.2 Popular Reactions 88
3.3 Resignations from Communist Organizations 96
3.4 The Mood of the Red Army 99
3.5 Outcomes of the War Scare 106
3.6 After 1927 107
3.7 Rituals of Approval 108
3.8 Local Panics 110
3.9 The War Scare in 1930 and Expectations of War
During Collectivization 111
3.10 Popular Interpretations of the War Threat in the
1920s and 1930s: Analysis 115
4 Rural Consolidation against Soviet Politics: The Peasant
Union Movement in the 1920s 118
4.1 Peasant Unions in 1905–21 121
4.2 Peasant Activism 124
4.3 Demanding a Share in Government 126
4.4 Anti-w orker Moods 129
4.5 The Problem of Taxes in the 1920s 130
4.6 Peasants About Inequality 133
4.7 Differentiation and Solidarity 136
4.8 The Search for an Agency to Protect Peasants’
Interests 137
4.9 Goals, Participants, and Geography of the PU
Movement 143
4.10 Attempts to Organize the PU 151
4.11 The T aldy- Kurgan PU 152
4.12 Repression of the PU 154
4.13 The ‘Toiling Peasants’ Party’ 156
4.14 Lenin’s and Stalin’s Positions 156
4.15 Conclusion 158
5 The Crisis of Faith: Popular Reaction to the
Tenth Anniversary of the October Revolution 160
5.1 Anticipation of the Socialist Miracle 161
5.2 The Anticipation of Socialism: Dynamics
and Phases 162
5.3 The Official Image of Socialism 164
5.4 The Popular Imagery of Socialism 165
Contents ix
5.5 Creating a Success Story: The Mobilization
Campaign and Official Narrative of Socialist
Achievements 168
5.6 Greetings of the Enthusiasts 172
5.7 The Case of the Peasant Elichev 173
5.8 Festive Mobilization 175
5.9 A Decline in Spirit 177
5.10 The October Manifesto 179
5.11 Food Shortages Versus the Official Story of Success 180
5.12 Demonstrations and Counter-demonstrations 182
5.13 Against Red Banners 183
5.14 The Disillusionment of Youth 184
5.15 Conclusion 186
6 Conclusion 188
Notes 193
Bibliography 228
Index 243