Pearson Edexcel · A-Level · History
Course version: 9HI0 · Version from Sept 2015
The state and cultural change: Proletkult, avant-garde and Socialist…
Full specification wording
Control of the people, 1917–85: The state and cultural change: Proletkult, avant-garde and Socialist Realism, 1917–53; nonconformity from the 1950s; clashes between artists and the government to 1985.
This topic examines how Soviet power shaped culture from 1917 to 1985.
Checked against the Pearson Edexcel 9HI0 specification (opens in a new tab) on .
- Point 3 of 3
- 4 key terms
Study notes
From the checked teaching notes for this specification point.
The idea
This topic examines how Soviet power shaped culture from 1917 to 1985. After 1917, Proletkult promoted a proletarian culture, while avant-garde artists experimented with abstract and revolutionary forms. From the early 1930s, Socialist Realism became the required style, demanding optimistic, party-minded works. After Stalin's death in 1953, nonconformity grew: writers, artists and musicians explored forbidden themes. Clashes with the government continued to 1985, as seen in the Pasternak affair, the Manege exhibition, and the persecution of writers like Solzhenitsyn.
What earns the marks
- Explains Proletkult's aim to create a proletarian culture and its relationship with the Bolshevik state.
- Describes avant-garde experimentation in art, literature and film, and its partial tolerance in the 1920s.
- Explains the imposition of Socialist Realism from 1932–34 and its core doctrines.
- Analyses nonconformity from the 1950s, including samizdat, underground art and musical subcultures.
- Evaluates specific clashes between artists and the government up to 1985, such as the Pasternak and Solzhenitsyn affairs, the Manege exhibition, and the bulldozer exhibition.
Common mistakes and how to put them right
Treating Proletkult as identical to the Communist Party.
Put it right: Proletkult was a separate movement with its own leadership and was eventually subordinated to party control.
Assuming all avant-garde art was banned immediately after 1917.
Put it right: Avant-garde artists initially received state support and only faced systematic suppression from the late 1920s.
Confusing Socialist Realism with mere realism.
Put it right: Socialist Realism required party-mindedness and optimistic portrayals of Soviet life, not just realistic technique.
Exam tips
- Use specific cultural works and dates to illustrate each phase, such as the 1932 decree on literary organisations or the 1974 bulldozer exhibition.
- When discussing clashes, explain both the artists' actions and the government's response to show causation.
- Link cultural policy to political control, showing how tolerance or repression reflected the leadership's priorities.
Try the lesson
The start of the Control of the people, 1917–85: The state and cultural change: Proletkult, avant-garde and Socialist Realism, 1917–53; nonconformity from the 1950s; clashes between artists and the government to 1985. lesson, made from checked teaching notes for this specification point.
Have a go first
Which cultural organisation was established in 1917 to promote a distinctively proletarian culture and became a focus of state concern under Lenin?
Listen
This topic examines how Soviet power shaped culture from 1917 to 1985. After 1917, Proletkult promoted a proletarian culture, while avant-garde artists experimented with abstract and revolutionary forms. From the early 1930s, Socialist Realism became the required style, demanding optimistic, party-minded works. After Stalin's death in 1953, nonconformity grew: writers, artists and musicians explored forbidden themes. Clashes with the government continued to 1985, as seen in the Pasternak affair, the Manege exhibition, and the persecution of writers like Solzhenitsyn. A strong answer earns marks for these points. Explains Proletkult's aim to create a proletarian culture and its relationship with the Bolshevik state. Describes avant-garde experimentation in art, literature and film, and its partial tolerance in the 1920s. Explains the imposition of Socialist Realism from 1932–34 and its core doctrines. Analyses nonconformity from the 1950s, including samizdat, underground art and musical subcultures. A common slip: Treating Proletkult as identical to the Communist Party. Instead, Proletkult was a separate movement with its own leadership and was eventually subordinated to party control. Exam tip: Use specific cultural works and dates to illustrate each phase, such as the 1932 decree on literary organisations or the 1974 bulldozer exhibition.
Put the events in order
Put these events in the order they happened, earliest first.
- 1. Bulldozer exhibition staged by nonconformist artists
- 2. Proletkult promoted a proletarian culture after the revolution
- 3. Stalin's death allowed nonconformity to grow
- 4. Decree issued on literary organisations
Key words
Say what each word means before you turn the card.
State control versus artistic freedom
Try answering aloud or in your head before turning the card.
Ideology and cultural production
Try answering aloud or in your head before turning the card.
Resistance and conformity
Try answering aloud or in your head before turning the card.
Continuity and change in cultural policy
Try answering aloud or in your head before turning the card.
See every definition
- State control versus artistic freedom
- The tension between Soviet power shaping culture and artists' freedom, shown in clashes between artists and the government to 1985.
- Ideology and cultural production
- How Soviet power shaped culture from 1917 to 1985, from Proletkult and the avant-garde to Socialist Realism and later nonconformity.
- Resistance and conformity
- Nonconformity from the 1950s, when writers, artists and musicians explored forbidden themes, set against required styles such as Socialist Realism.
- Continuity and change in cultural policy
- The shifting phases of the state's responses to culture, from Proletkult and avant-garde tolerance to Socialist Realism and clashes to 1985.
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