Revolutionizing mind and soul? Soviet youth and cultural campaigns during the New Economic Policy (1921–8)∗

Revolution’s Memorialization In The Ritual Practices Of The Novgorod Communists (1921-1925)

“…In other words, traditional rural feasts and the consumption of alcoholic beverages are thought of as a relic of the old regime, but new everyday practices (unlike public meetings and concerts) were not considered enough. The food was provided only for children, and these conclusions do not contradict the data for other provinces (Lebedeva, 2015;Neumann, 2008).…”

“Let's Smash It!” Mobilizing the Masses against the Demon Drink in Soviet-Era Health Posters

“…69 Matthias Neumann argues that among Young Communist (Komsomol) youth, at least in the 1920s, who were subjected to posters, with officials stating "Komsomol is the enemy of drunkenness, Komsomolt'sy must not drink," the battle was lost very early on because, on the one hand, they resisted government policy as either an "element of protest and resistance to the regime's pursuit of social control," while on the other hand, official discourse on what was right or wrong was confused. 70 The failure of these anti-alcoholic poster campaigns to transform the uncultured masses into upstanding Soviet citizens illustrates the fact that the Soviet state was ultimately unable to assert its dominance over the individual, so it gradually became more hostile and coercive in its approach, which deepened the degree of failure.…”

“…Soviet leadership was also divided on the demon drink issue-some supported it (Yegor Ligachev [b. 1920], Mikhail Solomentsev [1913-2008); others opposed it (Nikolai Ryzhkov [b. 1929]); and the same applied to the temperance organizations-some focused on sobriety, whereas others wanted a total ban.…”