OTL Soviet Union struggled hard with soft power. Being able to export our culture effectively should be a positive change for the USSR.
Our Soviet Union (USSR)
- Thread starter CountofDooku
- Start date
My point exactly comrade, showing the world what the Union has to offer culturally will be great for us, we can do even capitalise on the popularity of certain genres in the west to craft our versions.
Like imagine a western, but instead of it being about a frontiersman fighting native Americans and bandits, it's about a Red Army soldier defending his home village from White Army forces and Reactionary landlords.
I just found this the other day and finally have caught up, this is a really cool concept and I don't think I ever realized such a series like this ran on the site. I'm hoping and kinda assuming everyone can join in? If so here's my votes:
The Finland Question: D) as there comes a time all of our military developments and modernizations needs to be put to the test. This is a golden opportunity. The Red Menace has laid in rest for too long, we cannot let our soldiers grow fat and lazy. Finland will undoubtedly capitulate to our mighty forces!!
Russian SFSR Capital: A) Moscow is the only option that makes sense imo, given the historical context. Moving the capital to Leningrad would, in my eyes, be a counter-revolutionary move and a nod to the imperialist era.
Soviet Union Capital: E) building a new city is the most interesting and exciting option. The modernist movement has already begun and is beginning to rule the day by 1927 iirc. In OTL we'd see Nazi Germany embrace modernism with their grand plans to rebuild Berlin from scratch, for example. I dont propose we bulldoze a city, but we should show the world how great we truly are, and how better than to build the greatest city in the world?
Mexico 1867 would be very cool, as would Italy 1900 and the United Korea TL
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"Eastern movie" is a genre unto itself. 1970's White Sun of the Desert, set near the Caspian Sea and known for traditionally being screened to cosmonauts before they take off to space, is probably the most famous example. In fact, noted fan of Westerns Leonid Brezhnev absolutely loved it, which contributed to it seeing the light of day despite Goskino coming very close to shelving it. Also consider DEFA Indianerfilme, which had a following in the USSR (some were shot in the Caucasus mountains) - those were also set in the American Wild West and portrayed heroic Native Americans in an inspirational anti-imperialist struggle.
The Soviet Union also had a number of notable international coproductions throughout its history, which would also give a great name to Soviet film industry.
Considering "Of all arts, the most important to us is cinema" is a Lenin quote, there's no real reason why we shouldn't champion the Soviet cinema as our greatest asset in establishing the USSR's image in the wider world.
@CountofDooku Can we perhaps vote on abolishing the country layer in the USSR? I'd love to replace it with economic zones which are smaller then countries but focus on specific functions for the Union. The purpose would be to remove country loyalty over Union loyalty, decentralise and reduce power blocks, unite similar economic blocks, e.g. oil production in part of the stans and around Baku, food production in parts of Ukraine, mining in East Ukraine and the Urals, etc etc. Making bonds between similar folk in the same industry, over nations is beneficial and in line with Marxist theories.
We would however have to make sure the big dogs don't run the show (e.g. output based voting). Nor do we want to let the tail wag the dog (completely equal votes regardless of size).
We would however have to make sure the big dogs don't run the show (e.g. output based voting). Nor do we want to let the tail wag the dog (completely equal votes regardless of size).
I do like the overall concept and focussing first on the local SSR majority languages until hugh school and then upon the overall lingua franca should be a concept that everyone could behind.This sounds excellent, our own Hollywood (or in this case, Yaltawood). Making movies with Socialist themes and cutting edge equipment and techniques thanks to our many great filmmakers. It would also be a big boost to our economy if we had more jobs that don't require the heavy industrial equipment that would be needed for other industries, if we built workshops and studios to create cameras and film.
Also, as mentioned later in the thread it would also be a good boost to our recognition internationally if we were able to dub in various languages, hire diverse casts and export our movies to various trade union halls and movie theatres abroad.
Maybe it's the linguistics nerd in me talking but I think Esperanto would serve as a great Lingua Franca due to its ease of learning and simple structure. It also enjoyed a high level of popularity with the Bolsheviks during this period and since we don't have the Stalinistic repression of OTL I can't imagine that popularity diminishing anytime soon.
However, I acknowledge that to try and get the whole union to speak it overnight is a foolish endeavour.
What I think we should do is a two tiered system. We keep Russian as the Lingua Franca for the next decade or so (due to Tsarist Russification policies still effecting a lot of the union.) But while this is happening we send out linguists to the various SSRs / ASSRs to create two language plans / lessons for schools.
- The first would be the SSRs / ASSRs Native language which would be geared at primary school children / the illiterate.
- The second would be an Esperanto language plan that would be taught in high school and to the illiterate as well.
This means that within the next decade we will see people take pride not only in their Native tounge but also in the new Socialist language of Esperanto.
Another benefit of Esperanto is how universal it is and in a bizzare instance it actually enjoyed a decent bit of popularity in China during the Republician period and even into the modern day.
If we do this language plan and even see if the Chinese would be willing to offer Esperanto classes in their schools, I imagine in 30 years time we can see scenes of people being able to effortlessly communicate no matter where they are in our union or even abroad if the language catches popularity in the wider socialist movement which will greatly decrease people's feelings of social isolation, whether it be living in a multi-ethnic neighbourhood or simply going on vacation.
Here's a simplified wiki article on Esperanto in the Soviet Union and here's a proper article about its popularity and interest in China.
Wikiwand - Esperanto in the Soviet Union
Esperanto was variously endorsed and oppressed in the Soviet Union throughout its history. The language was permitted by the government in the 1920s, but its internationalist nature brought it under scrutiny in the 1930s and Joseph Stalin enforced measures against the Esperanto community, having...www.wikiwand.com
Esperanto, China’s Surprisingly Prominent Linguistic Subculture is Slowly &
Esperanto, China’s Surprisingly Prominent Linguistic Subculture is Slowly Dying Out It’s probably difglocal.soas.ac.uk
Anyone can join in, the more the better, especialy as people also give me and each other nice ideas and discussions.
The overall concept is not bad, but what should we base these new layers upon and what would that look like upon a map?
I'm not a fan of the idea of removing country layer. This will create more tensions between various ethnicities - you can't expect national identity to fade away in a snap. Stuff like New Soviet Man identity was also meant to displace it - given various interethnic conflicts of the ex-USSR, this did not work. This can also lead to economic overspecalization of certain areas, where the well-being of an economic zone depends entirely on the success of one particular industry.
We're not there yet for that kind of technocracy. And, personally, I doubt we ever will be.
Well for most of the USSR the country republics were useless at best. Why would changing a layer create more tensions? I am not advocating actively hunt the national identity, but making (sub)nations less important they gradually become less relevant.
The easy answer would be to have at least 2 specialisations per zone. And we only have to look at e.g. Detroit it is true in OTL as well, the risk always exists. Organising it that way does not make it more or less likely.
These are the exact kind of films we should be making.
For as advanced and ahead of the curve Soviet filmmakers are when it comes to their art, he working class want simple entertainment and the capitalists realise this, so why should we not make our own entertaining films but free of the reactionary messaging found in the west's films like Birth of a nation?
Another thing I want to suggest is that I think we should heavily invest in film camera for civilians, the invention of photography allows the Proletariat to involve themselves in art in ways that was once only allowed for the rich.
Here's an example of an early Soviet camera that would be mass produced in the next decade or so:
FED
FED or FED-1 is one of the first Soviet 35mm rangefinder cameras, which was a clone of the legendary Leica camera.
sovietcameras.org
@CountofDooku ok, as once again many important questions/initatives were raised by dear comrades, I suggest doing a third vote for this week on these topics:
1. Soviet Hoollywood in Crimea
2. Languages of the Union
3. New internal division of the Union?
4. I'll allow myself to add my own idea of building oil pipelines to China (from Siberia), to Germany (via Poland or Czechoslovakia) and to Italy (via Germany/Czechoslovakia and Austria) as those countries are our biggest customers of oil so building pipelines would allow us to ship more oil and earn more money
1. Soviet Hoollywood in Crimea
2. Languages of the Union
3. New internal division of the Union?
4. I'll allow myself to add my own idea of building oil pipelines to China (from Siberia), to Germany (via Poland or Czechoslovakia) and to Italy (via Germany/Czechoslovakia and Austria) as those countries are our biggest customers of oil so building pipelines would allow us to ship more oil and earn more money
@CountofDooku edit point.4 to China/Germany/Italy add also Japan as this is our potential big customer, so I propose to build a pipeline from Siberia to Japanese controlled Korea
That is true. USSR tried to pull the average viewer up intellectually, and it didn't quite work. Even when it comes to export work, USSR tended to push forward a more artistic impression. Of course, there are absolute masterpieces among films that received worldwide acclaim, but one can argue that this tactic has skewered the image of Soviet cinema abroad.
We shouldn't have to bend over backwards to the tastes of most average viewer, which is something capitalist cinema is quite guilty of. Instead, let's make sure to provide the diverse array of films to a diverse array of demographics. As I've said, the Crimean Babelsberg is just the beginning - eventually each republic of the USSR should be able to maintain its own cultural output.
Great thought. Soviet amateur cameras do in fact have quite a reputation in the wider world, and could make for another facet of Soviet soft power in addition to enabling Soviet people the individual artistic expression they deserve. Besides, a good camera is always handy for a variety of reasons.
Third vote before update this weekend!
These votes get out of hand, people might mistake us for Democracy Comrade
A Soviet Hollywood:
A) Generally yes.
B) Yes in Crimea.
C) Yes other place (plase suggest a location).
A Soviet Union Language.
A) Russia as the Lingua Franca.
B) Multilingual, first local, then Russian as a inter-union language.
C) Multilingual, first local, then Esperanto or a own creation similar to it as a inter-union language.
D) Not needed, the Soviet Union will merge languages and ethnic gorups on it's own over time.
A new Soviet Union internal division:
A) Yes, upon what these regions do for the Soviet Union.
B) Along ethnic, lingual, cultural or religious lines more directly.
C) A own sugegsted new internal division system.
D) That is not needed.
Soviet Hollywood:
B) Yes in Crimea - its a great opportunity to increase our soft power abroad
Soviet Union Language.
B) Multilingual, first local, then Russian as a inter-union language - best option as it balances personal freedoms with requirements of modern state and society
A new Soviet Union internal division:
D) That is not needed - current internal division of USSR is a perfect balance between the center and provinces
A - we must show the world that the Soviet people are just as artistic and creative as the imperialists and capitalists in the United States and Europe.
B - for the purposes of the Soviet Union.
We can revisit this later when the Oppressed Peoples of the World have broken their shackles and overthrown their Capitalist Masters.
C - we should not ignore the plight of those minorities that were being oppressed by the hated Tsarist regime. Perhaps we should consider Strategic Economic Planning Zones as major divisions.
Economic regions of Russia - Wikipedia
I'm incredibly excited for this future where the Soviet Union can outclass the U.S. as the world's main movie provider.
Soviet Hollywood -These votes get out of hand, people might mistake us for Democracy Comrade
A Soviet Hollywood:
A) Generally yes.
B) Yes in Crimea.
C) Yes other place (plase suggest a location).
A Soviet Union Language.
A) Russia as the Lingua Franca.
B) Multilingual, first local, then Russian as a inter-union language.
C) Multilingual, first local, then Esperanto or a own creation similar to it as a inter-union language.
D) Not needed, the Soviet Union will merge languages and ethnic gorups on it's own over time.
A new Soviet Union internal division:
A) Yes, upon what these regions do for the Soviet Union.
B) Along ethnic, lingual, cultural or religious lines more directly.
C) A own sugegsted new internal division system.
D) That is not needed.
B: Yes in Crimea. First Crimean Babelsberg, then the whole Peninsula will be filled with the flashing of cameras, the clang of typewriters and the hammering together of sets!
A Soviet Union Language -
C: Multilingual, first local, then Esperanto or a own creation similar to it as a inter-union language. We shall make it clear that the Soviet Union will become something better and something of the future and not retreading the old language policies of the Tsar.
A new Soviet Union internal division -
B: Along ethnic, lingual, cultural or religious lines more directly. We should make it clear that the Soviet Union is just that... A union of various peoples who are coming together for their greater good so we should draw our borders to better reflect that.
I would say that it would be better to start directly with the establishment of studios in each SSR - instead of focusing on a single production center. At the same time, a single control center is needed in order to establish communication between the studios.
In terms of production and audiences, we live in the thirties. Methods for studying demographic groups are not as well crafted. The cinema of the first half of the 20th century is also good for its totality.
I'm going to listen to what comrade @WotanArgead had to say. We absolutely need to be drawing plans for republican studios. I specifically pointed to Yalta for its potential, and, as I've said, it could work as a blueprint. A film studio for every republic is what we should ultimately strive for. All in all, sounds like a mix of A and B.
Both Russian and Esperanto have multiple issues as Union's international communication language. So far, I believe we should go for each republic having its own national language or languages, and Russian as the communication tool (option B), but experimenting with Esperanto is not out of question.
So far, existing republics do well for what they are. In drawing borders, we should respect and listen to people who actually live on said land, and avoid creating powder kegs that can implode once the unthinable happens. Generally, I believe further federalization and strenghtening of the periphery regions is needed, so that the whole Union wouldn't be crippled if one particular region is out. I would also suggest creating something akin to OTL Russia's federal districts in Russian SFSR (which is huge compared to other republics, and needs more effort put into federalization), plus designating some more territories under direct Union subordination (or Union territories, which those would likely be referred to in English) in addition to the new Union capital (shaping up to be either Sverdlovsk or Samara) - particularly Leningrad and Sevastopol, both highly important navy centres.
B) Yalta shall be the cinema capital of not just the Union but the world!
C) The imposition of Russian as the Lingua Franca was an act of imperialist domination by the Czar. Let me Esperanto be the language that truly unites our citizens.
B) Our Union is a made of a coalition of people's each of which have their own culture, language and spiritual practices. We should honor all of them.
A) if only to not just have to watch American self wanking that much (not a complaint to all movies, nor Americans in general, but darn there is a lot of wrong information coming out of Hollywood especially).These votes get out of hand, people might mistake us for Democracy Comrade
A Soviet Hollywood:
A) Generally yes.
B) Yes in Crimea.
C) Yes other place (plase suggest a location).
B, maybe C at some point. You need time to build a teaching force of something like Esperanto, plus I'm not convinced it's not going to be more trouble then it's worth. People will complain either way and at least Russian is spoken by the majority.
A/C) I prefer an economical division over B, because that has a downside that it creates groups that form identies outside the USSRs interest. There is zero benefit to the USSR to have an Orthodox grouping, or a Kazakh language speakers, or a Russian nation, or a Turkic People's grouping.
The USSR is their faith, is their culture and ethnicity doesn't matter.