A brief introduction to one of the USSR's most important propaganda publications.
SSSR na Stroike (The USSR in Construction) was a Soviet periodical magazine published between 1930 and 1941 (and briefly revived in 1949 before it was renamed and repurposed). Its intention was to capture the 'great deeds' of the USSR and its people during the piataletka (Five-Year Plans) which were launched in 1928. The magazine was published by Izogiz (the State Publishing House of Fine Art responsible for so many iconic propaganda posters of the Stalin era) and overseen by an editorial board that included Maxim Gorky. Artists who contributed were often well-known and included El Lissitzky and Alexander Rodchenko. Stylistically, the magazine focused on photographs and montages to capture the heroic deeds of the Soviet people during the mass economic transformation that Stalin forced through after his victory in the Communist Party power struggle of the 1920s.
Interestingly, the magazine was published in Russian for the Soviet ‘market’ but was more broadly aimed at an international audience so it was also published in French, English, German and a range of other languages. The international aspirations of the magazine essentially meant that it: ‘... propagandized the transformation of the Soviet economy, society and culture during the intensified industrialization drive that began with the start of the First-Five Year Plan in 1928…' [1]
A complementary aim of SSSR na Stroike was to counter international criticisms of the USSR that Stalin believed to be proliferating in the West. He wanted to challenge these perceptions by promoting the great achievements of the first piataletka. Gorky himself claimed that the magazine used svetopis (‘writing by light’ or photography) to ‘...deprive our enemies inside and outside the Soviet Union of the opportunity to distort and discredit the testimony of words and numbers...' [2] According to one scholar: ‘… SSSR na Stroike was doubtless one of the most adroit propaganda weapons available to international Communists who were seeking converts at the time.’ [3]
Themes and content
In its early years, SSSR na Stroike was clearly focused on recording the great economic transformation of the USSR. The first editions were relatively simple in concept and design. For the most part, they explored major industrial projects (such as new mining facilities or metalworks), collectivisation and a multi-edition entirely dedicated to the capital cities of the USSR (1930 No. 7 – 8). Even though the content of these early editions is less experimental than later years and presents a glorified version of the history, the visual impression they provide of specific developments in the Soviet Union can be very valuable. There is a clear bent towards celebrating the heroic achievements of communism in a story of unbridled progress from 'backwardness' to 'socialist modernity' but seeing images of how collective farms could operate and what various regions of the USSR looked liked are illuminating.
Although some commentators suggest that the magazine underwent significant changes from 1934 – 35, my reading of the available editions at the State Library of NSW suggests that, in fact, this began in 1932. [4] From that year the magazine editors began experimenting with new themes such as regions and people groups within the USSR and a greater focus on the social and cultural aspects of the USSR is evident (though this is even more obvious in the later 1930s). Internal Party criticism of the simple format of early editions helped to inspire new experiments but external influences also helped. Perhaps most notably, left-wing artists from Europe such as the German communist John Heartfield made significant contributions. [5]
For obvious reasons, the progress narrative underpinning SSSR na Stroike never really disappeared throughout the 1930s. In the 12th edition for 1932 covering the Khibin Mountain region, local inhabitants are celebrated as having graduated from 'reindeer to the locomotive'. In edition seven for 1938, the expansion of the Soviet rail system is celebrated. This lauded the growth in industrial and passenger networks and took particular pride in the opening of the Moscow Metro system which first began to operate in 1935, but had 22 stations by the end of the decade. Sample images for both of these editions are below.
The social and cultural emphasis within SSSR na Stroike clearly became more prominent during the second and third piataletka (the period between 1933 and 1941). Perhaps this was because the regime had moved so far towards achieving mass collectivisation and the most trying years of the first plan had been overcome. Regardless, later editions explore a range of lesser-known regions within the USSR (such as Badakhshan in the Tadjik SSR which was covered in the second edition for 1937) and themes such as the film industry (1938 No. 1) and Komsomol – the Communist Youth League (1938 No. 10). Images from these three editions can be seen in the small gallery below.
The collection at the State Library of NSW (Sydney)
There is a near-complete set of English-language editions of SSSR na Stroike at the State Library of New South Wales in Sydney. This includes 86 editions spanning the years 1930 – 1939 divided into nine bound volumes. Theoretically, the magazine was published monthly but editions were often combined and, therefore, covered multiple months. This was especially the case for large milestone editions such as No. 9 – 12 in 1937 which celebrate both the new Soviet Constitution promulgated in 1936 and the 20-year anniversary of the Great October Revolution (1917).
The following table provides the library's reference for each bound volume containing between 8 and 12 editions.
* These include some 'combined editions' so do not add up to 12 in total.
In all other cases, editions appear to be missing if they do not total 12.
Online resources
The following resources provide some further introduction to SSSR na Stroike and are freely available online (except Matthew Feldmen's essay needs to be requested or accessed through a library database).
The University of Saskatchewan (Canada) has made some of its collection of SSSR na Stroike available online here.
The curator David Campany has commented in some depth on Issue 12 from 1933 in some depth here.
Erika Wolf's thesis on SSSR na Stroike is available here.
Matthew Feldman's essay on SSSR na Stroike and its connection to Soviet political religion is available here.
Endnotes
[1] Erika Wolf, ‘SSSR na stroike: From Constructivist Visions to Construction Sites’, unnumbered page.
[2] Maxim Gorky quoted in Margarita Tupitsyn, The Soviet Photograph, 1924 – 1937, Yale University Press, New Haven, 1996, p. 128
[3] Matthew Feldman, ‘A Case Study in Soviet Political Religion: Modernism, The USSR in Construction, and Stalin’s Russia’, Religion Compass, Vol. 5, No. 11, 2011, p. 693
[4] Hayley Card, ‘The Tate Modern’s USSR in Construction’, pp. 149 – 152 Totalitarian Movements and Political Religions, Vol. 8, No. 1, 2007, p. 15
[5] Erika Wolf, ‘SSSR na stroike: From Constructivist Visions to Construction Sites’, unnumbered page.