Media In The Soviet Union

For 69 years, the Soviet Union dominated all of Eastern Europe. It was a brutal empire that was held together by the prevalent idea that Communism was the best form of government. In the Soviet Union, everybody was told what to think and feel. There was no freedom of thought or speech. If the people tried to absorb any media not approved by the state, then they would face grave consequences ("Life in USSR under Stalin.").

When Josef Stalin was in charge, he made sure that all expressions of him through the media were positive ones. He was glorified in all forms of art and writings and portrayed as a Russian hero and savior. Some artists were so distraught that their works always had to extol Stalin that they preferred to either kill themselves or emigrate to other countries ("Life in USSR under Stalin.").

Education was tightly run by the state. Kids were encouraged to join groups that promoted social/communist values. They had a very limited amount of books to read as the government monitored what books were and were not allowed in Soviet schools. Churches were attacked and preachers were arrested as Stalin wanted no one worshipping God over himself ("Life in USSR under Stalin.").

A prominent ideology of the Soviet Union was the Soviet Media Theory. This theory stated that the government would seize control of media as a means to benefit the interests of the working class. There was no private ownership of media whatsoever. The rationale behind this was that making the media an instrument of solely the state's would produce a more educated general public. It would also encourage the public to give responses which would foster media interests ("Soviet Media Theory.").

This media theory came under fire from critics who pointed out four flaws and just one strength. The first flaw is the prohibition of private media ownership. The second flaw is that this theory allows national interests to dominate what is regulated rather than personal interests. The third flaw is that journalists in this system appear more as state sympathizers than watchdogs. The final flaw is that if the leadership is bad, the whole country is doomed. The one strength of this system is that the communication system is two-way and allows feedback, which is not found in an authoritative media system ("Soviet Media Theory.").

The Soviet Union had a tight grip on its media and made sure the people only received information that the state wanted them to hear and see. Even though the Soviet Union has been gone for almost 25 years now, its presence still lingers in Eastern Europe. The media in Eastern Europe is predominantly free, but these nations still have trouble moving past a system that heavily influenced their way of life for so many years.

Sources:

          "Life in USSR under Stalin." Web. 24 Mar. 2015. <http://www.historylearningsite.co.uk/Stalins Russia.htm>.

          "Soviet Media Theory." Communication Theory RSS. Web. 24 Mar. 2015. <http://communicationtheory.org/soviet-media-theory/>.