Vanguard Studies of Soviet Russia Epigraph
This epigraph accompanied each edition of The Vanguard Studies of Soviet Russia. Presumably composed by Davis, it is particularly curious for its poetic sincerity in contrast to the relatively dry texts on such subjects as Soviet economic organization. In its carefully structured line breaks it brackets the periods of turmoil and the struggle for freedom, narrowing towards the ultimate symbol – the common people. It functions to bind the series’ quest for facts with a cultural picture of what it means to be Russian in the Soviet era. Several words jump out as characteristic of the leftist media’s cultural portrayal of the Soviet Union. Brotherhood is of course a founding idea, but this equality is characterized by the “sincere” populous. In this exhibit, this epigraph is used to capture the tone of leftist writing about Russia, after a decade of vibrant communist publications. Such a dedication, and the way it characterizes the Russian populous, I will argue, are products of the cultural aesthetic presented during the years immediately following the Revolution.
Featuring the bold statement, “Welcome to the New Russia,” this cartoon illustration depicts the imagined skyscrapers (in tandem with the ever-present spires of Saint Basil’s Cathedral) in Moscow’s Khimki Park region where IKEA Russia has recently invested millions to develop a new state of the art business complex. Featured here are all of the accoutrements of modern technology and transport – a plane, helicopter, satellite, radio transmitter, automobile, truck – which suggest that these are all envisioned as part of this “new” Russia that IKEA is helping to build. Additionally, the illustration points out the commercial success of IKEA’s stores across the Russian state, mentioning the 466 billion Euros of retail turnover in 2011. Yet this impressive figure is simply one facet within the larger scheme of IKEA’s presence as the largest commercial shopping center operator in the country. In total, the cartoon portrays IKEA’s self-visioning as an integral part of the wave of modernization and commercialization taking place in Moscow today.
“About IKEA Shopping Centers Russia.” Сайт Торговых Центров МЕГА. Accessed April 10, 2014. http://megamall.ru/en/company/.
Hill, Jayme Rae. From the Brothel to the Block: Politics and Prostitution in Baltimore During the Progressive Era. Ann Arbor: ProQuest, 2008. Web. 25 Apr. 2014. Koman, Rita G. Ellis Island: The Immigrants Experience. OAH Magazine of History 13.4 (1999): 31-37. Print. Murray-Seegert, Carola. The Mechanics of Emigration: One Familys Story. JewishGen.org. Geneaology. N. p., Aug. 2012. The New York Times. A Veritable Pest Ship. The New York Times 10 Sept. 1892. Web. 22 Apr. 2014.
U.S.-Russian relations improved following the collapse of the Soviet Union. President Boris Yeltsin's visited the White House in January 1992 in an attempt to strengthen ties between the countries. This was a momentous visit during which Yeltsin and Bush discussed nuclear arms proliferation and reduction terms, as well as economic issues. In fact, President Bush helped Russia join the World Bank and IMF. A key quote from a declaration they ended up making together was that "Russia and the United States do not regard each other as potential adversaries," thus demonstrating that the established goal had been met.
http://www.state.gov/p/eur/ci/rs/200years/c30273.htm#yeltsin_visit http://russiancouncil.ru/en/inner/?id_4=1694#top
Directed towards leftist American youth, Young Worker took a more pedagogical tone than other publications. Each issue devoted pages to instructing its readers in how to think about the issues of the day, and to projects of self-improvement. This issue contains an article titled “Think Economically!” that instructs young workers in how to conceive of their working lives in order to mobilize the American Proletariat. Other articles provide historical perspectives on youth movements in Europe and in America. The piece from which these images are excerpted instructs the reader not to be too trusting of the mass media. “What is the Press?” it opens, somewhat pedantically, “This is very important and something we should all understand, for it is the Press that moulds Public Opinion.” The article goes on to explain how the capitalist press is shaped by the opinions of its owners, who form syndicates with the express purpose of deceiving the populace. It advises to beware of the vested interests of these magnates, who often have stakes in other industries. For example: if there is a strike in a mine, a newspaper owner with stake in steelworks will publish lies about the demands of the striking workers. The perspective taken here captures the opinion of many American communists that the biases in the media were the result of a strategic propagandistic mechanism.
Oral Interview with Melvin Scott (Ziesla Skakon's son); Horodets, last modified 2003, http://www.brest-belarus.org/br/Horodets/Horodets.i.html, accessed 4/24/2014.; Gorodets: A Quarter Century (1914-1939) last modified 2014 by Tixkor Book Project Manager, Lance Ackerfeld, http://www.jewishgen.org/yizkor/gorodets/gor139.html, accessed 4/24/14.;Ziesla Scottt, Ellis Island Record, http://www.ellisisland.org/search/passRecord.asp?MID=16225958900913323072&LNM=SKAKON&PLNM=SKAKON&first_kind=1&last_kind=0&TOWN=null&SHIP=null&RF=6&pID=100120020095, accessed 4/24/14.;Journey to America, http://www.mattivifamily.com/immigration/journey_to_america/journey_to_america.html, accessed 4/24/14.