The Creation and Art of the USSR

The Creation of the USSR

In 1922, the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics was created.

Political Organisation

The political organisation of the USSR put into practice Marxist ideas (communism) with the establishment of a proletariat dictatorship.

• Political power was held by the soviets, which had the power to make laws and choose the people who held executive power.
• The Communist Party of the Soviet Union (CPSU) was the only political party, representing the interests of the workers.

Economy

Lenin was forced to postpone the implementation of socialism due to food shortages caused by the civil war. The New Economic Policy (NEP) allowed some capitalist systems. Peasants could sell their produce, and small private artisan shops were set up. The state controlled important sectors like large industries, foreign trade, and banks.

Territorial Organisation

It was a federal state. The federal system resolved the problems of former nationalities of the Russian Empire, respecting their autonomy and right to self-determination.

Art

In Europe, between 1905 and 1945, artists were influenced by the avant-garde style, a new artistic language that symbolised the definitive break with traditional art.

Expressionism

Depicts human emotions, such as suffering, anguish, and disappointment, through an expressive and simple technique in which the human body is deformed, reduced to a silhouette, or the use of angular shapes.

Cubism

Representation of figures by the use of geometric shapes, such as cubes, cylinders, or spheres, with no reflection of depth. The figures are created with defined areas of color called facets. Collage involved sticking different materials, such as newspaper and cloth. Open sculpture was used for the first time, in which spaces and holes had artistic value.

Dadaism

This style originated in the disillusionment felt by artists when contemplating the tragic consequences of the first world war. Dadaists rebelled against established forms and aimed to provoke the viewer. They used photomontage (a work composed of photos) or “ready-made”, where they used everyday objects like urinals and wheels, removed from their context to create works of art.