Hi Everyone!

[Historian]

Production of tractors was a key objective during the first 2 five-year plans which focused on the mechanizasion of the farm labor. The projected and realized number of manufactured tractors was widely publicized. Even as a middle-school student in the Sov. Union in the 1980's, I was told during history classes how many thousands of these farm machines were produced during the early years of the Soviet power. In movies made during that era, one can see characters driving tractors and happily singing. In the mid and late 1930's, the focus was shifted from agriculture to heavy industry and tractor "was retired" from the propaganda front. As for Lenin being the choice for the order, allow me to speculate. It is said that Communism is religion which was meant to replace Christianity in hearts and minds of Russian people. In the Imperial Russia, orders were named after saints. Therefore, it only made sense to create a Soviet order in honor of the greatest Communist saint - V. I. Lenin.

During GPW, propaganda stressed that Russian people are fighting for their land, culture, the right to speak Russian language, not for the preservation of Communist government. Old Russian heroes were revived. Strategic operations were named after Tsar's generals Bagration and Rumyantsev. Introduction of orders Suvorov, Kutuzov, Nevsky was a part of the effort to tell Russian people that the land of their ancestors is at stake in this war.

Cheers,

Simon

Simon, I think I know the film you are referring too, the one where they are all singing, on and off tractors, and eating lots of bread..... had to watch a few like that..... :-) Wish I spoke Russian now! I will bring up these points if thats ok in my presentation, I will make it clear that it is speculation however we are expected to extrapaplate upon limited information and attempt to see what point is being made through the propaganda (like the famous leninist window cartoons etc. etc.).

I will also be using bit's like this (see below), to attempt to emphasize certain points about awards.

As well as, as you say the importance of "Old Russian heroes...Strategic operations were named after Tsar's generals Bagration and Rumyantsev. Introduction of orders Suvorov, Kutuzov, Nevsky was a part of the effort to tell Russian people that the land of their ancestors is at stake in this war."

I will also make note of the usage of falsified awards, Like that of Private Alexandr Matrosov, he reportedly:

“Threw himself in front of an enemy machine gun in an act of extreme sacrifice”.

New research conducted in Soviet Archives has shown that he was only used for propaganda purposes during and after the war, and that he never actually performed the act he was posthumously decorated for. This elaborate series of lies was intended to intensify and strengthened unity throughout the Soviet Union and its peoples. The use of lies like this was used to reinforce the idea of Homo Sovieticus (Soviet Man) and how strong and powerful they were and therefore, in the Soviet mindset, how strong and powerful the whole Soviet Union was. [part of the above was taken from my third year paper, and so may be missing some quotes and footnotes ].

ATB,
Tom