Zhdanov Denounces “Formalism” in Music
At a glance:
- Series: Great Events from History II: Arts and Culture Series
- Categories: Music
- Subcategories: Entertainment, Entertainers, Composers, Songwriters, Communism, Communists, Censorship
- Curriculum: 20th & 21st Century European History, Russian/Former Soviet States History
- Geographical Location: Moscow, Soviet Union, Russia, Europe
- Date: February 10, 1948
Article abstract: The Central Committee of the Communist Party of the Soviet Union published a decree opposing “antidemocratic formalism” in the music of the country’s leading composers.
Summary of Event
On February 10, 1948, the newspapers of the Soviet Union published a decree on music by the Central Committee of the Communist Party of the Soviet Union. The decree was preceded by a three-day conference presided over by Andrei Zhdanov, Joseph Stalin’s heir apparent, even though both his health and power were in decline. At that conference, the...
[The entire page is 2254 words long]
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