Zhdanovism

Zhdanovism was a cultural policy in the Soviet Union during the late 1940s and early 1950s, named after politician Andrei Zhdanov. It aimed to align arts and culture with party ideology, emphasizing socialist realism and promoting works that supported Soviet ideals. Zhdanovism condemned "bourgeois" and "formalistic" art, asserting that all cultural activities should serve political goals and strengthen the Soviet state's power. It led to censorship, suppression of avant-garde and experimental art, and strict control over intellectual expression, reinforcing the Communist Party's influence over cultural life.