Banal Socialism: The Role of Ideology in Late Soviet Era Urban Reconstruction—The Case of Vilnius

Abstract

The paper delves into the role of communist ideology in urban planning during the late Soviet era (1960s-1980s). It claims that the implementation of new urban plans, which aimed at the radical reconstruction of pre-war populated areas, was deeply rooted in socialist ideological stances. However, chronic housing shortages made the associated demolitions problematic and undesirable. By addressing this conflicting situation, the concept of “banal socialism” was introduced. The concept asserts that the decreasing prominence of overt ideology in the reconstruction of historic cities does not imply a weakening of its influence or the rationalization of the planning system. Instead, it suggests that Soviet ideology underwent a process of banalization, a transformation that involved the ideology adopting routinized, mundane, almost invisible form. By examining the case of Vilnius, the paper argues that this process not only significantly influenced late Soviet era urban planning but also played an important role in shaping a distinctive socialist landscape.