‘Read all about it!’

Abstract

This chapter will argue that the early Soviet press remains a key source for historians. The structure and content of the Soviet press, it will be demonstrated, provide a crucial insight into the broader Bolshevik project. In addition to the well-worn pages of Pravda, the early Soviet state saw a proliferation of revolutionary journals and youth journals, often presented in the style of advice literature. This material reveals the importance of ‘cultural revolution’ to the Bolsheviks, helping the historian look beyond the machinations of high politics when trying to provide a rounded picture of Soviet history. It is also worth noting that the human-interest stories and citizen letters published in the press help to revive the atmosphere on the street, putting us in closer contact with the everyday experience of Soviet life.By highlighting the insights provided by press publications, this chapter also seeks to challenge the assumption that the Soviet media, as a propaganda organ, is somehow tainted or unreliable as a source base. It will also show that opinions and editorial approaches diverged more than traditionally thought, suggesting that the Soviet press, like the Western, played a role in developing something akin to civic discussion, albeit within set parameters. With due caution, it will be argued, the historian can learn a great deal from the contemporary press. Indeed, with the early Soviet archiving system still in its infancy across the 1920s, there is a case to be made that the early Soviet press represents a ‘forgotten archive’.