Репрезентация власти в письмах населения в газету «Кировская правда» во второй половине 1960-х гг.

Известия Уральского федерального университета. Серия 2: Гуманитарные науки. 2021. Т. 23. № 2. С. 158–174.

Анисимов К. Г.

Perceptions and representations of Soviet rule by the population is of fundamental importance to understanding public attitudes in the Era of Late Socialism. Popular perceptions of authorities are usually examined in the context of political protests, but this article deals with the main aspects of the meaning of everyday Soviet rule to the people of the Kirov region in 1964–1970. The CPSU sought to manage all spheres of everyday life. Therefore, the main idea which was accepted by Soviet people was that authorities had to resolve their everyday problems and to provide for all their social needs. A detailed examination of various aspects of popular perceptions of power is based on the analysis of letters to the regional newspaper “Kirovskaya Pravda” in 1964-1970. This article seeks to explore in detail the perceived – and claimed – “usefulness” or “uselessness” of the authorities in different social, cultural and economic contexts. It also includes a detailed discussion of the general impact of Khrushchev's departure on public discussions. In additional, this study reveals how the people of the Kirov region saw the management structure as hierarchical and identified each of its stages, metropolitan or local, with its utility in everyday life. The article is illustrated with case studies drawn from the citizens’ letters to the newspaper “Kirovskaya Pravda”.

Keywords: советское общество, история СССР, социальные представления, imagology, советская власть, Soviet society, Кировская область, письма в газету, the USSR, public perceptions, the Kirov region