Русская грамотность

With all this talk about reading and how revolutions can change the landscape of literacy in a country, my mind went back to the Chicago Art Institute’s showing of the Russian Revolution (1918–1921). At the Art Institute, when this exhibitions was up, you could see various propaganda posters, videos of old movies, recordings of speeches given by Lenin, and contemporary art that was being produced. Among all of these attractions are a select few walls which discuss the topic of literacy in the struggling Russian state.

Crawling out of the reign of the czar, a majority of Russians could not read or write, and during and after the revolution, there was a massive push to get mothers to educate their children. This education took the form, specifically, of literacy. The heading for this piece is a well-known propaganda poster which urges mainly peasant mothers to teach their children how to read and write. As mentioned before, there were audio clips played at the exhibition downtown, one specifically about the power of literacy. In addition, there was a small screen which would cycle through various images of the revolution and specifically education. So intertwined were education and literacy for the Russian people during this time period that books became equated with knowledge, and ultimately power.

Lenin argued: “As long as there is such a thing in the country as illiteracy it is hard to talk about political education.” As a result, and despite the grim conditions, literacy campaigns were launched nationally among toddlers, soldiers, adolescents, workers, and peasants.

I think that despite literacy’s value being overblown in many cases and people not placing enough value on oral cultures, for the Russian revolution it was invaluable. It allowed countless peasants to gain more control of their future and get a foothold during the industrializing process.