The Post-Stalinism
The Soviet Union saw significant changes after Joseph Stalin died in 1953 and the subsequent de-Stalinization period, characterized by rising tourism. While Stalin’s rule permitted some tourism, business, pleasure, and political reasons restricted most domestic travel. The post-Stalin era, in contrast, created a more relaxed atmosphere, which impacted travel within the Soviet Union.
International politics and the expansion of tourism abroad have an indissoluble connection. Notably, during the Cold War, travel-related ideological concerns significantly impacted domestic and foreign policy decisions. North Americans and Europeans did not actively start taking international standards for passport and visa processes into consideration until 1964. Though, the Soviet Union under Stalin declined the offer.
United States countermeasures barred American communists from visiting communist nations and forbade Americans from traveling abroad. However, despite Georgy Malenkov’s concerns, the new Soviet administration steadfastly worked to revive and broaden relations with other countries. It is evident in the days following Stalin’s funeral in March 1953. A representative of Intourist stated the company’s readiness to accommodate overseas visitors to a Danish tourism agency in April.
They traveled to the Soviet Union to restore travel connections that had been broken before the conflict.
Increased Exchanges
According to a Komsomolskaya Pravda article, those who want to foment worldwide hostility and hatred cannot ignore the call for increased exchanges. With all their hearts, Soviet youth and Soviet students were happy to broaden cultural and scientific ties between peoples. In 1954, the Central Committee archives included descriptions of trips by Soviet scientists and artists. Other delegates abroad and instructions increase foreign tourism from socialist Eastern Europe and capitalist countries to the Soviet Union.
While relatively new, reports on the travels and activities of visiting delegations of artists always addressed Nikita Khrushchev. However, it is not appropriate to consider the latter decades of Stalinism as a single entity. The remarkable Cold War declarations of 1947 and 1952 were reluctant efforts to unite the globe. It differs from today’s rhetoric. At the International Economic Conference in 1952, Stalin was the first publicly to advocate the idea of capitalism and communism coexisting together.
However, the prospect of enhancing foreign cultural exchanges returned with Stalin’s death in March 1953. Malenkov advocated for peaceful coexistence with the West and stressed his willingness to cooperate on European security issues in his eulogy at Stalin’s funeral. Travel restrictions were put in place 1948 and largely limited foreigners to Moscow by mid-1953.
Western Tourism
After their overthrow, Western tourists gained access to most of Central Asia and Soviet Europe. There was also a gradual increase in Soviet tourists traveling abroad. At the same time, not all elite, most Soviet tourists are still cultural icons and delegates. In April 1953, just a month after Stalin’s death, The Times published a shocking article about 18 Soviet sailors who abandoned their coal shipment in Rouen.
They take a bus to Paris when confined to the wharf or still on the ship. However, they headed to Paris. They visited the Sacre Coeur, Notre Dame, the Arc de Triomphe, the Invalides, and the Eiffel Tower. It is some of the famous Eastern tourist destinations in Paris. The captain commented that they would treasure the priceless memories of their trip to Paris. They returned to Rouen on the same night.
After Stalin’s death, tourists continued to reinforce their Soviet identity through tourism. Hence, they announced a lecture on world nations on the beach at seven o’clock. They heard it on the night of 1961 at a seaside resort on the Gulf of Finland.
Thaw
When Leningrad citizens vacationed in Tallinn in 1960, the Estonian Soviet newspaper emphasized the growing relations between the two towns. In the 1960s, trips were frequently made to the Kreenholm Textile Factory, well-known for its textile output and early involvement in the socialist labor movement. The growth of international travel was one of the critical post-Stalinist Soviet tourism developments.
Stalin heavily constrained international travel, and Soviet residents had few opportunities to leave the country. However, after Stalin’s death, the Soviet Union’s leadership gradually loosened travel restrictions, let residents travel to other communist nations, and signed reciprocal agreements with several nations. Increased exports followed, particularly to Eastern European nations, including Hungary, Czechoslovakia, and East Germany.
The “Thaw” period, named after Ilya Ehrenburg’s 1954 novella of the same name, is the phrase used to refer to Khrushchev’s de-Stalinization of the Soviet Union. It symbolizes the challenges to Stalinist control during the Khrushchev era, increased tolerance for diversity, and cultural internationalism. The Thaw idea needed to be clarified to Ehrenburg personally. Ehrenburg believed that the Thaw represented instability, impermanence, incompleteness, temperature swings in nature, and difficulty foreseeing future weather changes.
Khrushchev Era
Naturally, Khrushchev disagreed with the evolution of ideas. The recent writings about the Khrushchev era often emphasize the Thaw. Several articles stressed the limitations of Khrushchev-era reforms. On the other hand, others emphasize the need for continued government involvement. Even in private matters, some question the different liberalizing tendencies of the period.
They blamed the end of Stalinism and extended change beyond the overthrow of Khrushchev to the era of dictator Leonid Brezhnev. Within specific parameters, the government treated Soviet citizens differently. While not the same, the modifications sometimes allow ideas and actions that threaten to transcend agitated regimes. Strictly, the late Stalin government controlled information about other countries.
It is to promote its own xenophobic perspective on global events. They see the Western bourgeoisie as an enemy. However, postwar foreign and domestic policy responses involved much more than making enemies. In addition, the regime pressured individuals who still served as allies to become more Soviet. One reaction to the need is domestic travel. The aim was to create physically and ideologically competent Soviet citizens.
To boost post-war tourism, Moscow paid particular attention to Soviet patriotic education. At a more significant communal level within the Soviet Union, tourism also influenced the development of Soviet identity.
Intourist
By imbuing historical locations and exotic locales with Soviet importance, it seeks to foster a genuine knowledge of the socialist country. Finally, attracting war-weary populations can be accomplished through tourism. The descriptions of the stunning beaches and opulent resorts gave the devout hope that things would get better. They have a comfortable and promising future.
Travelers are reminded in each instance that only within the boundaries of the socialist homeland can a Soviet citizen let down his guard and extend his hand in the expectation of a kind greeting. International and domestic tourism is organized and facilitated by state-owned travel companies like Intourist. The organizations organize all aspects of travel, including lodging, transportation, and guided excursions.
It guarantees that travelers will enjoy a planned and regulated experience. Intourist oversaw a chain of hotels and eateries in the Soviet Union to cater to the demands of both domestic and foreign tourists. Exposure to foreigners should aid tourists in becoming more Soviet even as they learn about new locations and people. To that purpose, travel experts, tour operators, and guidebooks frequently advise tourists on the precise lessons they should gain from visiting foreign countries.
The Soviet authorities promoted the Soviet Union’s image as an affluent and culturally rich country by using tourism to highlight socialism’s accomplishments.
Propaganda
Campaigns to promote tourism frequently include historical landmarks, museums, and monuments to highlight the nation’s heritage and revolution. Propaganda, which depicted the Soviet Union as the ideal vacation destination for its citizens and foreign visitors, had a tremendous impact on the narrative around tourism. Through propaganda, terror, and restricted borders, Stalin developed the image of a defensive and mostly unchanging Soviet identity, a construct that required continual vigilance.
As the Soviet Union was gripped by fear of both internal and external foes by the late 1930s, practically all international exchanges of ideas or people had been shut down. Because the Soviet Union collaborated with the anti-Nazi Western countries during World War II, isolationism was briefly eradicated. The Soviet Union allowed free movement of people and goods across its borders.
For a while, Soviet journalists could still express optimism that the Soviet Union would work with the capitalist nations that valued peace. Local Intourist offices were still operating in 1946 for foreign tourists seeking to visit the Soviet Union in Finland, Switzerland, Germany, and England. However, the Cold War was intense in 1947, and most Intourist offices were shut down. The flow of cultures never ends.
Soviet Union’s Significance
Six Soviet musicians performed in the half-empty Usher Hall in Edinburgh on a chilly Monday night in December 1952. However, only a few Soviet residents were allowed to travel on the new Odesa-New York passenger line, despite the possibility of reading about it. Journalists, rarely delegates, and never visitors wrote the travelogues that were published during that time. They all allegedly felt the happiest when they got home.
Even though tourism increased in the post-Stalinist era, it is essential to remember that it is still constrained and controlled by the government. Individual liberties are nevertheless restricted to maintain the nation’s security, and travel is still subject to stringent rules and bureaucratic procedures. Furthermore, there are variations in the standard of facilities and service in many well-known tourist destinations, with some needing more appropriate infrastructure and a greater need for attention.
Significant developments in post-Stalinist Soviet tourism were brought about by the relaxation of travel restrictions and the encouragement of local and foreign travel. The Soviet Union made significant investments in infrastructure development and marketing campaigns after realizing tourism’s economic and ideological possibilities. Even as the business expanded, it remained subject to state oversight and regulations, ensuring that travel and tourism complemented national and worldwide Soviet propaganda objectives.
Bibliography
- Dudziak, M. L. (2011). Cold war civil rights. In Cold War Civil Rights. Princeton University Press.
- Gorlizki, Y. (1995). Party Revivalism and the Death of Stalin. Slavic Review, 54(1), 1-22.
- Gorsuch, A. E. (2003). “There’s No Place Like Home”: Soviet Tourism in Late Stalinism. Slavic Review, 62(4), 760-785.
- Lasswell, H. D. (1951). The strategy of Soviet propaganda. Proceedings of the Academy of Political Science, 24(2), 66-78.
