Just a little project update.

I still need to post on my musical analysis, but I thought this would be a good place to update on my project, just so I have a place to reference to!

I originally proposed a broad examination of Sino-Soviet relations during the 1950s and how the Odd Couple alliance brought Socialist Realism to Chinese propaganda posters. At Dr. Fernsebner’s suggestion, I’ve decided to focus the topic a little further – and looking through the primary sources, the posters, I may have found a direction to take.

In the posters the audience can witness the Big Brother-Little Brother relationship of the Soviet Union and China. The newly formed People’s Republic of China needed a Communist role model and Moscow was prepared to accept the role – the two nations signed the Treaty of Peace, Security and Friendship in 1950. A critical feature of the alliance was the encouragement of economic development as China relied upon Soviet backing as it strove for financial stability. Here are a couple of representative images of Soviets during the 1950s:

Notice how industrialization and modernization are emphasized in the skyscrapers, brick buildings, cranes, and refineries. Clearly, Soviet influence is central to *urban* development. Stefan Landsberger has been an invaluable source in this point – he also points out how the posters depicting Russian patronage borrow heavily from Soviet Socialist Realism. I’m not exactly sure how to integrate this into the rest of the paper, but I definitely want to include it.

The Soviet focus on a technocratic revolution did not sit well with Mao, though. The Chinese leader had his own ideas about Communist ideology, one centered not upon scientists and technical experts but common laborers and peasants. The Great Leap Forward of 1958 was indicative of this division, focusing on the collectivization of agriculture. Here are a few images of the movement:

The imagery is much more traditional – both dragons and phoenixes are present – with an emphasis on agricultural prosperity and progress. The posters depict a China coming into its own, settling comfortably into its identity after years of following the Soviet model.

These posters are the backbone of my research – but already I can see how important secondary literature focusing on Sino-Soviet relations will be, just to ensure I have the correct timeline and can understand the political environment of the period.

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