Soviet-Union {Dot Com}

The Soviet Union (1922-1991) was a socialist state led by the Communist Party, with Moscow as its capital. The Union of Soviet Socialist Republics (USSR) dissolved in 1991, leading to the independence of its 15 republics and the end of the Cold War.

For nearly seven decades, the Soviet Union was a central player in global affairs, influencing the course of history through its policies, ideology, and actions. While the CCCP (Soyuz Sovetskikh Sotsialisticheskikh Respublik) ultimately failed to achieve its goals and collapsed under the weight of its contradictions, its legacy continues to shape the world we live in today.

At a time of intense political tension between the East and West, Peter Bock-Schroeder made history as the first West German photojournalist to be granted permission to work in the Soviet Union.

After Stalin's death in 1953, photographers from the West were able to photograph the Soviet Union for the first time. And yet the country remained largely unknown even to objective Western observers.

The Soviet Union left behind a monumental legacy with its state-sponsored art movement known as Socialist Realism. This officially sanctioned style became the dominant aesthetic throughout the USSR and Eastern Bloc countries.

The sculptures of the Soviet Union, with their large dimensions, heroic figures and idealised depictions of Soviet life, reflect not only propaganda and political control, but also the aspirations and ideals of the Soviet people.

There is a considerable gap between the propaganda and the distorting counter-propaganda. The portrayal of the Soviet people in the West is characterized by profound individual knowledge and curiosity, but also by an astonishing degree of ignorance.

A people with all their feelings, longings, joys and sufferings, hopes and expectations are all reduced to the silhouette of incomprehension. Ignorance, however, seems sinister and reckless. Where this hostility comes from is well known:

• Enforced Isolation: The Soviet Union's enforced isolation from the rest of the world lasted for decades, preventing cultural exchange and mutual understanding.

• Historical Xenophobia: Geopolitical fears and uncertainties during the Tsarist era, particularly from the British and Austro-Hungarian empires, laid groundwork for later suspicion.

• Iron Curtain: When the Iron Curtain gradually opened in 1991 after the collapse of the Soviet Union, light fell on the eastern stage, enabling a focused and candid perspective.

The ideological struggle between capitalism and communism defined the second half of the 20th century. From the origins of the Cold War in 1945 through decades of proxy conflicts, nuclear brinkmanship, and the Space Race, this period shaped global politics.