By the 1930s, the new Soviet Union was already unrecognizable from the fledgling society that rose up after the Russian Revolution of 1917. With Lenin’s death, pure Marxist ideology fell by the wayside as Stalin steadfastly increased the state’s power and moved toward pure authoritarianism. This trend gradually spread to cover all segments of society, including art. Although they were often tolerated in the years immediately after the Revolution, any artistic ideas that could be interpreted in a subversive way were quickly and efficiently stamped out. The fin de siècle and symbolist ideas present in the artistic landscape of pre-revolutionary Russia were replaced by a state sponsored style and theme: Socialist Realism.

In its essence, Socialist Realism painted the state in the best light possible, creating a cultural representation of a perfect Soviet Society. This is exemplified perhaps nowhere better than in Vladimir Mayakovsky’s poem “My Soviet Passport”. The poem is the ultimate distillation of Soviet Realism: it paints the Soviet state and nation as supremely righteous and enviable, while managing to diminish countless other nations at the same time. Mayakovsky begins the poem with “I’d rip out / bureaucracy’s guts / I would .” This is the epitome of pure, socialist rage against capitalism and the bourgeois, although it is ultimately ironic and misplaces. The Soviet government itself would go on to be highly bureaucratic. The Soviet citizen the poem is written from the perspective of notices special treatment being paid to travelers from Great Britain and the United States. The narrator depicts the customs agent as bending over backwards to please and pay respect to the citizens of these great, capitalist societies. It is an extremely unflattering portrait of deference being shown to undeserving old British “uncles” and “lanky Yankees”.

The passport collector’s reaction to the sudden appearance of a Soviet passport under their nose is very different from their reaction to that of any other nation. It is one of shock, awe, and disconcerted reverence. The officer handles it like a “bomb” and a “snake”. These are not pleasant descriptions, but are definitely empowering ones to a Soviet citizen who wishes for reverence and respect from the global community. As a new nation with an untested form of government, the USSR desperately wanted acknowledgement and respect from other nations,  and probably desired the inspiration of a small amount of fear. In a small way, this parallels the version of America that many of our President Elect’s supporters hope will solidify in the coming years. Through his realist poetry, Mayakovsky paints a strong young Soviet Union, one that already has a vaunted position on the world stage. This was obviously intended to place some artificially constructed pride of country in a reader’s heart, as well as providing validation of a powerful and fear-inspiring society.

By the end of his study of “The most valuable of certificates” (the Soviet passport), Mayakovsky makes no pretense about the poem’s true intention. With a burst of nationalistic sentiment that would surely have pleased the state censors to no end, Mayakovsky brings the poem to a close. “Envy me / I’m a citizen / of the USSR!” he writes. In a front to back reading, the poem’s true intention may be clearer, yet its goals are never subtle when read in any manner. Whether it be through fear or genuine ideological fervor, Mayakovsky does an excellent job of promoting the new government’s most central ideals.