Cinema during the first two decades of the Soviet Union: how censorship of the arts inhibits the dissemination of information

Abstract

This paper examines the increased censorship that film experienced during the inaugural decades of the Soviet Union. Through an overview of the different genres and trends of Soviet cinema during this time, I draw parallels to the political climate and the role of film as an information medium. Censorship remains a persistent, if evolving, feature of the Party’s relationship with cinema throughout this time, and I conclude that censorship of art, in this case film, is akin to inhibiting the dissemination of information.