The Writer in the Early Soviet Union| A Study in Leadership

• Main Author: Ebert, Cynthia C.
• Language: EN
• Published: Franklin Pierce University 2015
• Subjects: Modern literature|Educational leadership|Modern history
• Online Access: http://pqdtopen.proquest.com/#viewpdf?dispub=3730809

<p> This study will focus on the role of the writer during the early years of the Soviet Union (1920&ndash;1935) through the example of the life and works of Mikhail Bulgakov. Bulgakov&rsquo;s literary career paralleled Josef Stalin&rsquo;s rise to supreme power over not only the Communist Party but the Soviet Union and its citizens. As Bulgakov struggled to publish and stage his works, the Soviet government under Stalin strengthened its resolve to utilize writers to educate the masses in the correct behaviors and values of good Soviet citizens. Each demonstrated his own leadership style: as Stalin evolved into a strong Authoritarian Leader, Bulgakov &lsquo;s survival depended upon his Adaptive Leadership skills. Stalin&rsquo;s greatest successes were during his lifetime; Bulgakov&rsquo;s followed his death as the Soviet Union declined and his works were published. Research questions include the role of the writer in his contemporary society and the writer&rsquo;s ability to influence his contemporary society through his own survival in an authoritarian society but the survival of his works for audiences in other times and places. Bulgakov could not compromise his artistic vision, Stalin, although he recognized and appreciated talent, could not compromise his ideological convictions. The result was a complex relationship between two prominent figures whose leadership styles as much as their differing viewpoints dictated the course of their actions.</p>