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easily recognized. Only instead of the Mother of God there
was the Great Kolkhoznitsa, and instead of the Archangel
Michael – the Great Red Sailor, striking the hydra of the world
bourgeoisie.
Alongside with fine art, cinema was also contributing to the
design of the cult of the Great Kolkhoznitsa. The first attempt
to create its image was made by Sergei Eisenstein in his film
«Old and New» (1929). It was a story of a young peasant
woman, who despite all the hardships, overcame all the
difficulties and succeeded in getting a tractor for the kolkhoz.
But the most famous pre-war art work dealing with the topic
was Alexander Zarkha and Joseph Heifits’ film «A Member
of the Government» (1939) – a classic story for a new Soviet
canon about the rise of the Great Kolkhoznitsa. A former
poor peasant joined the farm, the party contributed to her
promotion to the position of a chairperson, and in the final
she became a deputy of the Supreme Soviet of the USSR
The late 1920s – the early 1930s was a period of the formation
and accession of the Great Kolkhoznitsa to Olympus. But
her final and unconditional triumph occurred in 1937, when,
together with the Great Worker she set off for the World
Exhibition in Paris. Vera Mukhina's 25-meters’ height sculpture
«The Worker and The Kolkhoznitsa» became the central
object at the USSR pavilion. (It is interesting to note, that the
idea of the sculpture belonged to the author of the pavilion,
the architect Boris Iofan, who used the ancient statues of
Tyrannicides and the sculpture of Nike of Samothrace as its
prototype). So, the Great Kolkhoznitsa got the applause not
only from the whole Soviet country, she made all Europe
admire her. Paris newspapers wrote about her as about the
greatest art work of the 20th century.
After her Paris triumph the Great Kolkhoznitsa finally got
her firm position among the three main Gods-Demiurges of
the Soviet country. The choice of the Great Kolkhoznitsa – a
female and nor a male peasant – in a country where gender
equality was more declarative, than actual, had several
reasons. The simplest explanation is based on the poetics
of myth. The role of the goddess of earth and fertility
traditionally was more associated with a woman character.
However, prior to the beginning of collectivization, in
Soviet posters the worker (a proletarian) appeared in most
cases paired with «a male peasant», usually a bearded
countryman with a scythe. In the 1930s, the image of a
male peasant disappeared completely from the posters,
and if it did appear, it was only in the image of a tractor
mechanic. The collectivization started being closely
associated with a woman.
Perhaps, to some extent gender was used as a way
to build a system of priorities. «In the triune task of a
radical change in society», consisting of industrialization,
collectivization and Cultural Revolution, it was a cultural
part which played the biggest role. And it fact it was about
the ideological revolution. And its beginning was laid long
before industrialization. The first decrees, such as «On the
Separation of Church from the State and the State from the
Church», the creation of ideological institutions: Agitprop,
Glavpolitprosvet, Commissariat, Glavlit, the establishment
of the institute of commissioners in the army – all those
manifested cultural (ideological) revolution in the early
years of Soviet power.
The Great Communist was considered to be the God-Creator
of the Cultural Revolution; he was an undisputed leader in the
demiurges’ hierarchy. The Great Kolkhoznitsa and the Great
Worker, who stood one step below, were formally equal. But
in the patriarchal society, a man still had the advantage, in
the same way as industrialization was seen as something
bigger than collectivization, for the Soviet regime it was a
priority. The appearance of Kolkhoznik next to the Great
Worker would only cause confusion about priorities among
the masses, as well as obscene jokes during the period of the
collapse of the system.
But maybe the choice in favor of kolkhoznitsa was dictated
by mystical irrational apprehension. Indeed, in the years of
the Great Patriotic War, there were almost no women left
in kolkhozes, and thus the woman would have to become
the only and uncontested Goddess and the only person who
could plow in the countryside.
The Great Kolkhoznitsa on the Facade
of the Palace of Trade Unions
On the facade of the Palace of Trade Unions in Minsk a magnificent
composition of the Gods-Demiurges’ is well-preserved.
Naturally, it is crowned by the figure of the Great Communist
with a little boy in his arms. In the center, one level below, there
is the same couple – the Great Worker and Kolkhoznitsa with a
sheaf of freshly reaped wheat. The names of other gods can be
defined thanks to the objects they hold in their hands. Next to
Kolkhoznitsa there is the Great Female Athlete, a little bit further
away, sitting on his haunches, the Great Designer is studying
some drawings. Next to the Great Workers there is the Great
Student and Great Female Violinist. The position of these Gods
does not have a particular significance, the fact that the central
role of the first trio had not changed by 1954 – the moment
of the erection of the Palace of Trade Unions – is much more
important. New gods were coming up the new Olympus.
In the postwar years, the image of the Great Kolkhoznitsa
was radically transformed. It rose to stardom. People were
writing about her, making movies about her, painted her. She
was not a peasant woman any longer – now she was young,
combative, and sporty. Just like in architecture rigid and strict
constructivism was replaced by lush empire style, her own
image grew softer, beautified by lace motifs and physicality.
She was not an athlete driving a tractor, but rather a woman
standing by the cornucopia.
Still, the role and significance of the Great Kolkhoznitsa
were gradually diminishing. She remained on Olympus
and nominally among the trio of the three most important
characters, but priorities were being changed in the country
and new Demiurges were coming up on the stage. The Great
Patriotic War produced a lot of new characters and the new
God – the Great Soldier, the winner in the fight with fascism.
In the 1960s the first person went into space and the whole
world applauded the Great Astronaut.
Collectivization remained in the past, new cities and giant
plants were built, and the villagers’ massive migration to the
city started. New professions appeared, which needed their
own Demiurges – the Great Engineer, the Great Computer
Programmer, the Great Meliorator. Numerous former creators
and founders of the Happiness Country, if not disappearing
from the scene at all, were gradually losing their significance.
In the 1970s, the words «kolkhoz» and «kolkhoznik» were
acquiring more and more negative connotations. There was
an evident movement of country people towards the city,
and new citizens did their best to forget about their village
origin as quickly as possible. The concept of «kolkhoznitsa»
started being openly used in a negative, derogatory sense.
She was a subject of songs and paintings, but behind her
back people was laughing at her.
The Demiurges’ Politburo could not do anything about it
anymore. It was still ruling, but no longer did it exercise so
much power. The faith in the Soviet gods was irreversibly
gone. Meanwhile (still not very much clear how exactly)
new incredible and early unthinkable gods were climbing
Olympus and getting more and more power there. Among
those there was the Great Head of
the Vegetable Base, the Great
Grocery Store Director, and
even worse, - oh, my gosh! –
the Great Empty Glass
Containers Inspector!
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