Peter Kenez Books

Peter Kenez is an emeritus professor of history whose work delves into Russian and modern European history. His research interests span the history of the Soviet Union, Eastern Europe, the 20th century, and Soviet film. As a Hungarian native and Holocaust survivor, Kenez's writing often explores profound historical and personal themes, including the origins of genocide and the psychological impact of fear under oppressive regimes. His literary contributions offer insightful perspectives on critical historical periods and their human consequences.

The Birth of the Propaganda State
Soviet Methods of Mass Mobilization, 1917-1929
324 pages
12 hours of reading
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Focusing on the mechanisms of communication, Peter Kenez explores the strategies employed by the Bolshevik Party to disseminate propaganda and connect with the Russian populace. The study delves into the evolution and impact of the Soviet propaganda system, highlighting its role in shaping public perception and ideology during a transformative period in Russian history. Through detailed analysis, Kenez reveals the complexities of political messaging and its significance in the broader context of Soviet governance.
Stenberg Brothers
Constructing a Revolution in Soviet Design
96 pages
4 hours of reading
The extraordinary film posters reproduced in this book, made in Russia by Vladimir and Georgii Stenberg from 1924 to 1933, exemplify a literal revolution in the graphic arts: the transformation of a primarily illustrative medium into one increasingly abstract, constructed, or collaged from a variety of sources. This book accompanies an exhibition of the posters opening at The Museum of Modern Art, New York, in June 1977.The Stenberg brothers, like their contemporaries Aleksandr Rodchenko and El Lissitzky, were artists of immensely varied interests and eclectic skills. They were sculptors, architects, and stage and costume designers, and were enamored of the film and montage theories developed in the suddenly burgeoning Soviet film industry. As seen in this book's super colorplates, they brought to film poster design an extraordinary compositional dynamism, originality, and contrast of scale, employing many of the artistic conventions of the Constructivist movement.

The Birth of the Propaganda State

Stenberg Brothers