Looking East Flashcards
(15 cards)
What did Mass Observation reports reveal about British working-class views on the Soviet Union during WWII?
Many working-class Britons admired the Soviet Union for fighting for their rights and cutting out profit; some wished Britain would follow their example.
What did one Mass Observation respondent say about Russia in 1942?
“Russia – why the finest country in the world… Long live Russia says I.”
How did British perceptions of the USSR shift during WWII?
Positively, due to the USSR becoming an ally in the fight against Nazi Germany.
What nickname did Stalin acquire during the Second World War in British media?
“Uncle Joe.”
What did Churchill allegedly say about allying with the USSR?
“I will get into bed with the devil himself.”
What were the four social groups identified by Mass-Observation?
Rich people, middle classes, artisans/skilled workers, and unskilled/least educated workers.
How did the Saturday Review describe the idea of British rapprochement with the USSR in 1936?
As disgraceful; citing Soviet propaganda, executions, anti-religious acts, and the murder of the Tsar as reasons.
What did critics in Britain believe about Soviet power according to the Saturday Review?
That it was an all-powerful state undermining democracy in other nations.
How did others critique the Soviet system in contrast to its perceived power?
They pointed to its internal failures—famine, war, and failed industrialisation under the Five-Year Plans.
Who was Ivan Maisky?
The Soviet ambassador to the UK from 1932 to 1943.
What did Maisky report Churchill saying about the Soviet battleship Marat’s sailors?
That their “Hurrah!” impressed the British government, contrasting English cheers as “the barking of dogs.”
What did Beatrice Webb say about Soviet famine in 1933?
It didn’t shake her faith in the Soviet economic model, which she believed would triumph despite the challenges.
What was Sir Robert Vansittart’s view on the Metropolitan-Vickers trial in 1933?
He called the arrests “grotesque and hysterical” and believed they were staged to scapegoat failed industrial policies.
What does Piers Brendon argue about Western attitudes toward Soviet reporting?
Westerners were confused; the most positive accounts seemed too good, and the worst too terrible to believe.
