„Our International Duty“. Pictural language of Soviet Photography between Authenticity and Orchestration

MARKUS MIRSCHEL (Zürich)

Abstract:

In 1979, Soviet troops operated – for the first time since the end of World War II – beyond the borders of the Warshaw-Pact-States in order to stabilize a friendly regime in Afghanistan. The official reason given for the intervention was the international duty and solidarity as well as the right to self-defense in accordance with Article 51 of the UN Charter. During the ten-year-military conflict, official USSR print media such as Kraznaja Zvezda and Pravda, developed a unique visualization adapted to the course of the war. Supplying the Soviet society with propaganda depicting the Soviet Army as a supporter and friend of the Afghan people, the true nature of the war and its consequences remained unpublished. In order to achieve these goals, photojournalism in the USSR developed its own style of image presentation in accordance with existing Soviet pictorial traditions.
The analysis of war photography published in the Soviet media allows a reconstruction of social developments and helps to better understand concepts such as war, peace and security in the USSR.