The Victory of Communism: Yuri Gagarin Makes Space Popular All Over the Planet

In the 1950s, Soviet authorities faced two cultural challenges. The Russian hip youth generation was an unexpected threat because it promulgated the foreign culture of short skirts, off-white suits, dandy yellow shoes, and jazz. The second challenge became increasingly serious because it grew out of the Second World War and Khrushchev’s “thaw.” Russians turned to the Orthodox Church for solace after the war’s catastrophic destruction and loss of life. To overcome social and religious concerns and regain young minds, the Soviet government had to seek new social cement without turning to the repressive apparatus of fear and terror.  To this end, the Soviet leadership directed youth towards the Scientific-Technical Revolution. The Soviet media and schools received instructions to promote the sciences and extirpate religious influences. In 1957, Soviet academician Ivan Efremov published his science-fiction novel, The Andromeda Nebula, which conquered the hearts of many young Soviet citizens. The novel foretold a cosmic victory of communism over capitalism and the union of all races into one civilization living in a world free of discord and violence. Echoing Efremov, the Soviet authorities declared the victory of communism when the first cosmonaut in space turned out to be a Soviet citizen. The publicity campaign turned Yuri Gagarin, the first man in space, into a mythic figure. He symbolized the greatest achievements of the Soviet Union. By publishing his and his relatives’ memoirs, book albums for pioneers and Komsomol members, and poetry about the first flight into space, the Soviet Union undertook a massive propaganda campaign to popularize space and create an alternative “sacred space” to absorb its citizens’ energies and symbolize the country’s aspirations. Stamps, coins, and posters were mass produced and countless articles in the press and in popular magazines proclaimed the space program as Homo sovieticus’ and socialism’s grand achievement.