Comments on: American propaganda about Russia

Question: American propaganda about Russia

ac — Thu, 26 Jul 2012 17:11:58 -0800

Can anyone help me find Cold War-era video of American propaganda specifically about *Russians* (or at least mentioning Russians), rather than "Communists" in general?

By: jessamyn

jessamyn — Thu, 26 Jul 2012 17:43:25 -0800

This movie talks about the space race and alternately refers to Russians and Soviets and calls them "Reds" in the title. This one also uses Russians and Reds. You can probably find more in the moving pictures section of the Internet Archive by tweaking your search terms some.

By: Mchelly

Mchelly — Thu, 26 Jul 2012 18:16:18 -0800

Sting, Russians

By: Mchelly

Mchelly — Thu, 26 Jul 2012 18:17:33 -0800

(though I suppose it may not count as propaganda since it's meant to be satirical / ironic)

By: fiercekitten

fiercekitten — Thu, 26 Jul 2012 20:03:25 -0800

I think most propaganda films are going to use the term Communist for a couple of reasons. They were focussed mostly on "finding" Communists in the US (the Red Scare era) or "fighting" Communists in the usual Cold War sense (Vietnam, Cuba, Chile, etc). Thus the focus was on Communists in general and not specifically the Soviets.

I think, generally speaking, that popular media is more likely to use Russian/Soviet than any proper propaganda. And don't forget the perennial Cold War term "Russkie" like in this clip from Dr Strangelove (definitely NOT propaganda).

By: Chocolate Pickle

Chocolate Pickle — Thu, 26 Jul 2012 20:06:58 -0800

Have you seen "Patton"?

..."The Russians. Don't forget the Russians..."

By: Sys Rq

Sys Rq — Fri, 27 Jul 2012 09:32:57 -0800

Would Boris and Natasha from The Rocky & Bullwinkle Show count?

I was born in 1981, so I may be a bit blinkered, but basically all of the anti-Communist sentiment I remember from that last bit of the Cold War--Hollywood movies and such--was basically only ever very specifically anti-Soviet (if not specifically anti-Russian; there was a lot more to the USSR than just Russia). Rocky IV, for example. At the very least, the enemy would be in a big fur hat.

Maybe losing in Vietnam discouraged US propagandists from ever even alluding to the existence of Communists who couldn't be defeated by The American Way?