Propaganda and the formation of "Soviet values" in Azerbaijan during the years of Soviet rule

Abstract

The article examines the formation and promotion of "Soviet values" and "Soviet man" in Azerbaijan during the Soviet era. During the 70 years of Azerbaijan's membership in the USSR, a campaign was conducted against the traditional spiritual culture in accordance with the Soviet national policy, the policy of forming "Soviet values" as well as the "Soviet man" who carries these values. Ethnos, national music, folklore, customs, folk and religious holidays, traditional etiquette norms, family values, etc. are moral values that preserve the identity of the ethnos. For the formation of the "Soviet man", first of all, "new" values, Soviet values, were propagated. In order to unite the Soviet peoples around a common ideology, first of all, the elimination of ethno-moral values and the promotion of slogans such as "socialist internationalism", "Soviet patriotism", and "friendship of peoples" were intended. He had to propagate the Soviet way of life and ideology in all spheres of culture and form a "Soviet man" with "Soviet values" and "Soviet values". At first glance, this policy of the Soviet government has no disadvantages. However, the values promoted by Soviet ideologues were different from the traditional values of Azerbaijanis, where the term "patriotism" already meant "Soviet patriotism", "internationalism", "friendship of peoples" and "friendship" with socialist peoples, Soviet peoples, and the world proletariat. Soviet culture and Soviet values were formed in the USSR under the name "cultural revolution". The article reflects the policy of Russification in Azerbaijan during the Soviet era, the methods of forming new Soviet holidays and ceremonies, and the Soviet way of life in general. Names and surnames play an important role in the value system of the people. A person's given name and surname are important indicators of a person's ideology, worldview, and generation. The national policy of the Soviet government was also reflected in the field of anthroponymy. The change in this area was mainly in two directions: first, the change of names, and second, the change in the structure of the anthroponymic model. Along with the new socialist as well as international names, which are not traditional for Azerbaijanis, changes have been made in the structure of surnames. In Azerbaijan, as in other Soviet republics, the next and most important means of propaganda, which played a psychological role in the formation of Soviet values, was the process of admitting students to the ranks of the Komsomol, pioneers, and Octoberists. The ceremonies organized for this purpose instilled in the students enthusiasm, confidence in the building of socialism, Soviet patriotism, and so on. had to play a big role in creating such feelings. However, the processes taking place in the country as a result of the collapse of the USSR and Azerbaijan's independence showed that this policy was not successful. One of the reasons for the failure of Soviet national policy is the self-formation of the people's system of values, which led to the alienation of foreign ideology from its worldview.