An introduction to the Proletcult movement for delegates arriving to the Comintern’s Third World Congress from its English-language daily bulletin.

‘Proletcult’ from Moscow. Vol. 1 No. 1. May 25, 1921.

After having completely overthrown the existing bourgeois culture the October Revolution set before the proletariat the task of establishing its own culture, upon entirely new foundations, expressing the real psychology of the masses employed in the various industries as well as giving a correct scientific analysis of all its social and intellectual tendencies. It was then that the Proletcult came into being, as the hearth of the new proletarian culture, and, as it were, as a fully-organized “headquarters” of learning.

The first Proletcult arose in Petrograd in 1917. During 1918, the number of Proletcults increased to 4, in 1919 to 52, in 1920 it rose to 209, while at the present time, throughout the whole of the Russian Soviet Federative Socialist Republic 312 Proletcults exist, of which 42 are gubernia, 167 factory and works, 47 district, and 36 local seats of proletarian culture. In Moscow we have the Contral Committee of the Proletcult with a series of central studios acting as “model” studios for the whole of the Republic. Besides this, attached to the Central Committee of the Proletcult is a Central Arena of proletarian creative talent where demonstrations are given of all that has been attained in the various branches of art, both at the central as well as in the local and provincial studios. The Moscow Proletcult is concerned chiefly with the work carried out in the town itself throughout its various district studios while Moscow gubernia Proletcult conducts the work in the gubernia.

Recently, new Proletcults have been instituted in Odessa, Novorossiak, Kiev, Ekaterinodar and Baku by the Organisation Bureau of the Proletcult Central Committee. Steps are being taken to establish Proletcults throughout the Crimea and the Don Basin. The Bureau has at its disposal a railway carriage equipped with literature, gramophones, posters, etc. for agitational purposes. This carriage will in the near future be sent to various selected points.

During the three and a half years existence of the Soviet rule extensive educational work has been carried out by the various Proletcults. At the present moment, throughout the whole of the Republic, there exist 268 proletarian theatres, 128 literary, 224 musical-vocal, and 186 art studios comprising more than 80,000 students, all busily engaged in their respective studies.

The Moscow Proletcult has accomplished very extensive and important work. The Art and Scientific-Pedagogy Sections attached to the Moscow Proletcult have been instrumental in resolving many questions of principle in all spheres of principle in all spheres of art and have established methods of study in the various studios upon the latest and most rational lines.

In the Moscow Poletcult literary schools studies are being conducted in the theory of style, poetry, history of socialism, theory of artistic form and prose, as well as in a whole series of social subjects for the general public.

In the theatrical studios, both in the central, of which one has been transferred under the direct supervision of the Central Committee of the Proletcult, as well as in the local studios, work is proceeding extensively. The following pieces and sketches have been produced by the Central Studio: “The Revolt” and “The Woman at the Crossroad” by Verkharia, “The Avenger” by Clodell, “The Mexican” by Jack London, “The Dawn of the Proletcult” composed from poems of various proletarian poets, etc.; rhythmic representations: “The Marseillaise”, The Leader”, national songs and a whole series of stagings of Kryloff’s fables which repertoire was duly given throughout the various districts of Moscow, while, during the summer of 1920 these performances were given to the Turkestan Army of the Eastern front. In the summer of 1919 a studio to perform at the front for agitational purposes was established. It staged “The Loss of the Hope” by Heieruens and “Red Truth” by Vermisheff and after giving eleven performances in Moscow this studio was sent to the front during the time of Denikin’s advance, where it gave 16 theatrical performances and 9 concerts.

In 1920 the First Central Studio went to Siberia where it gave 42 theatrical performances.

In October 1926 a Studio of Synthetic study was established aiming at the creation and development of new theatrical forms, upon the lines of the synthesis of music, movement, words and colours. One of the best works of this Studio-Labour was to be seen during the First of May celebrations, and represented the struggle of organised labour against capital.

In addition to the Central studios there exist a number of local studios.

Besides the theatrical studios, the Proletcult numbers 13 musical-vocal studios with 906 students; one of these is the Central Choral Studio.

Attached to the Musical Section of the Proletcult are the Repertoire-Publishing and Lecture Concert Sections. The work of the Publishing Section consists in the publication of a great quantity of the various musical works to be duly distributed throughout the whole of Soviet Russia and even abroad. So far 5,000 works have been distributed.

A great number of concerts and lectures and discourses with musical illustrations have been arranged by the Lecture Concert Sections both in the centre itself as well as in the various districts in the military clubs and in factories and works.

Besides this the Musical Department also comprises a Scientific and Technical Sub-Department. Among other works of a scientific nature, experiments are being made in the study of the aerotubophone, in the standardising of acoustics and rational construction of factory whistles, while Korean, Bashkir and other national songs, etc., are being duly recorded upon phonographic discs.

Six central as well as numerous local studios have been formed by the Art Section. This Department is subdivided into the following Sections: painting, sculpture, and the graphic decorative and applied arts. A series of exhibitions were arranged by this particular Department where the work accomplished by the students were to be seen. The Proletcult has, also, a great number of clubs which gives the students engaged in the various spheres of art every opportunity of coming into contact with each other.

The Moscow Proletcult has at its disposal a very extensive library comprising 2072 volumes touching upon various subjects. Besides this central library each club and studio has its own library, with a total number of 12,000 volumes.

In spite of the scarcity of paper the Proletcult publishes its owned journals. Thus the Central Committee of the Proletcult publishes a journal entitled “Proletarian Culture”; The Moscow Proletcult two journals, viz., “The Forge”, “Creations”; the Petrograd Proletcult “Coming Future”; the Saratoff Proletcult the “Stroke”; and the Orenburg Proletcult the “Hammer”, etc.

In addition to the above both in the centre as well as in the various districts the works of proletarian writers, poets, dramatic authors, etc., are duly published.

Moscow was the English-language newspapers of the Communist International’s Third Congress held in Moscow during 1921. Edited by T. L. Axelrod, the paper began on May 25, a month before the Congress, to July 12.

PDF of full issue: https://www.marxists.org/history/international/comintern/3rd-congress/moscow/Moscow%20issue%201.pdf