Date of Award

8-8-2017

Degree Type

Thesis

Degree Name

Master of Arts (MA)

Department

History

First Advisor

Joe Perry

Second Advisor

Jared Poley

Abstract

In the Soviet Union, the Cold War space race created propaganda that contributed heavily to the mythologizing of outer space. This mythologizing of space was designed to bolster the political and scientific aims of the USSR; culturally, however, it had the opposite effect on citizens by offering futurism through science fiction media as an escape from the regime. Many Soviet youths, particularly those who came of age during the Brezhnev era, were disillusioned with communism. They sought a sense of identity and an escape from political ideology, and were drawn to subcultures centered around music, literature, and fashion among other things, as an escape from the present. In the same way that Soviet youth who were drawn to Western trends and envisioned an idealized West as a refuge from everyday life, I argue that science fiction films and electronic music also provided an escape from the present to youth.

DOI

https://doi.org/10.57709/10305637

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