A is for AZBUKA Anew: Reading (the Art, Pedagogy and Politics) of Early Soviet Illustrated Primers
Journal: Histoire Politique
Year: 2017

The reconstitution of social and intellectual being that comprised the goal of the new Soviet authorities following their seizure of political power in late 1917 signalled a fundamental campaign for literacy. The process of learning to read was commenced in a traditional way, i.e. through school lessons and by illustrated primer (azbuka/bukvar) in which letter, word and image were text. In the attempt to instill a socialist consciousness in every adult and child ‘HOW’ and ‘WHAT’ to read took on