Detailed Agenda
Title
Detailed Agenda
Description
"Poet: Kapralova, V. (The poem is omitted)
“The Fighting Pencil” group, 1971
Text on the scroll (from bottom up):
“To:
27. Further raise the quality of presentations at meetings.
28. Implement progressive methods of efficient meeting conduct.
29. Meet and exceed meeting attendance quotas.
30. Better manage the procurement of water carafes.
31. Eliminate idle time of typists and stenographers.
32. Improve moderation practices at briefings and other short meetings.
33. Eliminate typing errors in the records of meeting proceedings.
34. Introduce new…
35. Adopt new methods…
36. …”
The poster’s criticism is aimed at the Soviet bureaucrats’ affinity for long and endless meetings, the obvious shallowness of the issues they discussed, and, mainly, at the fact that holding meetings became their primary and only function.
This cartoon was created in the years associated with economic stagnation and Leonid Brezhnev’s leadership. Overtly cautious and incapable of strategic thinking, he never made important political and economic decisions without extensively discussing them with other Politburo members. This tactics of “muddling through by balancing in the political middle” (Chubarov, 2001, 144) often lead to half measures and accumulations of unresolved problems. The indeterminate nature of his policies could not but impact the way government bureaucratic structures conducted their business. The artists recognized this fact and creatively expressed it."
“The Fighting Pencil” group, 1971
Text on the scroll (from bottom up):
“To:
27. Further raise the quality of presentations at meetings.
28. Implement progressive methods of efficient meeting conduct.
29. Meet and exceed meeting attendance quotas.
30. Better manage the procurement of water carafes.
31. Eliminate idle time of typists and stenographers.
32. Improve moderation practices at briefings and other short meetings.
33. Eliminate typing errors in the records of meeting proceedings.
34. Introduce new…
35. Adopt new methods…
36. …”
The poster’s criticism is aimed at the Soviet bureaucrats’ affinity for long and endless meetings, the obvious shallowness of the issues they discussed, and, mainly, at the fact that holding meetings became their primary and only function.
This cartoon was created in the years associated with economic stagnation and Leonid Brezhnev’s leadership. Overtly cautious and incapable of strategic thinking, he never made important political and economic decisions without extensively discussing them with other Politburo members. This tactics of “muddling through by balancing in the political middle” (Chubarov, 2001, 144) often lead to half measures and accumulations of unresolved problems. The indeterminate nature of his policies could not but impact the way government bureaucratic structures conducted their business. The artists recognized this fact and creatively expressed it."
Creator
Travin, V.
Date
1971
Source
Rutgers & Continuum
Rights
"Source:
Holzer, M., Illiash, I., Gabrielian, V., & Kuznestsova, L. (2010). Red Tape from Red Square:Bureaucratic Commentary in Soviet Graphic Satirical Art. Poughkeepsie, NY: NetPublicaions
Chubarov, A. (2001).
Russia’s Bitter Path to Modernity: A History of the Soviet and Post-Soviet Eras. New York, London: Continuum."
Holzer, M., Illiash, I., Gabrielian, V., & Kuznestsova, L. (2010). Red Tape from Red Square:Bureaucratic Commentary in Soviet Graphic Satirical Art. Poughkeepsie, NY: NetPublicaions
Chubarov, A. (2001).
Russia’s Bitter Path to Modernity: A History of the Soviet and Post-Soviet Eras. New York, London: Continuum."
Publisher
Rutgers & Continuum
Contributor
Rutgers & Continuum
Format
Medium: Poster
Language
Russian
Type
Artwork
Identifier
Art, Satire, Cartoons, Bureaucracy, Stagnation, Brezhnev, Soviet Union
Coverage
Russia
Files
Reference
Travin, V., Detailed Agenda, Rutgers & Continuum, 1971
Cite As
Travin, V., “Detailed Agenda,” Virtual Museum of Public Service, accessed April 26, 2024, https://vmps.omeka.net/items/show/480.