“We are the Red Cavalry . . . Lead us, Budyonny!”

Front and back covers of the photobiography of Semyon Budyonny (1883–1973), stored in the Wende Museum’s vault.

As a history major (now with a Bachelor’s Degree) whose primary research interest lies in East Asia and yet loves classical and “traditional” Russian music, the Wende Museum has perhaps been my most enjoyable place to work so far. While I came to enjoy encountering various interesting objects – East German-made Walkman, for instance – I also came to the realization that a collections intern could have its limits – one can’t touch music, after all!

I began to change my mind when I came across the small Soviet vase the museum purchased this year (among other things), shown below:

(Мы – красная кавалерия и про нас былинники речистые ведут рассказ: “We are the Red Cavalry, and storytellers will eloquently speak about us in their stories”)

What fascinated me about this vase was that it had on its sides the first lines from a song I happen to know: Budyonny March, a Russian Civil War-era military song that I learned thanks to a recording made by the Alexandrov Song and Dance Ensemble (better known as the Red Army Chorus in the West) in 1994, released in a CD published by Naxos in 1996 (there hasn’t been any commercial studio recording by the ensemble since then, but I digress – that’s another story).

As its name suggests, the song commemorates Semyon Budyonny, a Soviet military figure who led the First Cavalry Army during the Russian Civil War (1917-1922). He was a prominent figure under Stalin’s reign, becoming one of the first five marshals of the Soviet Union.

When I had my hands on the vase, I realized that I could “connect the dots”. A couple of months back I also came across a Soviet-era photobiography of Semyon Budyonny, whom Budyonny March commemorates. So this “discovery” is what led me to write a blog post, in order not only to share my delight but also to leave my mark on the museum in writing.

A little bit about the song itself. Composed by Dmitry Pokrass, resident composer at the headquarters of the First Cavalry Army in Rostov-on-Don with words by Anatoly D’Aktil (alias of Antoly Frenkel’), the song is one of the most frequently performed and well known songs from the Russian Civil War era, especially so during Soviet years. This song no doubt contributed to the formation of the “Red Cavalry” iconography, an example of which can be seen on the vase mentioned earlier.

So, how does the song sound? To help you with that question, follow the video link below from 1984 in which the Central Military Band of the Ministry of Defence performs the music, conducted by Anatoly Mal’tsev:

According to traditions, the song had been known to have come into existence in January 1920 as the Red Army began advancing westward, recovering territories that had been lost under the terms of the Treaty of Brest-Litovsk. That, however, most likely does not mean the song’s text, as we know it today, also came into existence around that time. See if you can spot inconsistencies in the lyrics (while you listen to the song!):

Alexandrov Song and Dance Ensemble of the Soviet Army from My Love, Dear Army (Тебе любимая, родная армия) (1978), dressed in the First Cavalry-style uniform specially for this occasion

We are the Red Cavalry,
And about us
Storytellers will eloquently speak
In their stories:
About how on clear nights
And on rainy days
With boldness and pride we go into battle!

Refrain:
Lead us, Budyonny, boldly into battle!
Let there be thunders,
Let fire rage around us
We are selfless heroes,
And our whole life is a struggle

Budyonny is our dear brother,
We have with us all the people
He orders: do not lower your head,
And look forward!
We have with us Voroshilov,
The first of the Red officers,
We shall shed our blood for the USSR!

Refrain.

High in the sky flies a red flag
We are flying there, where the enemy is
And in battles intoxicating,
Like an avalanche we bring a swift blow
To Warsaw and to Berlin
And we hit Crimea!

Refrain.

Below are some of the inconsistencies pointed out by several Russian websites:

1. “We shall shed our blood for the USSR”: the USSR came into existence in December 1922

2. “We bring a swift blow to Warsaw and to Berlin, and we hit Crimea”: when the USSR was formerly proclaimed, the Red Army had already taken control of Crimea; the Peace of Riga had been signed in 1921 after a failed attack on Warsaw. This part of the lyrics would have made sense until August 1920, from which point the Red Army started engaging armies of the White Poles and Wrangel. In either scenario, an attack on Berlin does not make sense unless it is to be seen as a part of the world revolution; and yet the text places Berlin in between Warsaw and Crimea, not after.

3. It would have been too early to call Budyonny “our dear brother” – such an honor, especially on national scale, had yet to be earned. The same goes for Kliment Voroshilov, who served as a political officer in the First Cavalry Army at the time, and praising him as “the first of the Red officers” would have been premature as of 1920.

4. No manuscript or publication of the song from the Civil War years has turned up.

(Source: http://waracademy.narod.ru/music/mb.htm)

Consequently, it is logical to infer that the texts underwent several changes after 1922, most likely for political reasons – it is perhaps no coincidence that neither of the two prominent figures praised in the song — Budyonny and Voroshilov — was removed from power during their lifetime. In fact, the other three marshals were executed during the Great Purge!

Budyonny’s photobiography dates Budyonny March’s text to 1924

Another Russian website provides the following information:

1923-1924: Budyonny March first appeared on publication in 1923-1924, presented as a folk song until 1926

1926: Dmitry Pokrass claimed authorship in a publication (music only without words) from Nizhny Novgorod

1929: Included in “First Cavalry Army in Songs” (Первая Конная в Песнях), a concert program for the Red Army Song Ensemble of the Central House of the Red Army (Ансамбля красноармейской песни ЦДКА), the group that would later become the Alexandrov Song and Dance Ensemble; recorded by other groups around this time
(the cover of “First Cavalry Army in Songs” can be seen here: http://fotki.yandex.ru/users/varjag-2007/view/174135/?page=8)

1938: Included in “50 Russian Revolutionary Songs”; the editor commented that the song was composed at the headquarters of the First Cavalry Army in Rostov-on-Don in 1920 and that the song could not be published at the time “due to the front’s circumstances”
(the website, however, points out that, from 1920 until the end of the Russian Civil War, the First Cavalry Arm in fact published poems and songs in its newspaper “Red Cavalrymen”)

(Source: http://www.pseudology.org/songs/My_krasnye_kavaleristy.htm)

The text’s inconsistencies notwithstanding, the song became an integral part of the official Russian Civil War memories and the “Red Cavalry” iconography, with the latter serving as an inspiration for numerous subsequent musical, visual, and literary presentations.

Thus concludes my first blog entry on the Wende Museum blog. Now, let me leave you with other videos on Youtube, from both past and present!

Academic Russian Choir of the Central Television and All-Union Radio (1974)

Alexandrov Song and Dance Ensemble of the Soviet Army, from Visiting the Red Banner Ensemble (В гостях у Краснознаменного ансамбля) on Central Television of the USSR (1986)
There is a lot I can talk about this video. “First Cavalry in Songs” (Первая Конная в Песнях) is shown briefly before photographs of the Alexandrov Ensemble from its early years are shown; Anatoly Mal’tsev, who conducts the Central Military Band of the Ministry of Defence in an earlier video, also appeared in this program – He became the director of the ensemble in 1987 after Boris Aleksandrov, who led the ensemble between 1947 and 1987, retired; His father, Aleksandr Aleksandrov, was the founder of the ensemble and was also the composer of the national anthem of the USSR, which was “restored” as Russia’s national anthem in 2001.

And lastly, a child Red cavalryman, supported by his family!

Jun-Hee Lee

A typical East German Christmas Eve – from a child’s perspective

Stefanie Kriebich is originally from Dresden, Germany and working on her Masters in International Museum Studies at Göteborgs Universitet in Gothenburg, Sweden. She has been interning at The Wende Museum since August.

The children had already opened the last door of their advent calendar in the morning of December 24^th. It contained a small piece of milk chocolate in shape of Santa. It would be a long day for them, because they were waiting anxiously for the presents to be exchanged in the evening. Would Santa come himself? Would he bring all the presents they wanted? Hopefully, they would recall the poem they had been learning by heart. Santa was not very pleased about naughty kids and knowing poem was supposed to prevent him from hitting them with birch sticks.

The apartment was decorated all Christmassy since the first advent, the 4^th Sunday before Christmas Eve. Mom pulled out the Christmas pyramid, a wooden carousel that spins with help of the rising heat of candles.

She also set up several Räuchermännchen, wooden figurines with cone incense inside of them. The incense made the room smell like gingerbread, fir trees and frankincense. Tables and commodes were decorated with Christmas linens.

On the morning of Christmas Eve, Dad had set up the Christmas tree, a noble fir. Mom and the kids went to the butcher early in the morning to queue for dinner ingredients. Mom was friends with one of the employees there, so they would get the Vienna sausages in the quantity they wanted. Yes, Vienna sausages were their Christmas Eve dinner and they came with handmade potato salad – a true delight!

Back home the family decorated the tree with little wooden angels, glass balls, electric candles and, of course, tinsel.

While Mom prepared the potato salad, the kids played in their room hoping that time would pass a little faster. In the early evening, Mom finally lit the tree and they sat in front of the TV watching Weihnachtsgans Auguste (Christmas goose Auguste), a movie about children who save a goose from being turned into a Christmas dinner – a real GDR classic! Then, a knock at the door. Santa, are you there?

The door opened and Santa stepped in. He was huge! His tummy was chubby and his nose was red from the cold. His face was veiled by his white beard. He must be very old!

Santa asked the kids whether they had been nice. Of course, they answered. Lying was pointless. Santa knew exactly when they had been naughty. Only when the kids promised to behave better would he hand out the presents. After the ceremony, Mom invited Santa to stay for dinner but he declined. Other children were still waiting to get their presents. As a goodbye, Santa waived his birch sticks to remind the kids of their promise. Only then, the kids noticed that Dad wasn’t there. He must be more afraid of Santa than they are or he forgot to learn his poem.

While the children unwrapped their presents and tried the new toys out with Dad, who had finally returned from his hiding place, Mom prepared dinner. Meeting Santa had made everybody hungry.

Tomorrow they would visit Grandma and Grandpa and hopefully, Santa had left some presents there as well.

A diary between personal and working life – Das Brigadebuch

By Stefanie Kreibich

The ”Brigadebuch” or ”Brigadetagebuch” was a diary that every collective in East German enterprises had to create yearly. The term ”Brigade” has its roots in the Russian language, where it draws its meaning as a unit of co-workers.

The Brigadebuch showcases all aspects of the professional life of the East German workers. However, from today’s current perspective, their professional life seems to be a rather vague mixture of both professional and private life.

After scrutinizing a handful of Brigadebuecher (German plural), the general layout and content of these diaries was clear. Brigadebuecher had several official and unofficial functions. On the one hand, the worker units had to document their achievements in an attempt to fulfill the economic plans given by the government. On the other hand, working according to socialist norms required commitment to the group of people that formed the Brigade. The pictures and reports in the diaries reveal stories of bachelor parties, day-trips and weekend parties that co-workers celebrated together.
Besides its character as a documentation of the fulfillment of socialist duties, the Brigadebuch was also a form of creative self-realization of the person who actually made the Brigadebuch. Besides photos, newspaper articles and data, it contained drawings, graphic designs or even poetry created by the workers.

For historians today Brigadebuecher are a very interesting source of GDR history, because they document how different layers of society were linked together with socialism as their connective element. It was common for Brigade to have contractual partnerships with school classes which was, of course, documented in the Brigadebuch. From what can be seen in the diaries, these partnerships were more pretentious than real. It seemed very bizarre to read about 6-year olds congratulating the workers on the first of May or about the Brigade members sending greeting cards to children on the occasion of their newly achieved membership in the Pioneer organization.

For German speakers with a further interest in Brigaebuecher I recommend a doctoral thesis by Angelika Wolters called ”Alltagskommunikation in der DDR – eine pragmalinguistische Untersuchung der Textsorte Brigadetagebuch” with a focus on the aspects of language use in the Brigadebuecher which can be downloaded as a pdf-file.

Touching History

Marshall Wilson was one of the two Getty Interns who worked at The Wende Museum this past summer. He gives us a sneak-peak into some of The Museum’s recently acquired surveillance equipment and reflects on his time as an intern.

This summer, I  had the pleasure of working closely with The Wende Museum’s  latest shipment of military and surveillance technology.

The goal…to find out exactly how these blocky metallic machines worked and for what purposes they served.

With intensive research into areas previously unknown to me, and a little bit of intuition and common sense, I began to shed light on the items in our collection…

However, making headway in a field I had no formal education in came with its own set of headaches and hiccups.

My endeavors in researching our surveillance and military tech equipment could best be described as a treasure hunt. I felt like Indiana Jones, without the awesome hat or whip, but giddy nonetheless.

I cannot count the number of times I said in my head, “I’m touching history.” I would have jumped up and down with excitement, but that’s probably not a good idea on the stepladder; some of the objects I tried to maneuver weigh as much as 30 pounds—sometimes even more.

The Wende has allowed me to “touch history.” When I was looking for an internship, one consideration which was very important to me was the ability to expand upon my knowledge and actually put what I learned to use…something that’s a little hard to do with a background so immersed in the humanities and liberal arts.

What fascinates me so much about the Cold War are the personal stories which lie underneath the overarching discourse of the Cold War. What’s often forgotten amongst the traditional history of the Cold War are the personal narratives. These people and stories had as much an impact on the outcome of the Cold War as international policy had. To touch an object is to go back in time, and in that moment, history is lifted off the page—it comes to life.

Two Weeks at The Wende Museum

Elias Richter interned at The Wende Museum for two weeks before the start of his junior year of high school. He shares his experience and highlights some of his favorite discoveries.

During the last two weeks of August I worked as an intern at The Wende Museum on the TASCHEN project. During this time I saw a lot of what the Museum has to offer. For the first couple of days I spent a lot of time scanning old GDR menus.

This may seem boring but when you take the time to read through them and appreciate the art and graphics they become fun to look at.

The next couple of days I worked on the new Stasi surveillance objects. The first time I walked through the door to the storage facility for this equipment, I was blown away by what I saw. There was a wall of machinery going around the entire room; I had no idea what they were or what they were used for. We then proceeded to unpack some boxes for the TASCHEN review session. We unpacked numerous briefcases that all had some sort of surveillance equipment in it, including radios and even one that had a passport forging kit inside. We also unpacked a lot of cameras and even a Stasi recording device that was disguised as a pen. One of the days that I was working I was put on a separate side project in response to a research request. My job was to look through a cabinet that was located at one of the allied check points for Stasi files on Americans. On the very top of all the documents, most of which were copies of passports, were three pictures, all of the same person; however, the names and birthdates were all different.

During my time at The Wende Museum I learned a lot about the way a museum is organized and runs. This experience also exposed me to a variety of careers that I might be interested in looking into once I get to college.

The Hoffman Collection: An Update

By Lisa Bechtold

In June of 2009, intern Nina Rao introduced the Hoffman Collection, thirty-one 8mm home videos of a DDR family spanning from 1939 to 1969. Now, 2 years later, we have the opportunity to revisit the collection in lieu of an exciting new project.

The Wende Museum is very pleased to be working on a book with TASCHEN Publication. The 800 page book will explore the cultural artifacts of extinct East Germany through images and scholarship. The selection process is underway and sifting through the museum’s 60,000 unique objects is no small feat. The book aims to present more than a scope of the museum’s collection. As Chair Wayne Ratkovich said, “It will provide a unique view of life behind the Iron Curtain.”

The Hoffman Collection does just that. The videos capture family dynamics, customs, and travel, adding another dimension to our understanding of the time. Because of their uniqueness and value, we are considering how we can integrate the videos into the project through an audio-visual component.

Since Nina first blogged about the collection, we have not had the opportunity to transfer the videos. Serendipitously, this summer at the MOCA, the Levi’s Film Workshop opened in conjunction with the exhibit Art in The Streets. It is a temporary, free, do-it-yourself workshop that provides the equipment to make, edit, and transfer all different types of film.

I have been in a few times to transfer the Hoffman videos and am nearly done. It has been an amazing experience. Not only are the people who work there helpful and supportive, the public has taken interest too. There is a constant stream of people coming in and out of the workshop, not necessarily to use the facilities but rather to see what is going on. Many of them are captured by the beautiful and nostalgic moments they see on the screen. Witnessing all the interest reminds me of why we are doing this— to share this rarely seen footage.

We must thank Levi’s and MOCA for coming together to offer this rare opportunity and to TASCHEN for being the catalyst in the revival of the Hoffman Collection. We will keep you updated on the progress of the Taschen project and the other collections that the book will bring to life!

International Children’s Day

Wouldn’t it be nice if every day was a Children’s Day? What kind of kid wouldn’t want a special day just devoted to him/her?  If I were a kid, I would buy all the toys from Fao Schwarz, I would watch my favorite cartoons all day and I would eat all the junk foods in the world without having my mom yell at me.  But alas, not every day can be dedicated just to children! Luckily, there are two major days on which children are honored.  Some countries celebrate Universal Children’s Day on November 20^th, as designated by the United Nations in 1954; however, most countries from the former Eastern bloc celebrate International Children’s Day on June 1^st.

International Children’s Day was declared at the World Conference for the Well-being of Children in Geneva in 1925.  No one knows for sure why this day is celebrated on June 1^st. Some believe that this day was chosen because the day of the Geneva conference coincided with the Dragon Boat Festival, in which the Chinese consul-general in San Francisco gathered Chinese orphans to celebrate it on June 1, 1925. In the Soviet Union, International Children’s Day was formally established in November 1949 at the International Democratic Women’s Federation and was celebrated for the first time the following year.

On this day, every activity revolves around children. Speeches are given on children’s rights and their well-being, favorite cartoons and films are shown on TV, sports events, parties and other activities are organized for the children and their families. While International Children’s Day is a joyous holiday for children, it is also a day for adults to remember that they have the responsibility to care for children and to respect their rights.

Well, since June 1^st is approaching, we at the Wende want to celebrate International Children’s Day by posting few items related to children from our collection.

Russian school children from Leningrad school number 198. 1975-1976.

A scrapbook describing pioneer-related activities with photographs of pioneers who participated in these activities. From East Germany. Circa 1980-1981.

Young Pioneer doll from East Germany.

 A DDR pilot doll from East Germany.

“Голосую, За Счастье Детей!” or “I Vote, for the Happiness of Children!” in English.  

Plate with children dressed in costumes representing the Army, Navy and Space program of the USSR.

A rattle toy

Happy International Children’s Day!