{"id":90,"date":"2020-07-06T19:21:02","date_gmt":"2020-07-06T19:21:02","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/localhost\/soviet\/?post_type=book&p=90"},"modified":"2021-03-17T19:46:45","modified_gmt":"2021-03-17T19:46:45","slug":"the-second-may-day","status":"publish","type":"book","link":"https:\/\/commons.princeton.edu\/soviet\/book\/the-second-may-day\/","title":{"rendered":"The Second May Day"},"content":{"rendered":"

Illustrated by Aleksandr Nikolaev under the pseudonym \u201cUsto Mumin,\u201d Two May Days<\/em> portrays the disparity between Soviet Russia and Germany in the celebration of International Workers\u2019 Day. Otherwise known as \u201cMay Day\u201d (First of May, or Pervomai) International Workers\u2019 Day recognizes the contributions of laborers and the working class. The holiday was established in 1891 by the Socialists and Communists of the Second International, and continues to be observed annually on the first of May. While the Soviet Union was still in existence, May Day ranked amongst the most important of its official public holidays. Elaborate military parades were held in honor of the working man, with the grandest of these occurring in Moscow\u2019s Red Square. Nikolaev\u2019s The Second May Day <\/em>paints a picture of this day as it is celebrated in both the Soviet Union and Germany.<\/p>\n

Two May Days <\/em>follows two young boys, Sergei Litkov and Hans Stuve, as they prepare for and partake in the observance of May Day. A member of the Soviet youth organization, the Pioneers, Sergei is excited to attend a May Day celebration occurring at a nearby factory. He anticipates a joyous day filled with song, dance, and speeches. Sergei\u2019s experience of May Day contrasts sharply with that of Hans, a German schoolboy who is imprisoned for his commitment to celebrating the holiday.<\/p>\n

Published in 1930, Two May Days <\/em>draws inspiration from the tragic occurrences of the year prior. On May 1, 1929, in Berlin, Germany, police officers responded with brutality to the May Day demonstrations of members of the Communist Party of Germany. The ensuing violence resulted in the deaths of 33 individuals, and injury to countless others. Two May Days <\/em>condemns the political regime that oppressed the May Day celebrants, and glorifies those who risked their lives to exalt the common laborer.<\/p>\n

It is important to note that Two May Days <\/em>was published two years into Stalin\u2019s first Five Year Plan (1928-1932), an effort to develop the USSR\u2019s heavy industry while collectivizing agriculture. Nikolaev includes several details that emphasize key elements of this first Plan. For example, Sergei and his classmates parade about on tractors. Tractors played an integral role in collectivization, as peasants made use of state-provided tractors to farm their shared land. Nikolaev takes care to portray the vehicles in a positive light.<\/p>\n

A unique feature of this book is that all the text is presented on the inside cover, before the illustrations. The narrative that accompanies Nikolaev\u2019s illustrations was provided by Soviet author and playwright, Evgenii Shvartz. Shvartz, born October 21, 1896, was an employee of the Gosizdat (Children\u2019s State Publishing House) as well as an author of numerous children\u2019s books and a contributor to several youth magazines. Shvartz was also an active member of the Soviet avant-garde artists\u2019 group, OBERIU. In this book, his commentary, which precedes all of Nikolaev\u2019s illustrations, orients the reader in time and space, and introduces them to the characters Sergei and Hans.<\/p>\n

While Two May Days <\/em> garnered the approval of the Soviet State Publishing House, not all of Nikolaev\u2019s works were so well received. A pupil of Malevich, Nikolaev moved to Uzbekistan after serving in the Red Army, where his artwork became heavily influenced by Central Asian tradition. Nikolaev was so enamored with the culture of the region that he converted to Islam and adopted the name \u201cUsto Mumin,\u201d which translates to \u201cFaithful and Gentle Master.\u201d While living in Uzbekistan, Nikolaev\u2019s paintings grew increasingly homoerotic in nature. It is believed that Nikolaev\u2019s depictions of homosexuality contributed to his sudden arrest in 1938. After four years of imprisonment, Nikolaev was released, and he spent the remaining years of his life painting and engaging in social work. He died in 1957.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Sources:<\/p>\n

Bulatov, Ivan. \u201cScouts Go, Pioneers Come: Russian Youth Movements during the Civil War and the First Years after It.\u201d Romanian Journal of Population Studies, <\/em>vol. VIII, no. 2, 2014, pp. 11-36. The Central and Eastern European Online Library, <\/em><https:\/\/www.ceeol.com\/search\/viewpdf?id=238580<\/a>>.<\/p>\n

\u201cEvgeny Schwartz \u2013 biography.\u201d JewAge<\/em>. Web. <https:\/\/www.jewage.org\/wiki\/he\/Article:Evgeny_Schwartz_-_biography<\/a>>.<\/p>\n

\u201cNikolayev Alexander (1897-1957) (Usto-Mumin).\u201d The State Museum of Arts of The Republic of Karakalpakstan named after I.V. Savitsky. <\/em>Web. <http:\/\/museum.kr.uz\/uzbek-artists\/nikolaev-aleksandr-usto-mumin-1897-1957\/?setlang=en<\/a><\/u>>.<\/p>\n

Ruane, Christine. \u201cClothes Make the Comrade: A History of the Russian Fashion Industry.\u201d Russian History, <\/em>vol. 23, nos. 1-4, pp. 311-343.<\/p>\n

Shachtman, Max. \u201cPutschism and May Day in Berlin.\u201d Marxists Internet Archive. <\/em>Web. <https:\/\/www.marxists.org\/archive\/shachtma\/1929\/07\/berlin.htm<\/a>>.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe 1929s May Day Riots are coming to Second Life.\u201d The 1920s Berlin Project. <\/em>Web. < https:\/\/1920sberlinproject.wordpress.com\/2015\/04\/27\/the-1929s-may-day-riots-are-coming-to-second-life\/<\/a>>.<\/p>\n

von Geldern, James. \u201cYoung Communists.\u201d Seventeen Moments in Soviet History. <\/em>Web. < http:\/\/soviethistory.msu.edu\/1924-2\/young-communists\/<\/a>>.<\/p>\n

Richard Huang, Jack Allen, Erin Endres, Maya Silverberg (SLA 221, 2018)<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Illustrated by Aleksandr Nikolaev under the pseudonym \u201cUsto Mumin,\u201d Two May Days portrays the disparity between Soviet Russia and Germany in the celebration of International Workers\u2019 Day. Otherwise known as \u201cMay Day\u201d (First of May, or Pervomai) International Workers\u2019 Day recognizes the contributions of laborers and the working class. The holiday was established in 1891 […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","template":"","publisher":[10],"bookauthor":[108],"artist":[53],"class_list":["post-90","book","type-book","status-publish","hentry","publisher-gosudarstvennoe-izdatelstvo","bookauthor-shvarts-eugenii","artist-nikolaev-aleksandr-vasilevich"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/commons.princeton.edu\/soviet\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/book\/90","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/commons.princeton.edu\/soviet\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/book"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/commons.princeton.edu\/soviet\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/book"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/commons.princeton.edu\/soviet\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/commons.princeton.edu\/soviet\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=90"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/commons.princeton.edu\/soviet\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=90"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"publisher","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/commons.princeton.edu\/soviet\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/publisher?post=90"},{"taxonomy":"bookauthor","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/commons.princeton.edu\/soviet\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/bookauthor?post=90"},{"taxonomy":"artist","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/commons.princeton.edu\/soviet\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/artist?post=90"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}