1972 USSR Propaganda Film Aimed At Latin America. Twisting Our Reality

This Russian/Soviet Union documentary film was made in 1972 and distributed to Latin and South American countries. In 1972 the Soviet Union was a single-party socialist state ruled by the Communist Party. During this time the Soviet Union invested heavily in propaganda and various forms of influence to spread communism and the socialist ideology. This included Latin & South America, regions that were in the United States’ sphere of influence. There were several methods by which they sought to influence these countries: The Soviet Union provided financial, ideological and organizational support to Communist parties and leftist movements in Latin and South American countries. This included providing training for party members or militants, supplying literature and propaganda materials and providing a platform for their activities at international Communist gatherings. The Soviet Union also had an extensive international broadcasting network which included Radio Moscow. Programs were aired in multiple languages, including Spanish and Portuguese, and targeted at Latin American audiences. The Soviet Union sponsored various forms of cultural and intellectual exchanges. These included inviting students, artists, writers and academics to the Soviet Union. They would be exposed to Soviet society and ideology and would, in theory, return to their home countries with a positive impression of the USSR. Particularly following the success of the Cuban Revolution in 1959, the Soviet Union provided support to revolutionary movements and governments in Latin America. This support included arms, military training, or economic aid. The Soviet Union’s activities in Latin America had varying degrees of success. Some countries like Cuba, embraced socialism and became key allies. Many other attempts to spread influence were met with resistance, either from local anti-communist forces or from the United States, which sought to counter Soviet influence in the region through its own policy of containment and the Monroe Doctrine. The Soviet Union had several strategic reasons for engaging with Latin America and South America during the Cold War. As the leading nation of the global socialist movement, the USSR sought to spread its ideology and system of governance, which it viewed as superior to capitalism. Gaining new allies or converting existing non-communist states would validate their model and potentially provide further resources and support for the global socialist cause. Latin America and South America are geographically close to the United States and have been traditionally considered within the U.S.’s sphere of influence. Gaining a foothold in these regions would enable the USSR to challenge American hegemony, present a direct security threat, and counter U.S. influence globally. This was a part of the broader strategy of geopolitical competition between the two superpowers. Latin American countries had resources that were of interest to the Soviet Union, including oil, minerals, and agricultural products. Building stronger relationships could facilitate better trade relations and access to these resources. The USSR wanted to support any revolutionary movements that were fighting against what it viewed as imperialistic and capitalistic systems. This was particularly relevant in Latin America, where many countries had large income disparities and social inequalities that could provide fertile ground for revolutionary movements. Also, as this film indicates, the Soviet Union had a rich tradition skilled documentary filmmakers. Soviet documentary filmmakers worked under the auspices of state-owned studios and their films were subject to state censorship and control. Documentary films were used as a tool for propaganda, promoting the achievements of the Soviet Union and socialist ideology. Despite constraints there were filmmakers who managed to produce nuanced work. They used metaphors, allegories and subtleties to express their viewpoints or critique the system in ways that could pass the Soviet censors.