The Problem of Personality on Soviet Television, 1950s-1960s*

Over the course of the 1950s and 1960s, Soviet television acquired a growing popularity amongst the public. In a period when its technical and artistic quality remained low, the welcoming presence of TV personalities like Valentina Leont’eva and Iurii Fokin was one key reason for TV’s popularity. In this article, which combines an analysis of selected TV shows with archival documents and press articles, professionals’ discussions over the desirable qualities that personalities needed to possess are placed within a wider historical context where cultivating one's personality was seen as essential for the reconstruction of society after the excesses of Stalinism.