The Cultural Center of the Armed Forces of the Russian Federation: History and Structure

In any conversations about military service, as usual, a certain associative series comes to mind : soldafons, uniforms, stamping, chasing steps and the like from the same series. At the same time, around the execution of immediate tasks, which are put by the motherland in front of their defenders, many people of civilian life are concentrated, including military families, however, the military themselves, it is supposed, are not all 24 hours devoted to the parade ground. It was for the fulfillment of spiritual tasks in the first decades of the last century that the Cultural Center of the Armed Forces of the Russian Federation was established.

The emergence of the center

The idea of organizing cultural rest for the employees who spent a lot of time in the trenches came at the end of the third decade of the last century - in 1928 the Central House of the Red Army appeared. For incomplete hundred years, he underwent several renaming, however, this did not affect its essence in any way. First he became the Central Army of the Soviet Army, and after the collapse of the Soviet empire - the Central Army of the Russian Army.

Initially, the future Cultural Center of the Russian Armed Forces was subordinated to the political and administrative structure in the army, the so-called GPU. Since the agency sought to cover as many activities as possible in the organization of cultural activities, it operated a variety of facilities: for example, halls for showing films, organizing lectures, concerts, exhibitions, classrooms, libraries, and parks. In addition, for active recreation, dances or tournaments for table games, theater performances were organized.

The pre-war period

Despite positioning itself as an organizer of cultural pastime in the first place, in the pre-war period the new department was mainly concerned not so much with the cultural and educational level of servicemen as with their compliance with high army standards. Employees of the newly born management, as, indeed, the current CC of the Armed Forces of the Russian Federation, were engaged mainly in the popularization of paramilitary sciences, patriotism and valor from the military point of view among civilians. However, it is worth noting that this military-cultural department has generated many incredibly talented groups, for example, the song and dance ensemble of Alexandrov, the Central Academic Theater and the sports club of the Russian army and other famous collectives.

In addition, it was thanks to this organization that the Soviet Army and Navy had its own museum, which in 1964 was named the Museum of the Armed Forces.

The war and after it

A variety of documentary chronicles of the war years vividly demonstrates all the urgent need for those artistic collectives that went around the front, fearlessly put their numbers on the front lines and in hospitals. Lidia Ruslanova, Olga Orlova, Valentina Serova, Georgy Yumatov and many others who, under the rumbling of shells, under the whistle of bullets, risking every minute of death, with the breadth of their soul and generosity of talent, increased the morale of those who forged victory in sweat and blood.

The present Cultural Center of the Armed Forces of the Russian Federation from the very beginning of the war turned into a field headquarters, the main function of which was to provide the front with any means to increase morale. It was here that formed the so-called front brigades, which included entertainers, film and theater actors.

After the war, according to the decision of the country's leadership, the department began to bear the name of the famous revolutionary Mikhail Frunze. Although the most terrible war ended in the complete defeat of Nazi Germany, there was a feeling of a new military clash in the air, so the institution changed its profile somewhat and began to teach foreign languages and prepare to enter military academies to strengthen the officer corps. In addition, the political and educational component was expressed, which was expressed in the opening of the University of Marxism-Leninism.

A new life in the department began after the collapse of the Soviet empire. In 1993, it bore the name of the Russian army, and in 1997 it was renamed the Cultural Center of the Armed Forces of the Russian Federation.

Departmental tasks

The modern military-cultural department includes six branches. The department responsible for culture in a peculiar sense is the main one. It is he who is responsible for the cultivation of morality among the military, as well as among their families. His educational aspirations extend to all civilian personnel. Formation of those brigades today is entrusted to the military-chefs department, which also organizes solemn events for the memorable dates. The functions of propaganda are assigned to the writing department.

Although the Cultural Center of the Armed Forces of the Russian Federation has a modern name, it relies on its heritage, and therefore it solves the initially assigned tasks, with some amendments for a while, and uses approximately the same methods as its ancestors. In modern rhetoric it is not excluded that it is for such organizations that the main burden of massive integration of patriotic ideas of an actual outflow with specific propaganda purposes will lie.