Soviet collecting in the context of the cultural revolution

The article presents the history of Soviet collecting in the context of the ideas and practices of the cultural revolution. Based on a wide range of sources, the article traces the main stages and forms of Soviet collecting and reveals its new meanings. The ideal of socialist collecting as a form of educational leisure was formed in Soviet times. According to the author, the main contradiction of Soviet practice of collecting was that being an object of control by the state it remained the only form of individual choice and freedom for collectors.