9B

Staged Abundance: Agricultural Exhibitions

During the collectivisation period, agricultural exhibitions served various purposes, including presenting an idealised image of the socialist countryside. The regime used them to demonstrate the modernisation of agriculture and model JZD cooperatives, often even fabricating successes of collective labour. These events created a staged environment in which political goals were transformed into impressive spectacles, giving visitors the impression of rapid progress and a unified direction for society as a whole. These events also served as a didactic tool to reinforce loyalty to the regime, exposing participants to selected examples of 'proper' behaviour and officially approved values.