ABSTRACT
The supporters of the cultural style of socialist idealism that we have met in this book chosen as inspiration and form for their thoughts and values inherited mythic codes and symbols. "The artist of socialism" Walter Crane writes in 1892: It is strange to think how from the ancient mythological sources in the dim past flow down the little streams that serve everyday life and humble domestic use. In 1959 the observer of socialism was still able to believe that "the labor movement is incredibly rich in symbolism".5 To some extent socialist-political culture was still rich in symbolism, both creative and imaginative, until the 1980s. For the defenders of socialist idealism, education was the solution. Heritage was worth learning from, repeating and reformulting. Thereby a hole is opened up where through conservatism and fascism may spread and they, out of their own interests, will monopolize and corrupt cultural values.
