1957 was a watershed year for Science,Culture and the Arts for the people of the Soviet Union . With the successful launching of Sputnik in October 4th 1957, The Country and the Communist doctrine,under Khruschev, was flooding the world in what felt like an inevitable wave of Ideological truth.
In order to spread the truth and encourage young people throughout the soviet block and the rest of the world to join together the Sixth World Youth and Students festival was held in Moscow . 34,000 young people from 131 countries attended the festival.
This event marks the beginnings of a great cultural awakening for young artists,musicians and thinkers in the Soviet block. For the first time in Russia ,the work of Picasso was presented ,at the Festival. A young Glen Gould performed in Moscow also an art studio was built in Gorky Park to present Western art..
American artists showed abstract paintings, that shocked the Russians ,who felt that it was an direct challenge to their style of "Socialist Realism". Also it was at the 6 th festival that the first western built electric guitar was displayed and played in Moscow. The American delegation was about 180 strong including Shel Silverstien who did cartoons for Playboy at the time. They carried the US flag in Lenin Stadium on the opening day of the festival to the displeasure of the US State Department.
