The 1960s in Soviet Russia can be compared to the peak period of the radical Russian avant-garde of the 1920s. It was not the literati or philosophers but the community of artists who became the epicentre of the developing culture, reorienting creative goals away from pure aesthetics towards political pragmatism. Social programmes were conceived within the context of art and even poetry became enmeshed within the sphere of politics. New values crystallised, a spirit of global awareness began to permeate Soviet culture and 'non-official' art flowered as part of the spirit of the times.