Right after the October Revolution bolsheviks organized a powerful informational war. In this post a great selection of propaganda posters of that time is gathered.
“Retreating the White Army is burning down the wheat”
“Criminal is the one who kills young domestic animals.
Extend the herds! It is our salvation!”
“Red Army Figter! Remember that you take care of what is your own”
Caricature of kulaks and priests
“Lands and factories to landlords and capitalists”
“Devil doll” – the Entente
“Cossack, you’ve got the only way – with “Labor Russia”
“Only Red Army will give us bread! Red Army advances – the bread stocks are growing”
“The ship of counter-revolution crashes against Soviet strongholds”
“Electrification and counter-revolution”
“Wrangel is advancing! Black robber wants to take our bread, coal and oil, workers and peasants”
White Army poster “That’s how the bolsheviks play the master in Cossack villages”
“International”
“What have you done for the front?”
“The call of Russians and Ukrainians is the same – don’t let the landlord be the master of the worker”
“We don’t want the war – but we’ll defend the Soviet lands”
“Tsar regiments and Red Army. For what we fought before and for what we fight now”
“Tsar, priests and the rich on the shoulders of workers”
“Sacrifice to the International”
“Nativity”
“Constituent Assembly: France, Chernov and a capitalist”
“The Entente – under the mask of peace”
“Peace and freedom for the Sovietdom”
“Revenge to the tsars”
“Parasites and slackers do nothing and prevent others from working”
“Cherish the book, it is a true friend in a trip and in labor”
“Reading is one of the man’s musts”
“Soviet propaganda day. Knowledge to everyone”
“Book is a man talking in public”
“The worker has pulled the world out of darkness and illuminated it with the light of enlightment”
“Light and knowledge for the people”
“From darkness to light, from battle to book, from sorrow to happiness.”
“Cooperation help people become brothers”
“Сooperation is open for everyone”
“Red plowman”
“Mighty culture creates mighty cooperation”
Comic tale of Vasili and Peter. One of them worked and the other enjoyed himself doing nothing and ruined the village.
“Those who are against Soviets”
“We deliver freedom to the world”
“Illiterate is blind, failures and misfortunes wait for him everywhere”
While they are kinda neat looking and command your attention, it was a sad thing that artists in the Soviet Union were forced to make only one form of art. It’s sad to stifle creativity.
Wow!
@olut, how do you know artists were restricted to only one form of art?
They weren’t limited in the 20s. Suprematism and other modern art was allowed until Stalin (and Zhdanov) shut it all down and required socialist realism in the 30s.
Insanity. They promise one thing and deliver something totally different.
I keep thinking about Cuba and their revolution when Castro came to power. They wanted that revolution as much as he did. but he lied to them about what they were going to get. If they knew how their lives were going to be, I bet they NEVER would have supported him.
Same thing here. I wonder how many Russians would have supported the revolution (supported by Germany, and paid for by Germany), had they known what was really coming. I think not that many…..
People were glad to get rid of the monarchy, so they supported the Reds. The Soviet government kept its word. Of course councils were sometimes severe and even cruel, but without strict control of Russia would not become a great power.
Look at Russia today. We are living in poverty because now we have capitalism. Everyone only cares about their money. Russian should be forced to work, or we will destroy ourselves.
And by the way, the Soviet terror was just terrible for those who violate the law. Decent people lived peacefully.
Sorry for my english.
The Embargo is responsible for Cubas woes… gracias marielitas
These are great, thanks.
Celebrating the political move
from Authoritarian Autocracy
to Authoritarian Bureaucracy
The number of posters with propaganda directed against Entente is surprising. What is not surprising in Russia is that both Bolsheviks and Whites used caricatures of Jews to identify their enemy.
That’s not a Jew. It’s Beria but he was Jew BTW
These are beautiful, I hadn’t seen many of them before. The early Soviets fought a truly heroic battle against capitalism for peace, culture and development. The party of Lenin and Trotsky, and the brave Russian working class, remain inspiration for human freedom to this day.
One more thing – Czenda, there are no anti-Semitic caricatures in the Soviet posters, for the simple reason that the Bolsheviks fought the anti-Semitic pogroms by the Black Hundreds, for decades before the October Revolution. Many Jews were in the Bolshevik party; many more were allied in the Bund. It’s also why so many Jews rallied to the international Communist movement, and why the Whites, Nazis and Henry Ford were able to point to a ‘Bolshevik Jewish’ conspiracy. Get your facts straight before you malign one of the magnificent achievements of the early Soviets.
First picture in the second part, first head from the right.
Now this is art.
The pro-literacy posters were deadly accurate. The Bolsheviks got education right.
The poster: “People eating each other are not cannibals…” is obviously about the horrific famine of 1921. A chilling, sober poster. A grim, black chapter in Russian/Soviet history.
“We deliver freedom to the world” and “The Soviets are the alarm of people” are applications to the ABC book
and “We are not slaves”
Capitalism has been around since humans could trade goods and services. It is the modern world economy of today .
While the years passed there was so much upheaval in Russia, these are a grim reminder of life and how difficult things were. Many starved or were slain or robbed. Today Russia is in a much better place with more ability to rise out of desperate living . In the US things much like this with the American Indians, and even today, parts of the past come to haunt us. Mabe life in the 21′st century will bring a better way for all, but the world still looks very grim.
This is just amazing. Thanks for sharing.
2nd pic: mah boi