Soviet posters during the
Eastern Front were visual aids meant to elaborate a certain point in an accessible form, such as the attitudes of the Soviet Government to current events taking place at the front, prevention of defeatism and pessimism, or the inspiration of the troops and the people. The Soviet posters of
World War II are works of art and reflect elements of the
Soviet cultural heritage. Such posters were often displayed at special stands, referred to as "windows of
TASS".
Posters differed both on workmanship and the form. Some were crude caricatures, while others were paintings on military topics or popular photos, presented with an explanation of an event, a quote from the works of
Vladimir Lenin or
Joseph Stalin, or a poetic comment.
Popular themes
;"Motherland calls!"
:The first and the most famous Soviet poster of the
second world war. The text on the sheet in the Motherland hand is the
Red Army oath.
;"For the Motherland, for Stalin!
:The official war-cry of the
Red Army during the
second world war
;Who cometh to us with a sword by the sword shall die
:Quotation ascribed to the Prince of
Novgorod
Veliky Novgorod ( rus, links=no, Великий Новгород, t=Great Newtown, p=vʲɪˈlʲikʲɪj ˈnovɡərət), also known as just Novgorod (), is the largest city and administrative centre of Novgorod Oblast, Russia. It is one of the ol ...
Alexander Nevsky
Alexander Yaroslavich Nevsky (russian: Александр Ярославич Невский; ; 13 May 1221 – 14 November 1263) served as Prince of Novgorod (1236–40, 1241–56 and 1258–1259), Grand Prince of Kiev (1236–52) and Grand P ...
who repelled
Livonian Knights intrusion into
Russia in 1242.
;Soldier bests the enemy in hand-to-hand combat
:"In the skies, on the land, in the seas!"
;German tank will not pass here!
;Once again, we will fight off the enemy
:Usually referencing Napoleon, but also referencing the Livonian Knights intrusions and the Russian Civil War after the First World War.
;I wait for you, liberator!
:Russian child-prisoner of a
Nazi extermination camp
Nazi Germany used six extermination camps (german: Vernichtungslager), also called death camps (), or killing centers (), in Central Europe during World War II to systematically murder over 2.7 million peoplemostly Jewsin the Holocaust. The v ...
. Other name of this poster is "
Red Army warrior, rescue me!"
;Death to the baby-killers
;Caricature
:"Adolf, you can not."
;Dynamic portrait
:"We are drinking the water of our native
Dnieper. We will drink the water of the
Prut
The Prut (also spelled in English as Pruth; , uk, Прут) is a long river in Eastern Europe. It is a left tributary of the Danube. In part of its course it forms Romania's border with Moldova and Ukraine.
Characteristics
The Prut originates ...
, the
Neman, the
Bug River. Cleanse the native land of the Nazi vermin!"
;Raise the Victory Banner in Berlin!
:
Red Army marching in
Berlin and the
Allied countries flags on the
Brandenburg Gate
The Brandenburg Gate (german: Brandenburger Tor ) is an 18th-century neoclassical monument in Berlin, built on the orders of Prussian king Frederick William II after restoring the Orangist power by suppressing the Dutch popular unrest. One ...
See also
*
Lord Kitchener Wants You
*
Uncle Sam
References
External links
WW2 Propaganda postersA detailed selection on World War II posters.
A Soviet Poster A DayDetailed commentary on Soviet posters.
Soviet Postersat SovMusic.ru. Large collection of posters.
Various collections of Soviet and other socialist posters
Finding Aid to Soviet poster collection, circa 1939-1945 The Bancroft Library
The Bancroft Library in the center of the campus of the University of California, Berkeley, is the university's primary special-collections library. It was acquired from its founder, Hubert Howe Bancroft, in 1905, with the proviso that it retai ...
Windows on WarOnline exhibition of the Soviet war posters held by The University of Nottingham's Manuscripts and Special Collections
{{Authority control
Soviet art
Propaganda in the Soviet Union
Soviet Union in World War II
Images of the 20th century