Propaganda Palimpsests - NOTES & TRANSLATIONs
with thanks to Olga Jurgenson
People and Party are united. Red letters stand for Communist Party of Soviet Union.
This caption is in Russian (most of the posters are in Ukrainian) and reads poignantly ‘I Love Life!’
Glory to the ideas, actions and achievements of triumphant socialism!
The soldiers are both carrying flags bearing the same text: ‘For the power of the Councils’ on the left in Ukrainian on the right in Russian. The caption below reads : ‘By the October Way with our true brother the Russian Proletariat’
Join the red cavalry! Red cavalry destroyed Mamontov, Shkuro, Denikin. It beat Petliura as well, Now it is necessary to destroy Wrangel. Workers and Peasants, Join the (ranks) of the red cavalry!
This poster’s message is that the work of those not on the frontlines of war is also important. It could refer to after the Front or behind the Front. It probably refers to the period of Civil War following the 1917 Revolution. Clues being the hats and horses.
This poster celebrates the work for homeland victory of the 23rd, 24th and 25th Soviet Union Communist Party Congresses in 1966, 1971 and 1976.
This poster depicts Brezhnev signing the Helsinki Accord in 1975 known as the Programme of Peace and Creation. The caption in blue is in Ukrainian and translates to ‘in the name of peace, security and cooperation’
“We are going firmly and steadily towards the victory of Socialism” V.I. Lenin
Communism is the youth of the world and is to be built by the young. Vladimir Mayakovsky
Ukraine rose in the October fires for Soviet power and sunny days.
The years of Lenin’s birth and death with his signature. Lenin’s real surname was Ulianov.
We will not give up Lenin’s deeds.
Where the Party is there is success, there is victory! Initials of Communist Party of Soviet Union in background.
Fifteen smiling faces representing the 15 republics of the the former Soviet Union. The woman in the centre is Russian, the woman to her right is Ukrainian. Translation: We are friends with friendship. Motherland!
The political slogan "Workers of the world, unite!" is one of the rallying cries from The Communist Manifesto (1848) by Karl Marx and Friedrich Engels (German: Proletarier aller Länder vereinigt Euch!, literally "Proletarians of all countries, unite!", but soon popularised in English as "Workers of the world, unite!
1941 - 1945 are the years that the Soviet Union took part in World War II. In Russia that war is called ‘The Great Patriotic War’
The motto of the tenth Quality! Efficiency! This refers to the tenth Soviet Union 5 year plan (1976 - 1980).
This poster set purchased in 1978.
Marx, Engels, Lenin. The all-conquering flag of the workers.
Photograph of Ukrainian WWII veteran (his moustache being the giveaway to his nationality) Painful irony that Russians and Ukrainians fought Nazism together but now Putin is justifying his actions by alleging that Ukrainians are pursuing a Nazi agenda.