One of the great aesthetic legacies of the Soviet Union is the great wealth of magnificent propaganda posters it left behind.

With the coming of revolution in Russia in 1917, one of the great powers of the world turned abruptly into a regime that embodied ideas that were radically different from those of the established powers of the day. Accompanying a new outlook on politics and economy, there had to be renewal and change in other areas too, including the way the new state presented itself and its ideas.

The revolution coincided with a period of many radically different art forms in western culture, dada, futurism, constructivism, surrealism and so on. Especially in its early years, propaganda posters produced in Soviet Russia were influenced by such movements.

Though the more experimental looks eventually gave way to designs more akin to what could be seen in other western countries, Soviet propaganda still retained a look of its own, beyond the presence of cyrillic lettering.

A spectre is haunting Europe – the spectre of Communism – 1920

Lenin was known as a great orator, with a fiery style, well illustrated by his stance in this poster, pointing the way ahead. Two important elements of Soviet propaganda can be seen here, the red banner representing the revolution, and the smokestacks representing the industry that will take the new state into a bright future. The text is taken straight out of the introduction of Karl Marx’s “Communist Manifesto”.

Beat the Whites with the red wedge – 1920

This famous piece by El Lissitzky shows the influence of the new avant garde modernist art movements on early Soviet propaganda. There is in fact a clear political message behind this design. When the revolution took place in Russia in 1917, it did not mean that the Soviet Union with its many components was immediatly formed. A civil war erupted between the communists, the reds, and the royalists supporting the old regime, the whites. With that in mind, this becomes a stylized battle plan for the communist victory, rather than just some abstract geometric design.

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Tags: artwork, posters, propaganda, russia, soviet