Building a New World

Book excerpt: This collection of nearly two dozen detachable, frameable, propaganda posters offer an outstanding selection of examples from East Germany, Russia, Southeast Asia, and China. Reproduced in startling color and printed on high-quality paper, they offer fascinating historical insight, as well as sublime examples of how graphic art can be both highly effective as well as visually stunning. The Russian October Revolution of 1917 marked the beginning of decades of communist rule that spanned large parts of the world. For many years and in many countries, the most reliable means of spreading state propaganda was through posters like the ones included in this beautiful collection. Distinguished by their bold, bright colors, and generally featuring one or two main figures or a single forceful image, they were ubiquitously plastered on the walls of factories, farms, office buildings, transportation centers, and public squares. They exhorted citizens to proclaim their patriotism through hard work, exercise, and loyalty, and celebrated technological advances in science, space travel, and architecture. Representing an impressive array of styles, cultures, and historical eras this collection is suitable for walls and coffee tables alike.