Cold War Propaganda Poster-Early Modern

This is a Soviet Union propaganda poster of the cold war from We Demand Peace! Soviet Posters of The Cold War collection. There is obvious opposition for either sides of the poster, on the left a disheveled but talented young man out in the streets of what looks like some city in America and on the right, a more prosperous twin of the young man, playing in a symphony of a grand music hall. In the Russian writing above and below the poorer of the two it says “In capitalist countries: the way of the gifted’ and for the man to the right in bold red it says “In socialist countries: the gifted go all the way!”

The message, or purpose, of the poster is to get across the idea that those in socialist economies have a better chance at succeeding in their dreams because they aren’t required to know anyone of higher class, or have connections with the right people. The man to the left is shut out of the musical system because he happens to be born of a lower class in a Capitalist country and the man to the right, though born in the same class, has more access to society because he is in a Socialist country.

The darker tones of either picture indicate the quality of the hard times. One being devoid of all color inflict a depressed and joyless tone to the poorer man’s predicament whereas the fortuitous man’s coloring are quite golden.

This poster was a gift from my father’s collection of propaganda posters that he sells alongside his World War II books in his business.
The graphic style of this poster is Early Modern.