art posters of war

Glory to Potemkin National Heroes!

Although the Russian bourgeois revolution of 1905-07 displayed no such “brilliant” successes as at time fell to the Portuguese and Turkish revolutions, it was undoubtedly a “real people’s” revolution, since the mass of the people, their majority, the very lowest social groups, crushed by oppression and exploitation, rose independently and stamped on the entire course of the revolution the imprint of their own demands, their attempt to build in their own way a new society in place of the old society that was being destroyed.

Vladimir Lenin

There were quite a few posters devoted to the famous movie by Sergey Eizenshtein “Bronenosets Potemkin” (“Battleship Potemkin”). It is truly a masterpiece, which was numerously quoted by other movie directors.

The movie (1925)  describes a tragic story of a mutiny on Battleship Potemkin where the sailors rebelled against inhuman conditions; they were fed by worm-eaten meat and were horribly treated by the tsar’s officers. The instigators were to be shot, but the uprising started and the battleship was taken under control of the sailors. The head of the uprising – sailor Vakulinchuk died in the clash. In Odessa unarmed  civilians gather on a huge stairs for his funeral only to be shot by the tsar’s police. Battleship Potemkin hits the sea and is surrounded by squadron of  battleships, which cease fire and let him go, despite the orders.

The poster depicts the heroic Vakulinchuk and has a quote from the resolution put forward by the sailors of Battleship Potemkin on March 20 1905. It is an extract saying: “Our motto… freedom for the whole nation”. The ribbon at the bottom declares: “Glory to the National Potemkin Heroes!”.

This resolution declared support of National Social-Democratic Workers’ Party, demanded termination of war (1905), unleashed by the tyrant Tzar and proclaimed the desire free the Russian nation from the oppression of the capitalists.

That’s why this truly remarkable event became one of the most notable historic events in the Soviet Propaganda.

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