Considered a battleground state in the 1960 primary election, John F. Kennedy meets with coal miners in West Virginia. Kennedy would best Hubert Humphrey in the election and win 60.8% of the primary vote.

The Soviet propaganda posters of the post-World War 2 period focused primarily on glorifying the USSR’s achievements in all of life’s various components, be them social, athletic, technological or economic. As such, the subjects of the posters gradually drifted from wartime images to those of athletes and advancements in space exploration. Throughout the Cold War, the posters sought to express sentiments of one-upping the United States. Through the images depicted in the following posters, it is clear that the Soviet Union’s goal was to encourage its constituents to remain optimistic and competitive regarding the future.

Against a backdrop of the Vietnam War and tensions with America, the Soviet Union was keen to promote a positive image of itself throughout the early 1970s. This poster is aimed toward foreigners with hopes of highlighting Lenin’s ideological superiority.

In order for Soviet Union citizens to work for the benefit of the country, a training program was introduced in 1931 to create Spartan-esque athletes. This program included running, high/long jumping, swimming and gymnastics.

{ Read The Rest Of The Post… }

Soviet propaganda posters first appeared following the success of the Russian Revolution. They were used to promote the revolution, stir optimism for a new society (one that stood for literacy and improvement of health care) and to attack opponents of Lenin’s government. Very few newspapers were published during the time and therefore the posters served as a primary means of communication. During the Russian Revolution, the posters were sent to the front lines of Communist opposition cities with the warning that “anyone who tears down or covers up this poster is committing a counter-revolutionary act”.

With Stalin in charge by the 1930s, the posters began to focus more on political discipline and ambitious government programs, particularly the collectivization of land and establishment of industry. Subsequently, many produced powerful and dynamic posters with bright colors and distinct shapes. However, these were later replaced with more lifelike images. The red star – the Soviet Red Army’s symbol – was also ubiquitous, as was the hammer and sickle. The posters were used throughout World War 2 for a panoply of reasons: to promote the Russian cause, convince people to enlist and to boost citizen morale.

{ Read The Rest Of The Post… }

Taken from the middle of the intersection Fifth Avenue and 51st street in New York City, the photograph above shows the streets of New York in 1908 with Central Park visible in the background.