Anti-Bolshevik propaganda

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Wochenspruch der NSDAP 10 August 1941: "Bolshevism is not a party, not an ideology. It is organised crime."

Anti-Bolshevik propaganda was created in opposition to the events on the Russian political scene. The

Russian and is derived from the word "большинство" (transliteration: bol'shinstvo, see also Romanization of Russian) which means "majority" in English. The group was founded at the 2nd Congress of the Russian Social Democratic Labour Party when Vladimir Lenin's followers gained majority on the party’s central committee and on the editorial board of the newspaper Iskra. Their opponents were the Mensheviks
, whose name literally means "Those of the minority" and is derived from the word меньшинство ("men'shinstvo", English: minority).

On 7 November 1917, the

All-Union Communist Party (Bolsheviks) in December 1925; and to Communist Party of the Soviet Union
in October 1952.

Anti-Bolshevik propaganda in Poland

Polish Anti-Bolshevik propaganda was most actively circulated during the Polish–Soviet War. In 1918, Poland regained its statehood for the first time since 1795, the year of the Third Partition of Poland between Prussia, Russia and Austria. The new Polish territory included lands from all the dismembered empires (see Second Polish Republic). The first independent ruler of Poland since the end of the 18th century, the Chief-of-State, and the Commander-in-Chief of the Republic was a devout anti-communist Józef Piłsudski. The war started as a conflict over Polish Borderlands and the subsequent Soviet invasion.

The Soviets circulated their own propaganda materials among Polish soldiers and civilians, urging them to join the fight for the "liberation of working people and against their oppressors and bourgeoisie". Letters and appeals portrayed Soviet Russia as a workers' utopia, where the worker has the highest power in the country.[1]

There were also active pro-Bolshevik movements in Poland. The main actor was the Communist Party of Poland, which was founded in December 1918 and was opposed to the war with the Bolsheviks. The Communist Party of Poland organized soldiers' councils (so-called soviets) which then engaged into circulating anti-Polish propaganda.

Propaganda posters

In the beginning of the 20th century posters were a popular form of communication. Posters were relatively efficient as they conveyed the message in a shortened form and could easily reach a big part of the population.[2] Posters were hung on walls, trees, in store windows and displayed during demonstrations.

Organizations that were responsible for the design and circulation of posters were Komitet Obrony Kresów Wschodnich (English: Committee for Protection of the Eastern Borderlands) and Straż Kresowa (English: Borderlands Guard). Other organs were Propaganda Bureau in the Presidium of the Council of Ministers (Polish: Biuro Propagandy Wewnętrznej przy prezydium Rady Ministrów), Section of Civil Propaganda of the Committee for State Protection (Polish: Sekcja Propagandy Obywatelskiego Komitetu Obrony Państwa and the Central Committee of Propaganda (Polish: Centralny Komitet Propagandy), run by artists.

For the purpose of the anti-Bolshevik propaganda during the war Polish artists created posters. Some of the authors were

Litografia Artystyczna Władysław Górczewski". Other publishers included private printing houses, such as "Zakład Graficzny Bolesław Wirtz", "Zakład Graficzny Straszewiczów", "Zakład Graficzny B.Wierzbicki i S-ka", "Zakłady Graficzne Koziańskich" and "Jan Cotty".[3]

The poster reads "Beat the Bolshevik!" (Polish: "Bij Bolszewika")

Style

In contrast to the avant-garde Soviet posters, Polish posters are characterized by references to Romanticism, Impressionism, Symbolism, realistic historical painting and Young Poland.[2] They commonly utilized caricature.[3]

Topics

  • Antisemitism. During the Polish-Soviet War, some people believed that Jews were responsible for the October Revolution, or even that the Bolshevik movement was an effect of a Jewish conspiracy. This led to the formation of the stereotype of the Jew-Communist, belonging to what was pejoratively called Żydokomuna (English: Judeo-Communism; see also Jewish Bolshevism).
  • Vision of Poland under the Soviet rule. Poland under the Soviet hegemony was portrayed as a dystopia: it was characterized by destruction, fire, poverty and hunger.[3]
  • Pahonia.") urges religious Poles to protect their homeland. It is also suggested that due to the monstrosity of the Bolsheviks, one has to entrust their fate to the Providence in order to successfully fight the enemy. The conflict is presented as a fight between Christians and non-Christians, or anti-Christians.[2]
  • Animalization, dehumanization and demonization of the Bolsheviks. The Bolshevik soldier is portrayed as a barbarian, an uncivilized, wild, primivite person. Their faces are portrayed caricaturally, with unproportioned features. The Bolsheviks are pictured as cruel and demonic or monster-like creatured. The color red is dominating in the pictures, as it was associated with communism. The enemies are often surrounded by blood: dripping from a knife (for example held in teeth), on hands or standing in a river of blood.[2]
"Hej, kto Polak, na bagnety!"
"Nam twierdzą będzie każdy próg." English: Every doorsill shall be a fortress.

Notable examples

A poster depicting Leon Trotsky.
Small caption in the lower right corner reads:
The Bolsheviks promised:
We'll give you peace
We'll give you freedom
We'll give you land
Work and bread
Despicably they cheated
They started a war
With Poland
Instead of freedom they brought
The fist
Instead of land – confiscation
Instead of work – misery
Instead of bread –
famine
.

Contemporary usage

Currently, 41 anti-Bolshevik posters are displayed in the Museum of Independence in Warsaw.[4]

Anti-Bolshevik propaganda in Germany

An example of a German Anti-Bolshevik poster. The poster reads "Down with the Bolshevism! The Bolshevism brings war, doom, hunger and death." (German: "Nieder mit dem Bolshewismus. Bolshewismus bringt Krieg und Verderben, Hunger und Tod")

The anti-Bolshevik and anti-communist propaganda in

right-wing organization, founded in December 1918 by Eduard Stadtler
.

Anti-Bolshevik propaganda in Russia

Postcards

Anti-Bolshevik postcards were circulated by the Volunteer Army (Russian: Добровольческая армия; transliteration: Dobrovolcheskaya armiya). The White Volunteer Army was an army in South Russia during the Russian Civil War that fought the Bolsheviks. It has to be noted that the Propaganda Bureau of the Volunteer Army produced less postcards than the Bolshevik government.[5] According to the researcher Tobie Mathew, the anti-Bolshevik cards are amongst the scarcest of all Russian postcards for two reasons: firstly, they were "politically incorrect" in the Soviet Union and, secondly, only a small number of cards was issued to begin with. It has to be noted that the Bolsheviks, were far more successful in printing their propaganda materials, as control over printed media was considered a high priority by Lenin. After 1917, the Bolsheviks took over many previously privately-owned printing houses across Russia.

Postcards and posters were generally preferred as a part of the Russian population was

Baltic States, and under the pro-German government in Ukraine
in 1918. For security reasons, the postcards were usually transported by trains and distributed by hand.

References

  1. OCLC 758817989
    .
  2. ^ a b c d Dymarczyk, Waldemar. "The War on the Wall. Polish and Soviet War Posters Analysis" (PDF). Qualitative Sociology Review.
  3. ^ a b c Szczotka, Sylwia. "WIZERUNEK BOLSZEWIKA W POLSKICH PLAKATACH PROPAGANDOWYCH Z WOJNU POLSKO-ROSYJSKIEJ 1919–1920 ROKU ZE ZBIORÓW MUZEUM NIEPODLEGŁOŚCI" (PDF). Muzeum Niepodległości w Warszawie.
  4. ^ "Muzeum Niepodległości".[permanent dead link]
  5. ISSN 0954-6545
    .
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