Down with ignorance and backwardness! [Panel 1]: Krasnoarmeets! The illiterate are fooled by priests, dukes and other dark forces without even noticing it. [Panel 2]: But no force can be your master if you are educated and knowledgeable.
Poster Number: PP 804
Category: Education & Literacy
Poster Notes: At right, the soldier holds "The ABC of Communism" that was written in 1919 by Nikolai Bukharin (1888-1938), General Secretary of the Communist International, and by Evgenii Preobrazhenskii (1886-1937) of the Central Committee. Both authors were executed during the Stalinist Purges of the 1930s; This poster was published in 1920 shortly after the formation of the "Special Commission for Liquidation of Illiteracy" in the Red Army and in the Red Fleet. The Commission (referred to as Likbez) was a campaign that required citizens aged 8 to 50 years to be literate in their native language; Krasnoarmeets (a term used on this poster) was a Red Army designation below the rank of a non-commissioned officer.
Media Size: Please inquire
Poster Type: Lithograph
Publishing Date: 1920
Print Run: 2,000
Catalog Notes: PP 804 Education & Literacy
Artist: Artist Unknown — неизвестный художник
The artist's name on the poster is not indicated. By assigning Artist Unknown to a poster it also could mean the artist used a chop mark whereby no signature is seen thus rendering the artist's identity anonymous.
Read More About This Artist
Printer: 2nd Soviet Typography [Photo-Lithography] Workshop, Kiev — 2-я Советская фото-лито-типография, Киев
The 2nd Soviet Typography Workshop was located at 4 Pushkin Street in Kiev, Ukrainian Soviet Socialist Republic. Over a period of management changes through the years, the printer was also known as the Photo-Lithography Workshop as well as the Soviet Printing Office.
Read More About This Printer
Publisher: Political Directorate of the 12th Army — Политправление Ревоенсовета 12-й армии
The 12th Army was part of the Red Army forces during the Russian Civil War. It operated along three fronts and it existed under two formations. Initially, the 12th was formed in 1918 and was assigned to the Astrakhan region and Northern Caucasus. The unit was demobilized in March 1919. It was then reorganized (once again as the 12th Army) in June 1919, and it continued to serve on the Western Front. Later, it was assigned to the ...
Read More About This Publisher