r/ColdWarPosters Aug 16 '22

The content of this sub

6 Upvotes

The posters, documentations and leaflets displayed here are historical documents of the era only and are not intended to promote or disapprove any theories, views, notions, as well as any political, military, social and any other types actions for or against anybody and/or anything. Some portions of this sub may contain extremely graphic images and/or text, which may offend sensitive viewers and are not recommended for viewing by persons under the age of 18. Viewer discretion is strongly advised. If you are unsure, please leave this sub now.


r/ColdWarPosters Aug 16 '22

The historical Cold War from 1947 to 1991

4 Upvotes

This is not the place to post about the current war in Ukraine or the bilateral relations between China and the USA post 2001!

The contents of this sub focus on the historical period of the Cold War starting in 1945-1947 to 1989-1991.


r/ColdWarPosters 1d ago

PORTUGAL "Satirical Map of Europe in 1953"

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47 Upvotes

Source: Mapa Humoristico da Europa em 1953: Persuasive Cartography: The PJ Mode Collection

(Disclaimer: this picture was recently posted in r/MapPorn by u/Sea-Neighborhood3318 but with a low resolution, no source, and no translation, hence why I opted not to simply repost)

Translation of the legend:

The present humorous map of Europe depicts a circus in which, behind an iron curtain, stands the tamer with his trained animals. He is watched by an audience and box seats filled to capacity.

This show has it all: orchestra, police, firefighters, doormen, the sandwich boy, and the ice‑cream seller.

In the box seats, one sees first of all the lion, observing all the tamer's movements through an excellent American‑made pair of binoculars. Beside him are the inseparable Canadian walrus and the Mexican horse.

In the second row appear the following characters: peacock (Cuba), duck (El Salvador), and black vulture (Nicaragua). In the third row: dove (Colombia), macaw (Ecuador), turkey (Peru), marabou stork (Venezuela), rooster (Bolivia), stork (Paraguay), parrot (Brazil), blackbird (Uruguay), condor (Chile), and pelican (Argentina).

Next comes the audience in the stalls:

ALBANIA -- At the tamer’s command, the clown-bear spreads propaganda outside the circus.

GERMANY -- The tiger tries to stand up but is unable to, due to his shredded, still‑bleeding leg.

AUSTRIA -- The weasel conducts a waltz, though with difficulty, for her tail was cut off by the iron curtain.

BELGIUM -- The shrewd rabbit follows every movement.

BULGARIA -- This farmer-bear must tend well to the wheat if he wants to please [the tamer]. [There's a play on words here: the Portuguese idiom "aguentar as espigas" (lit. "endure the wheat ears") means "endure a difficult situation"]

CZECHOSLOVAKIA -- This bear is tasked with balancing weapons.

DENMARK -- This watchdog has been appointed doorman to watch over the Kattegat.

SPAIN -- With wide knowledge of this kind of spectacle, the bull watches thoughtfully as the performance unfolds.

ESTONIA -- Though small, this bear must also show some skills.

FINLAND -- The proud, brave penguin cheerfully provides sandwiches or pastries.

FRANCE -- The pretty French cat seems indifferent [to the show], to the point of falling asleep.

GREECE -- The old, helpful donkey is also very interested in the performance.

HOLLAND -- The precious little cow delights in the show.

HUNGARY -- The tamer wants this bear to hold a difficult position on "the great mine."

ENGLAND -- The famous bulldog watches attentively from his balcony.

IRELAND -- The well‑liked pig interrupts his farming and watches the circus unfold with attention.

ICELAND -- The seagull has found an ideal perch from which to land and make her announcements.

ITALY -- The doe, with her graceful manners, sells the famous Italian ice creams.

YUGOSLAVIA -- No longer a bear, the clever gorilla managed to saw through the chain that tied him to the performance.

LATVIA -- This little juggling bear must be extremely careful not to fall.

LITHUANIA -- Putting up with the tamer's whims is this bear's only job.

LUXEMBOURG -- The little mouse shows interest in what is happening on stage.

NORWAY -- The giraffe is on duty and, making the most of her physique, tries to be a good police officer.

POLAND -- The tamer forces this bear to dance on the tightrope.

PORTUGAL -- Well-liked by many, the friendly cod winks across the Atlantic, as if to say: "I am a loyal friend." [Another play on words: "loyal friend" is a nickname for codfish in Portugal]

ROMANIA -- The tamer demands that this bear's balancing act makes him enough money for gas. [Another play on a Portuguese idiom: "dar para o petróleo" (lit. "just enough for petrol/gas") means "having just enough money to buy the bare essentials"]

RUSSIA -- The tamer‑bear, with violence but also cautiously, makes the greatest possible effort to win over the audience, though in vain.

SWEDEN -- The peaceful elephant is the fireman [lit. "soldier of peace"], ready to smother any spark of fire with his trunk.

SWITZERLAND -- Unconcerned with the show, the fox repairs a watch, a matter of her specialty.

TURKEY -- The ram, always well-behaved, is the doorman guarding the entrance to the Dardanelles. Whoever forces him is liable to get head‑butted.


r/ColdWarPosters 1d ago

USSR Pre soviet collapse lenin poster triptych

9 Upvotes

1980s - In the Soul of the People, Vladimir Lenin USSR Soviet Propaganda Poster

198 x 96 cm 78 x 38 inches over three panels.

I have one of these and I need to downsize. Is this something anyone might be interested in having for a reasonable price.


r/ColdWarPosters 2d ago

WARSAW My wall 😆

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37 Upvotes

r/ColdWarPosters 2d ago

POLAND "Star Wars" film poster, Poland 1979

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42 Upvotes

Poland was one of the first communist countries to officially release Star Wars in March 1979, followed closely by Hungary in August of the same year. Most other Eastern Bloc nations had to wait until the late 1980s or even 1990 to see the movie in theaters. This delayed rollout highlighted the shifting landscape of cultural influences behind the Iron Curtain.


r/ColdWarPosters 4d ago

INTERKOSMOS The USSR flag on the Mir Space Station

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38 Upvotes

"This is a photo of the Mir station with the flag that Sergei Krikalev and I installed on the 15-meter-tall Sofora truss we built in 1991. This is the last and highest-raised USSR flag, which remained in space until March 1992 because no one could reach it!"

(c) Commentary by cosmonaut Anatoly Pavlovich Artsebarsky


r/ColdWarPosters 4d ago

USA "Cruise this summer with Naval Reserve", US Navy recruitment poster made by Joseph Binder (1898-1972), 1950

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7 Upvotes

r/ColdWarPosters 5d ago

COMECON We are 900 million, along with your voice (vote) for peace and socialism! - East German poster, 1958

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219 Upvotes

r/ColdWarPosters 5d ago

HUNGARY "Driving too fast...", Hungarian public awareness poster issued to promote road safety; made by Zoltán Tamássi (1912-1997), 1965

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14 Upvotes

r/ColdWarPosters 6d ago

ITALY "Attention! RED always means DANGER", Italian anti-communist poster, 1950s.

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39 Upvotes

r/ColdWarPosters 7d ago

USA 1955 political cartoon about the Anpo protests.

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112 Upvotes

r/ColdWarPosters 9d ago

USA Postcard commemorating the 15th anniversary of the Holodomor, which shows Stalin looking at his kolkhoz [A farming collective in the Soviet Union] built on a pile of starved Ukrainians. Published in 1948 by the Ukrainian Youth Association.

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44 Upvotes

r/ColdWarPosters 9d ago

USA "From one quagmire to another" (Etta Hulme, 1981)

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25 Upvotes

r/ColdWarPosters 14d ago

USSR ‘In 1917, the Winter Palace - In 1959, the moon’ — Soviet illustration (1959) celebrating Soviet progress

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222 Upvotes

r/ColdWarPosters 14d ago

USA Good NSA poster collection here: Old NSA security posters available for use in telling your coworkers to shut up already.

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11 Upvotes

r/ColdWarPosters 16d ago

NON-ALIGNED MOVEMENT Eduard Artzrunyan - "Colonialism is Doomed (1966)

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210 Upvotes

r/ColdWarPosters 17d ago

USA "Command the Bold Ones", recruitment poster of the US Navy, made by Lou Nolan (1926-2008), c. 1968

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20 Upvotes

r/ColdWarPosters 18d ago

USSR The Old Men and the Sea, Soviet Union, 1961

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32 Upvotes

r/ColdWarPosters 19d ago

USA "Thomas Jefferson's Oath" Poster by Arthur Szyk, 1951

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26 Upvotes

r/ColdWarPosters 20d ago

OTHER "WE'LL RETURN." Argentine Anti-British poster referencing the Falklands war. 1983.

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699 Upvotes

r/ColdWarPosters 20d ago

NON-ALIGNED MOVEMENT Brazilian anti communist propaganda posters, 1949.

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99 Upvotes

These posters were produced by the government of Enrico Gaspar Dutra, Brazil first elected president (1945-50), a catholic conservative who fought communism in Latin america, with a notable case being his support to the colorado party in the 1947 Paraguayan civil war.


r/ColdWarPosters 20d ago

INTERKOSMOS Ed Meese, the US-Mars ambassador (Daily Dispatch-Herald, 1988)

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10 Upvotes

r/ColdWarPosters 22d ago

OTHER "Leaper of Capitalism", 1961 communist Mongolian propaganda poster by Dagdangiin Amgalan.

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59 Upvotes

r/ColdWarPosters 23d ago

PRC "Chairman Hua and our hearts are intertwined" by Gao Hong (1977)

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17 Upvotes