Featured Poster of the Week
The poster quote reads: "The victorious growth of Socialism in the USSR will find its expression in the great growth of socialist based national cultures." The quote is attributed to Viacheslav Molotov (1890-1986), Soviet Minister of Foreign Affairs. The woman illustrated is wearing an Uzbek costume and is styled as a Soviet-era depiction of educational success. Her education came about via a campaign that offered primary education and adult reading programs under the acronym, Likbez (Likvidatsiia bezgrammotnosti) or, “Liquidation of Illiteracy.”
Under Likbez, an individual became “semi-literate” after six to eight hours a week of study over three months, at which point another six to eight months of study would bring full literacy. In 1923, a state educational plan called for the trade-union members to achieve full adult literacy by May Day 1925, while the Likbez Commission was to redouble efforts among the population at large, targeting full literacy by the tenth anniversary of the October Revolution (1927). In rural areas, reading rooms were stocked with posters, pamphlets, and books to foster both literacy and familiarity with Soviet ideology.
Likbez lost steam after its commission and the trade unions missed the target set for 1927. Instead, resources and attention flowed to technical and higher education plans forming part of the epochal industrialization and collectivization efforts during Stalin’s First Five-Year Plan (1928–32).
About The Collection
Poster Plakat is a private collection of Soviet and Eastern Bloc political ephemera spanning 1916 to 1991. The collection contains over 1,000 original posters and poster maquettes. Sizes range from windowpane posters up to large, multi-panel broadsides. Numerous artists are represented such as Gustav Klutsis, Victor Deni, Nikolai Dolgorukov, Vladimir Stenberg, the Kukryniksy, Viktor Koretsky, and hundreds more. All posters are linen backed and ready for display.
If you are interested in using images from the Collection or exhibiting posters from it, please visit the Contact Us page for more information. You can also email info@posterplakat.com and include the name of your organization, the name of the contact person and provide your phone number. In addition, please provide a general description of the exhibit you are considering or the poster you would like to use.