To raise the fighting spirit of the people, to awaken in people the desire to fight for the Fatherland and work for the good of the front – these were the tasks set by the leadership of the Soviet Union at the beginning of the Great Patriotic War. The most effective means at all times was propaganda, therefore, Soviet posters from the first day of military operations were used as information aids, agitational and encouraging leaflets.

Soviet posters should be considered a real and powerful ideological weapon that hit the target without fail. Artists, poets, journalists, composers, writers took part in the creation of materials. Depending on the purpose, these were either crude caricatures, or paintings on a military theme, or a combination of text and photography. Some posters can be considered real works of art.

What did a standard poster look like? It was a large-format drawing or photo with explanatory text in the form of a poem or a sonorous slogan. He called for struggle, strengthened the faith of the Soviet people in victory and moral superiority over the enemy, glorified the exploits of front-line soldiers and home front workers, convinced them of the importance and necessity of the liberation struggle. Some works acted as accusers – they accused of treason, reminded them of the inevitability of punishment.

The poster brought results if it was realistic and emotional, so the main character was always a simple soldier, a factory worker, a peasant. The image of the enemy was made universal – it was either a German soldier or Hitler.

The authors of the propaganda materials were Mikhail Cheremnykh, Viktor Ivanov, Viktor Koretsky. The most famous posters are “The Motherland Calls!” by Irakli Toridze and “For the Motherland!” by Alexei Kokorekin. The Kukryniksy and Okna TASS associations became famous for their memorable plots and texts.

Posters were created in the republics, especially in Georgia and Armenia. Printing houses in Moscow, Murmansk and even blockaded Leningrad kept up with the pace.