Smite False Shock Workers

БЬЕМ ПО ЛЖЕУДНИКАМИ - Smite False Shock Workers, unknown artist, 1931

in the Soviet Union during the 1930s the Government led a campaign aimed at inspiring workers to redouble their efforts to increase production and exceed the targets set in the five year plans. Known as Stakhanovism (after Alexei Stakhanov, who was said to have set records in how much coal he mined). The poster depicts "shock workers" smiting a lazy worker while he is oversleeping.

In the small cartoon graphic, to the left, a poster on the wall says, "All should join the shockworkers". The man says, "I declare myself a shockworker". In the middle panel he is seen drinking beer. On the right he is seen still asleep while the clocks shows the time is later than 9am. To the right, a sign on one machine says, "How much longer shall I stand idle???" and on another machine: "Down with false shockworkers." 

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In 1917, after three years of devastating war, food shortages and government corruption, the workers and peasants of Russia rose up to overthrow the ruling elite and attempted to create the world’s first communist society under the slogan “All Power to the Soviets”.

Throughout the year there were riots, mutinies and strikes, influenced by and involving Mensheviks, Anarchists, Social Revolutionaries and Bolsheviks.

By October, the Bolsheviks, who promised to end Russia’s involvement in the war, were able to overthrow the provisional government, which had been established after the abdication of the Tsar in February.

As the Bolsheviks centralised power and tightened their control over the new state, civil war broke out across Russia as monarchists and liberals (known as the Whites), supported by Western capitalist democracies, fought back against the Bolsheviks.

At the same time, various non-Russian independence movements, anarchists and anti-Bolshevik socialist parties rebelled against Bolshevik imposed terror.

By 1923 the Bolsheviks had defeated the White Army and suppressed internal dissent. The Civil War concluded with a Bolshevik victory.

Before the Revolution and throughout the period of the existence of the Soviet Union, visual propaganda was considered a significant means to inform, educate and motivate people.