To fully understand WWII it is important to analyze the home-front as well as military engagements. One of the best ways to get a glimpse into this aspect is reviewing the propaganda that was presented to ordinary citizens. Also, by viewing these images one can gain an understanding of the military strategy that was pursued by the government to attempt to win the war.
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| Cut the enemy! |
The first image is very interesting because it is presenting a soldier that is using a sword and a horse to defeat his enemy. During WWII both swords and horses had become obsolete in military engagements throughout the World because they were replaced by guns, cars, tanks, etc... However, if one truly ponders the meaning of this image they will gain an understanding of the Soviets in the war. The Soviets did not have a proper supply of munitions and this image shows that they were utilizing the resources that they had, regardless of the chances for success. With this in mind it is hard to imagine charging semi-automatic weapons with a horse, but it is understandable that the Russians needed to use anything they had in order to present a significant opposition.
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| Our forces are uncountable |
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This image is rather interesting because it presents one of the primary strategies the Soviets used during the war, which was to utilize people as the primary resource for the war effort. This presents the same concept as the first image, which is the military utilizing the resources that they had. There were not enough munitions to go around, but what Russia had plenty of was human resources. It did not matter how many people would die, it only mattered that they could crush all opposition through simply having a larger force. This idea of people as an expendable resource may seem disturbing to some, but it was necessary for the success of the Russians in the war.
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| If you are surrounded, fight till the last drop of your blood |
This image presents an idea that may seem counterproductive to the war effort by presenting a soldier who will die in the war. However, by ordering soldiers to take as many Nazis with them before they die a nationalistic feeling is created. This image presents the idea that it did not matter if a soldier died in the war, so long as they died as a hero defending Russia. Even though this image presents soldiers as heroes, it still seems peculiar to remind soldiers that they probably wont be returning from the battlefield.
All of these images truly demonstrate how Russia planed to win the war, which was to use a vast supply of people to destroy the German forces. It is hard to imagine people willingly going to battle under these conditions, but if a government appeals to a citizens love for their country almost anything is possible.
Bibliography
Russian WWII Propaganda Posters. n.d.
http://www.allworldwars.com/Russian%20WWII%20Propaganda%20Posters.html
(accessed April 8, 2012).
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