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Anti-Stalin before it was cool: Catman 3
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54 posts in this topic

1 hour ago, walclark said:

Not the main focus of the cover, but it does compare Timoshenko to George Washington.

pioneer8.jpeg

Good one!  Given Stalin's inclination to kill rivals first and ask questions later, I don't know if I would have wanted to be compared with George Washington if I had been Timoshenko. :whatthe:

I guess in the end, he survived, though.

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In the first post, I wrote: "Of course, once the Cold War started, there were anti-Stalin covers ...."

But after mulling it over I'm not sure that observation is correct.  I was thinking of this one when I wrote it, but I can't think of another, although I'm pretty sure there are at least a few.

132716.jpg

Edited by Sqeggs
Typo
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24 minutes ago, Sqeggs said:

@vaillant as a fan of anti-Communist books, can you think of another Stalin cover from the Cold War period? 

Not that I am aware of, but surely there are good examples from the Cold War period in italian anti-communist instances, especially in occasion of our political elections of the post-war.
But not much comics, I believe. Maybe there might be something from franchist Spain (as complicated as it has been)?

Actually, I’m more a fan of whatever comic (or work of fiction) influenced by the inter-war, WW2 and post-war movements and historical events. :)
The anti-communist books are relevant because they depict the problematic nature of communism as it evolved and changed, and they set it against the very different cultural contexts in the various countries.

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3 minutes ago, vaillant said:
32 minutes ago, Sqeggs said:

@vaillant as a fan of anti-Communist books, can you think of another Stalin cover from the Cold War period? 

Not that I am aware of, but surely there are good examples from the Cold War period in italian anti-communist instances, especially in occasion of our political elections of the post-war.
But not much comics, I believe. Maybe there might be something from franchist Spain (as complicated as it has been)?

Actually, I’m more a fan of whatever comic (or work of fiction) influenced by the inter-war, WW2 and post-war movements and historical events. :)
The anti-communist books are relevant because they depict the problematic nature of communism as it evolved and changed, and they set it against the very different cultural contexts in the various countries.

Thanks for the response.  Since the book I posted is a giveaway, perhaps there were other anti-Communist giveaways with Stalin on the cover.  Calling @BOOT :)

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BTW, not Stalin but I have a 1942 italian comic (from a rare series of two, plus other two written with illustrations) whose stories were based on recollections of Propagandakompanie soldiers (and put into pictures), and where the Soviet soldiers are the enemy.
What’s awesome about these is that they are one of the few comics instances I am aware of where the German soldiers (albeit the Wehrmacht, so not strictly in line with nazist ideology) are portrayed as heroes. And it’s italian, and darn rare.

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Just now, vaillant said:

BTW, not Stalin but I have a 1942 italian comic (from a rare series of two, plus other two written with illustrations) whose stories were based on recollections of Propagandakompanie soldiers (and put into pictures), and where the Soviet soldiers are the enemy.
What’s awesome about these is that they are one of the few comics instances I am aware of where the German soldiers (albeit the Wehrmacht, so not strictly in line with nazist ideology) are portrayed as heroes. And it’s italian, and darn rare.

Interesting. If I'm remembering correctly, didn't substantial numbers of Italian troops serve on the Eastern Front?  I vaguely remember reading somewhere that discontent among the soldiers' families helped contribute to the undermining of support for Mussolini.  

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1 minute ago, Sqeggs said:

Interesting. If I'm remembering correctly, didn't substantial numbers of Italian troops serve on the Eastern Front?  I vaguely remember reading somewhere that discontent among the soldiers' families helped contribute to the undermining of support for Mussolini.  

I’m still very ignorant on most matters but yes, they did. Also, many soldiers were sent for logistic tasks slightly before the day of the armistice (September 8, 1943) causing great chaos, as they remained "freezed" in Russia, it took ages to get back and when they arrived back in Italy… they basically did not know what they should do. Especially in the North.
And so they ran away, to avoid being captured by the German army and tried to return to their homes and families.

My awesome friend Giovanni (which is 102 this year, and a very humble and simple man) experienced a similar thing: he was on a vagon which took more than a month to get back from Russia, he arrived in Verona slightly after the armistice, and was on the run for a full night to get back home here in Modena (where we live).

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On 5/13/2017 at 2:44 PM, Sqeggs said:

Thanks for the response.  Since the book I posted is a giveaway, perhaps there were other anti-Communist giveaways with Stalin on the cover.  Calling @BOOT :)

Here is an anti-Stalin booklet produced by the National Association of Manufacturers. Not my copy, but some scans I saved from an auction years ago...

1StalinInflation1.thumb.jpg.1487fb36cd2d150b442479eb2f569fbd.jpg

1StalinInflation2.thumb.jpg.b6974ed93625f986690460fb21029c9c.jpg

1StalinInflation3.thumb.jpg.5068095eb16e684f0e246c89091db935.jpg

1StalinInflation4.thumb.jpg.e9e0e8ad21fe5a786d7fb8425d877462.jpg

1StalinInflation5.thumb.jpg.b7b7686d9629ec58bb5c1734a9758def.jpg

1StalinInflation6.thumb.jpg.7e052f2ff9ee020570c714f4074f8106.jpg

1StalinInflation7.thumb.jpg.00d71b85a96189742cfe76979c9788c2.jpg

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19 hours ago, BOOT said:

Here is an anti-Stalin booklet produced by the National Association of Manufacturers. Not my copy, but some scans I saved from an auction years ago...

1StalinInflation1.thumb.jpg.1487fb36cd2d150b442479eb2f569fbd.jpg

1StalinInflation2.thumb.jpg.b6974ed93625f986690460fb21029c9c.jpg

1StalinInflation3.thumb.jpg.5068095eb16e684f0e246c89091db935.jpg

1StalinInflation4.thumb.jpg.e9e0e8ad21fe5a786d7fb8425d877462.jpg

1StalinInflation5.thumb.jpg.b7b7686d9629ec58bb5c1734a9758def.jpg

1StalinInflation6.thumb.jpg.7e052f2ff9ee020570c714f4074f8106.jpg

1StalinInflation7.thumb.jpg.00d71b85a96189742cfe76979c9788c2.jpg

Great stuff!  This one in particular is a hoot! 

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