OUGD505 - Product Range Distribution - The Relationship Between Propaganda, Communism and China - Books

I took out the following books from the library:

• Red Scared - The Commie Menace in Propaganda and Popular Culture
• Chinese Posters - The IISH Landsberger Collections
• Chinese Posters - Art From the Great Proletarian Cultural Revolution
• Propaganda Prints - A History of Art in the Service of Social and Political Change

Even from looking at the covers of them, it's clear what they're about through their clear uses of propaganda-like covers.

Red Scared

• In the past American people have been conditioned by politicians, businessman and the media to fear Communists because they're a threat to Americanism.
• After the Russian Revolution businesses in America were concerned that communism could grow in America, and so started spreading anti-communist Propaganda across the country.
• Theodore Roosevelt encouraged people to embrace Americanism, suggesting that other political systems other than their own were threats to Americanism.
• Publishers expected their employees to co-operate with the anti communistic work or would fire them.
• Cartoons in American magazines and newspapers have to uphold American values, yet violence is still allowed alongside communist representations.

Propaganda Prints

• Traditionally in China, different people used woodblock prints for any sort of illustration. Different people did each stage of the process, and none of them were given any credit for it.
• In the 1930's this started to change because of Western influences as part of a modernisation of their culture.
• The wood block print then became a tool for propaganda.
• In 1966 Chairman Mao launched the Proletarian Cultural Revolution, which was an attempt to reverse the movement way from socialist principles which had happened since the creation of The Peoples Republic of China in 1949.
• Young people were encouraged to take the country's future into their own hands, and over 20million young people (The Red Guard) shared Mao's message.
• Big character slogans ("dazibo" in Chinese) were prominent and vital in Mao's revolution, they were hand made and placed in public places such as schools.
• The image of Chairman Mao was the dominant image of the revolution, with it being used in all mediums and contexts, despite the facts it had strict guidelines, such as having to be depicted as a source of light.
• Many of the Propaganda posters emphasised how politics should be key in the lives of individuals and groups of people.
• In 1968 Mao disbanded the Red Guard after they had become armed and started fighting amongst themselves.
• When Mao died in 1976, so did any chance of China becoming truly communist.

Chinese Posters - Art From The Great Proletarian Cultural Revolution

Key features in Chinese propaganda posters are red armbands, ordinary people made out to be role models, Mao's quote books, and the colour red, shown here in examples 6, 8, 10 and 11 respectively.

Many Chinese posters adopt a traditional style of watercolour imagery that reflects the peaceful nature of the country's landscape. Other styles include somewhat surreal idealistic representations of the country done in pastel colours.

Propaganda posters tended to show people as the focus though, often having one person as a key figure in the poster, overseeing the rest of the poster in a victorious or powerful pose.

There is also a recurring theme of red text one white background, which has quite a striking contrast.

Chinese Posters - The IISH Landsberger Collections

Some recent propaganda posters have shown regular people living a Western lifestyle as key figures to look up to, re-affirming one of the points from the previous books.

Others build on this by showing it in a worldwide context, which shows willingness on the part of the Chinese government to want to co-operate and peacefully live alongside the rest of the world.

Some have even backed the modernisation of China by showing modern technology, very different to the thoughts and methods of Mao.

Recent posters from the Beijing Olympic games have showed a somewhat modernist style of design as well, showing that not all form of visual communication in the country is traditional, and it is progressing.