The train goes from the station Socialism to the station Communism. The experienced engineer of the revolution, Comrade Stalin (Sokolov-Skala P.) Soviet Posters (1917-1941)

This is a Soviet propaganda poster from 1939, titled The train goes from the station Socialism to the station Communism. The artwork depicts a powerful locomotive, emblazoned with the word Stalin on its side, billowing smoke and steam as it speeds along a track. The train is draped with a red banner featuring the faces of Lenin and other prominent Bolshevik figures, symbolizing the historical lineage of the revolution.

The poster visually represents the Soviet Unions journey from socialism to communism as a linear progression, akin to a trains journey along a set route. A graph in the foreground illustrates this progress, with Socialism marked as the departure station and Communism as the destination. Key historical milestones in the Bolshevik movement, such as Iskra (1900), December 1905, Pravda (1912), and October 1917, are depicted as intermediate stations on the graph, charting the movements growth and eventual seizure of power.

The subtexts of the poster are clear:

• Ideological Progression: The train symbolizes the unstoppable march of the Soviet state towards its ultimate goal of communism, presented as an inevitable and desirable outcome.
• Leadership and Control: Joseph Stalin is prominently featured as the experienced engineer of the revolution and the master of the locomotive of revolution. This positions him as the guiding force, expertly steering the nation towards its communist future. The use of Stalin on the locomotive itself reinforces his central role and authority.
• Historical Legitimacy: By associating the train with key moments and figures of the early revolutionary period, the poster aims to legitimize the current Soviet leadership and its socialist achievements as the culmination of a long and determined struggle.
• Triumph and Inevitability: The powerful imagery of the speeding train and the upward-sloping graph suggest a narrative of triumph, progress, and an assured victory for communism. The destination of Communism is presented not as an abstract ideal, but as a tangible future station that the Soviet train is actively en route to reaching.
• Propaganda of Unity and Progress: Such posters were designed to foster a sense of national pride, unity, and belief in the Soviet systems future, encouraging citizens to embrace the ongoing struggle and trust in their leadership.