1947 Vive notre classe ouvrière victorieuse 1947

This powerful 1947 original Soviet poster proclaims: “Vive notre classe ouvrière victorieuse” (“Long live our victorious working class”), celebrating the central role of workers in the aftermath of the Second World War. The date 1947 is prominently displayed, anchoring the image in a moment when the Soviet Union was emerging from immense devastation while affirming a narrative of triumph, reconstruction, and collective strength. The composition focuses on the monumental figure of a worker, gripping a heavy industrial tool, symbolising physical labour, endurance, and the rebuilding of the nation.

Created during the early post-war period, the poster reflects the visual language of late Stalinist propaganda: bold typography, dramatic close-up framing, and a limited palette dominated by red, black, and white. Rather than depicting a specific individual, the worker is presented as an archetype—the embodiment of the victorious proletariat. The emphasis on strength, resolve, and industrial power underscores the ideological message that it was the working class who had not only defended the country, but who would now forge its future.

Beyond its striking graphic impact, this poster stands as a historical document of a pivotal moment. It captures the transition from wartime mobilisation to peacetime reconstruction, when imagery was used to foster pride, unity, and unwavering faith in labour as the foundation of society. Today, it remains a compelling example of mid-20th-century Soviet poster art—at once political, symbolic, and visually commanding.

Original Poster

Communism - Propaganda - USSR - Russia

Printed in Moscow

Good condition, one tear