12-29-2011, 11:50 AM
desantnik Wrote:Phil, #1 and #2 don't have any "hidden" meaning or associations other than playing on obvious visceral or emotional phobias, in these cases "bomb throwing" spoiler enemies lurking outside the mansion (a peacetime version of "loose lips sink ships") and humanity's aversion to both darkness and snakes.
Paul,
"Hodden meaning" may not be the right way to approach these posters, I think that Phillip is also interested in the context in which they appeared and they illustrate.
Hence, the first one refers to the fact that the US is the only country to date to have effectively used atomic weapons, and points to the perceived problem of history being re-written (eg the book about WW2).
The second one dates from the 1930~40's I believe, a period during which Trotsky was the No 1 Enemy of the Soviet people and had to be discredited at all costs, hence his being associated with fascists (going the full circle?
). Bukharin's theses, in part adopted and updated by Trotsky, proved to be divergent and critical of Stalin's chosen way, and as such, it was a matter of survival for the Soviet leadership to discredit them, their authors and their supporters.Marc
