Voici comment le peloton de punition bolchevique de Lettons et de Chinois a pris de force le grain, ravagé les villages et fusillé les paysans - Garde blanche Circa 1919

This striking circa 1919 poster is a rare example of anti-Bolshevik propaganda produced during the Russian Civil War, most likely by White Guard forces. It reflects the extreme political tensions of the period, when imagery was weaponized to influence public opinion—particularly among the rural population.

The composition is deliberately harsh and unsettling. A wounded peasant lies bleeding in the foreground, while another is bound and threatened at gunpoint. Armed men dominate the scene, embodying the violence associated with forced grain requisitioning—one of the most controversial policies of early Bolshevik rule. In the background, soldiers stand as silent witnesses, reinforcing the sense of organized repression.

The caption accuses Bolshevik punitive detachments—specifically mentioning Latvians and Chinese—of looting villages and executing peasants. While clearly propagandistic, this reference is rooted in historical reality. By 1917, as many as 200,000 Chinese workers were present in Russia, originally recruited under the Tsarist regime to compensate for labor shortages caused by World War I. Employed in industry, construction, and agriculture, this workforce later became entangled in the upheavals of the Revolution and Civil War. Some were indeed incorporated into Red Army units or auxiliary roles, which White propaganda exploited to portray the Bolsheviks as relying on “foreign” forces against the Russian people.

Visually, the poster adopts a raw, almost reportorial style, far removed from the polished aesthetic of later Socialist Realism. The emphasis here is on immediacy and emotional shock, aiming to provoke fear and resentment rather than inspire unity or optimism.

Historically, this work illustrates how both sides of the Civil War used imagery to construct powerful—and often exaggerated—narratives. For the White movement, portraying Bolshevik power as violent, illegitimate, and supported by outsiders was a key strategy to mobilize resistance, particularly among peasants already hostile to requisition policies.

Today, such posters are invaluable documents. They offer a counter-narrative to Soviet visual culture, revealing how propaganda operated on all sides of the conflict. Beyond their historical significance, they remain deeply evocative, capturing the brutality, confusion, and ideological intensity of a country at war with itself.

Original Poster

Military - War - USSR - Russia

In 1917, up to two hundred thousand Chinese lived in Russia, employed in forced labor in industry, agriculture, and construction. Thanks to this cheap labor force, actively recruited in China, the Tsarist government attempted to alleviate the labor shortage caused by the First World War.

Good condition, some creases and soiling