Idealized Solidarity in Chinese Propaganda

People of the world unite and defeat the American aggressors and their running dogs is a Chinese propaganda poster made during the Cultural Revolution (1966-1976) to help promote communism in the country. In the poster, people of all ethnicities holding weapons and holding up red flags are united under one goal of defeating the American political ideals standing in the way of Chinese communism. The bold Chinese text at the bottom of the poster stands out in bright pink, reading "All people should unite and fight against American imperialism!"

In 1966, China's Communist leader, Mao Zedong, launched the Cultural Revolution to encourage China's youth to reject Western capitalist influence through political, educational, and creative means. The government arrested and imprisoned traditional artists who protested the movement and created a new visual identity that highlighted the average worker and soldier in an idealized industrial culture. This shift marked the rise of Mao-era art, moving away from earlier dark, ink-heavy works to focus on colorful scenes, light backgrounds, simple forms, idealized themes, and smiling people. The poster being analyzed is unique in its depiction of other ethnicities, as most art posters during this period usually depicted Chinese citizens. The people's expressions and poses convey collectiveness, happiness, and harmony, paralleling communist ideals. Ironically, this design representing harmony directly stems from an era of tight government control, feigning an idealized lifestyle whilst imprisoning, punishing, and killing thousands of people all across the country.