Kolchinsky Alexander. Stalin on Stamps and other Philatelic Materials: Design, Propaganda, Politics

University Library System, University of Pittsburgh, 2013. — 77 p.Stamps, postcards, and illustrated covers present a valuable and underappreciated resource in historical research, particularly when they deal — directly or indirectly — with images of national leaders. Their content and design reflect and sometimes even anticipate political developments. The case of Stalin, leader of the Soviet Union from 1929 to 1953, is especially complex due to his extraordinary national and international influence. This work analyzes the usage of Joseph Stalin’s likeness and name on stamps and other postal items in the context of contemporaneous political circumstances and the needs of domestic and international propaganda. The study examines philatelic items issued not only in the Soviet Union and other communist countries, but also in Western Europe and the United States.