Russia, America, and the Conspiratorial Worldview

By

Stephen M. Norris

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An altered image of a 1939 Soviet propaganda poster.

Putin Helps Trump

An altered image of a 1939 Soviet propaganda poster that changed the location from Red Square to the National Mall and references the controversy over the number of people who attended President Donald Trump's inauguration in 2017.

The first issue of the Izvestiia newspaper.

Izvestiia

The first issue of the Izvestiia newspaper in 1917.

A supervisor of the Pravda newspaper's printing process.

Pravda

A supervisor of the Pravda newspaper's printing process examining the paper's images in 1959.

The first issue of the satirical magazine Krokodil.

Krokodil

The first issue of the satirical magazine Krokodil in 1922.

Journalist Mikhail Kol’tsov.

Mikhali Kol'tsov

Journalist Mikhail Kol’tsov after his arrest by the Soviet secret police in 1938.

Boris Efimov's 1923 cartoon depicts infighting among fascists.

A Split Among the German Fascists

Boris Efimov's 1923 cartoon depicts infighting among fascists and the involvement of capitalists.

Boris Efimov's 1925 cartoon depicts Austin Chamberlain's hand controlling anti-Soviet leaders.

Whose Hand?

Boris Efimov's 1925 cartoon depicts Austin Chamberlain's hand controlling the anti-Soviet leaders of Finland, Latvia, Poland, Estonia, and Romania.

Boris Efimov's 1927 cartoon shows U.S. Secretary of State Frank Kellogg seeking Nicaraguan oil.

Multipurpose Grabbing Gloves

Boris Efimov's 1927 cartoon shows U.S. Secretary of State Frank Kellogg seeking Nicaraguan oil under the guise of attacking Soviets.

Boris Efimov's 1937 cartoon critiques Italy's Benito Mussolini's predatory overtures toward Spain.

Interventionists Caught Red-Handed

Boris Efimov's 1937 cartoon critiques Italy's Benito Mussolini's predatory overtures toward Spain.

Boris Efimov's 1937 cartoon warns against Japan's invasion of China.

A Little Beast with a Big Appetite

Boris Efimov's 1937 cartoon warns against Japan's invasion of China and its quest for "world domination."

Boris Efimov's 1947 cartoon shows capitalist thugs to be behind the seeming pretext of freedom.

The American ‘Statue of Liberty’ … and Hand of Freedom

Boris Efimov's 1947 cartoon shows capitalist thugs to be behind the seeming pretext of freedom that accompanied Marshall Plan dollars to rebuild Europe after World War II.

Boris Efimov's 1950 cartoon suggests French politicians were in league with Wall Street, the U.S. State Department, and American Intelligence efforts.

Untitled Cartoon

Boris Efimov's 1950 cartoon suggests French politicians were in league with Wall Street, the U.S. State Department, and American Intelligence efforts to support postwar European integration.

Boris Efimov's 1951 cartoon illustrates 'Wall Street' allowing Nazism to reemerge.

The Brown Web

Boris Efimov's 1951 cartoon illustrates "Wall Street" allowing Nazism to reemerge through the division of Germany into East and West and American support for the Christian Democratic Party.

Boris Efimov's 1954 cartoon mocks American capitalists' seeming friendliness.

'Their’ Hand of Friendship

Boris Efimov's 1954 cartoon mocks American capitalists' seeming friendliness used to mask their militaristic goals.

Boris Efimov's 1956 cartoon depicts Radio Free Europe as a purveyor of false reports and propaganda.

Polluters of the Atmosphere

Boris Efimov's 1956 cartoon depicts Radio Free Europe as a purveyor of false reports and propaganda.

Boris Efimov's 1960 cartoon links the power struggle in the Congo.

New Shackles for the People of the Congo

Boris Efimov's 1960 cartoon links the power struggle in the Congo after independence to American meddling.

Boris Efimov's 1961 cartoon depicts an American military figure lusting after Cambodia.

The Predatory Hands of the ‘Free World’

Boris Efimov's 1961 cartoon depicts an American military figure lusting after Cambodia and using accusations of communism as a justification for military involvement.

Boris Efimov's 1967 cartoon depicts American cultural exchange programs and tourists as CIA fronts and operatives.

Untitled Drawing

Boris Efimov's 1967 cartoon depicts American cultural exchange programs and tourists as CIA fronts and operatives.

Boris Efimov's 1970 cartoon characterized American support for Israel as militaristic.

The Hands of the Pentagon over the Middle East

Boris Efimov's 1970 cartoon characterized American support for Israel as militaristic despite the pretext of peace the U.S. projected.

Boris Efimov's 1985 cartoon blasts the Strategic Defense Initiative.

Untitled Original Drawing

Boris Efimov's 1985 cartoon blasts the Strategic Defense Initiative, better known by the nickname "Star Wars," as a ruse for offensive measures against the Soviet Union.

Boris Efimov's 1986 cartoon illustrates American manipulation.

Uncle Sam’s Puppets

Boris Efimov's 1986 cartoon illustrates American manipulation in El Salvador, Guatemala, Paraguay, Chile, and Haiti.

A popular meme plastered on a Washington, D.C. mailbox in 2016.

Putin Holding Trump

A popular meme plastered on a Washington, D.C. mailbox in 2016 that altered an iconic image of Joseph Stalin to depict Russian President Vladimir Putin holding an infantilized Donald Trump.

Boris Efimov's career spanned from 1922 to 1991.

Boris Efimov

Boris Efimov's career spanned from 1922 to 1991.

Russian President Vladimir Putin and American President Donald Trump meeting in July 2017.

Vladimir Putin and Donald Trump Meeting

Russian President Vladimir Putin and American President Donald Trump meeting in July 2017 at the G20 Summit.

Vitalii Podvitskii's 2017 political cartoon shows a Boris Efimov-like caricature of Uncle Sam.

Trophies

Vitalii Podvitskii's 2017 political cartoon shows a Boris Efimov-like caricature of Uncle Sam and references past American justifications for war.

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Cite this Site

Stephen M. Norris , "Russia, America, and the Conspiratorial Worldview" , Origins: Current Events in Historical Perspective

June, 2017

https://origins.osu.edu/index.php/article/russia-america-and-conspiratorial-worldview.