Design Trippin: Soviet Era Anti-Alcohol Posters

Click on the title above or here to see all the posters. I found them while using StumbleUpon and was quite taken by the style and obvious cold war era. Unfortunately the website I found them on doesn't give any explanation about who did them, when and why. But it does luckily translate the headlines. If anybody knows more or can direct me to a link which can explain them better I would really appreciate it. I grabbed my favorite from the website because I felt that these posters perfectly capture the internal problems of the culture. I'm gonna go out on a limb here and say that it's widely known that Russians like their vodka. Very stereotypical, but some say it's what drives the country. At some point along the way the government must of realized that alcoholism was a serious problem and I tried to help their countrymen. Maybe other countries have done it also, but I've never seen anything like it from that era of time.

These posters use themes of desperation, suicide and confusion. Some have been beautifully drawn in satire while others show the minimalist abstract style we've come to expect from communism. I especially like the "Enemy of Production" poster, it's a good concept. If this poster were used today it would be very successful design and would be used as a logo and for all the advertising/collateral needs. Another good poster is the suicide "Alcohol" poster. Not as successful as the last but well executed. I've seen this graphic done before and makes me wonder if this poster was the first to use it?