In the socialist era (from the late 1940s to the Velvet Revolution) it was believed that the Colorado Potato Beetle, or Mandelinka bramborová in Czech, was being dropped by “American Imperialists” to help destroy the Czechoslovak agriculture and shatter the regime.
Here are several period posters, pictures and magazine covers to help the people of Czechoslovakia vigilant and ready to fight what they were made to believe was a weapon of destruction by the “imperialists”.
“The American High Commend gives you, potato beetles, the honorable task to sabotage the agriculture and to demonstrate absolute leadership in “free initiative”.“The power of the people is more that the criminal plans of the imperialists.”“In Truman’s main staff office”“New symbol of American democracy”A decree declaring the regional search of the American beetle, the worst pest to the agriculture, on the19th of July of 1952“Kill the pests – IMPERIALIST, larva, potato beetle, village rich man”“The American Potato Beetle that wants to steal from our plates”Front of a box of matches inviting people to report any potato beetle findings immediatelyFront of a box of matches inviting people to report any potato beetle findings immediately“Let’s fight the American beetle”“Let’s fight the potato beetle, we will not give in!”Cover of the Dikobraz magazine“Howdy, local, how do I get to the countryside? We have been given the task to spread the Atlantic culture here.” Cover of the Dikobraz magazine“The entire nation fights the American beetle”
Even Ferda the Ant had to fight the American beetle.
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Source of pictures: Ústav pro studium totalitních režimů
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