Catalogue Number
NMLH.1994.168.66
Object Name
Poster
Title
Marxism Today
People
Lech Walesa Mieczyslaw Rakowski
Date
1981
Description
Poster featuring two black and white photographs; one of Lech Walesa and one of Mieczyslaw Rakowski, split evenly down the page. 'Marxism Today' is written above the photographs in the top left corner, with 'Marxism' in red and 'Today' in white. Marxism Today was the Communist Party of Great Britain's theoretical magazine, issued between 1954 and 1991. This is advertising the issue from October 1981. A black banner at the bottom has red text reading 'Interviews with Lech Walesa and Rakowski / Exclusive.' Marxism Today often covered events and dissenting voices from within the Eastern Bloc, something few other leftist publications did. In this issue, journalist Monty Johnstone interviewed the deputy prime minister of the Polish Communist Party (Mieczyslaw Rakowski) and also managed to record a private conversation between himself and Lech Walesa, the leader of the insurgent movement, the Solidarity Party. Rakowski and Walesa were on opposing factions in the Polish political movement
and this feature caused significant controversy when it was published.
