Peasants, produce and tractors: farming scenes on Communist banknotes

Abstract

• Communist regimes in the twentieth century deployed a common visual language through banknote imagery, forging new narratives framed within the context of shared political and economic goals. In particular, farming imagery came to dominate banknote design. All communist regimes pursued extensive agricultural reform, from the ownership of land to the way in which it was farmed. This article conducts a survey of farming scenes on communist banknotes, identifying the ways in which the currency was used to promote collectivisation, the planned economy, international cooperation, and to reinforce gender roles.