Thus it was… thus it will be! 1941

This poster is titled “Так было… Так будет!” (“Thus it was… thus it will be!”). It was created in 1941 by Nikolai A. Dolgorukov for the State Publishing House “Iskusstvo”.
The design shows two figures: Napoleon and Hitler, pierced through with a red spear, each being thrown into darkness, symbolizing their inevitable defeat. The text “Thus it was… thus it will be!” is boldly spread across the imagery in red, drawing a parallel between past victories and future triumphs. The stark black, white, and red palette emphasizes drama and moral certainty. This is a wartime propaganda poster intended to reassure the Soviet people that tyrants will always fall, as they have before.