Propaganda was one of the most powerful tools in the Cold War, as any of the politicians Stalin had erased from official photos could tell you had they ever existed, comrade. A couple of years ago a particularly prescient piece of Communist propaganda from the 1950s, distributed to the citizens of "pre-liberation" China, turned up online. Ironically, the pamphlet that demonstrated the numerous benefits to the country falling under Communist rule actually just showed how little difference the "liberation" made. Internet commenters pointed out how the country has "definitely time-travelled ", as the country suffers from many of the problems the comic illustrates as being down to the disgusting imperialists: class divide, skyrocketing food prices, poor working conditions, unaffordable housing and police corruption. It's the exact opposite of what the comic was intended to predict, yet it does a pretty good job if it regardless.
Tom Baker is the Comics Editor at WhatCulture! He's heard all the Doctor Who jokes, but not many about Randall and Hopkirk. He also blogs at http://communibearsilostate.wordpress.com/
