The RCP, previously known as Revolutionary Communist Tendency, was a small Trotskyist group that emerged from a split with the Revolutionary Communist Group in the 1970s. Particularly active in the 1980s, much of RCP's output stressed solidarity with 'anti-imperialist struggles', especially in Ireland.

This pamphlet was written by long-time Trotskyist Mike Freeman, its pro-Argentina stance having generated some controversy among other communist groups both in Britain and abroad (one critic described it as 'nationalist deviation' for its support of Argentina's alleged 'ultra-reactionary nationalist cause').

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https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Alternative_for_Germany

TLDR: German far-right party member using communist Ernst Thälmann in election campaign in former GDR area.

Designed by José Bardasano and issued by the UGT and CNT (General Union of Workers and National Confederation of Labor), the text at bottom left reads:

‘[Spain], whose six sonorous letters resound today in our soul with a cry of war and tomorrow with an exclamation of jubilation and peace.’

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“Are You Satisfied With Your Present Government? Increasing Burden of Taxation, Insecurity and Regimentation or with the Empty Promise of Socialism or do you want! Prosperity, Security and Freedom WITH SOCIAL CREDIT WE WANT TO HELP YOU! DO YOU WANT TO HELP YOURSELF?”

Lot 11-- Essay from the Christies catalog

Drawing together the radical visual language of the Soviet avant-garde with the ideology of the Stalinist era, Bud Gotov (“Be Prepared”) of 1934 occupies a singular place within the careers of Alexander Rodchenko and Varvara Stepanova. (husband and wife) A unique hand-painted gelatin silver photomontage, the work is one of the rare surviving original photomontages associated with the two artists and is, notably, the only original collaborative photomontage by Rodchenko and Stepanova to have appeared at auction.

Created at a moment of profound transformation in Soviet cultural life, Bud Gotov encapsulates the enduring vitality of Constructivist experimentation even as the artistic freedoms that had fostered it were becoming increasingly constrained. This rare, collaborative work is an exceptional surviving example of Soviet photomontage.

It centers on the phrase “Будь готов!” (“Be Prepared!”), the motto of the Soviet Young Pioneer movement. The command embodied ideals of vigilance, collective responsibility, discipline, and commitment to the socialist future. Rodchenko and Stepanova transform these political aspirations into a dynamic visual proposition, employing the fragmented and energetic language of photomontage that developed during the revolutionary and artistically fertile decade of the 1920s. Images, text, and painted elements are orchestrated, demonstrating the artists’ conviction that graphic design could shape consciousness as effectively as any written manifesto.

Among the imagery incorporated into the composition is Rodchenko’s celebrated photograph Pioneer with a Bugle (1930), one of the defining images of his photographic practice. Throughout his career, Rodchenko rejected conventional eye-level viewpoints, arguing that modern life demanded new ways of seeing. In Pioneer with a Bugle, the dramatically angled perspective transforms the young subject into a monument of Soviet aspiration.

As artists, designers, theorists, and lifelong collaborators, Rodchenko and Stepanova worked across photography, publishing, advertising, typography, textile design, and propaganda, consistently seeking to unite artistic innovation with social purpose. Stepanova, whose pioneering work in textiles, clothing design, and stage production made her one of the leading figures of Soviet Constructivism, shared Rodchenko’s belief that art should serve the needs of modern society. Their joint projects rank among the most ambitious achievements of Soviet graphic design.

Created in 1934, Bud Gotov appears at a time when Rodchenko occupies an increasingly complex position within Soviet society. At this time, he remained committed to the revolutionary ideals that had shaped the avant-garde of the 1910s and 1920s, yet he was working within an artistic environment defined by growing ideological control. Bud Gotov exemplifies this delicate balance.

The work unmistakably promotes Soviet youth culture and collective values, yet it does so through the bold diagonals, sharp contrasts, and inventive juxtapositions that had become hallmarks of Constructivist modernism. As such, it stands not only as a compelling work of propaganda but also as a poignant testament to the persistence of avant-garde vision during a period of profound cultural transition. Coming originally from the collection of the Rodchenko family and later the celebrated Collection of Corbeau et Renard assembled by Gerd Sander, Bud Gotov endures as an exceptional document of one of the twentieth century’s most influential artistic partnerships and a rare survival from the final chapter of the Soviet avant-garde.

ALEXANDER RODCHENKO (1891–1956) AND VARVARA STEPANOVA (1894–1958)
'Bud Gotov', 1934
hand painted gelatin silver photomontage, flush-mounted on board
titled, dated and annotated in ink and pencil by an unknown hand with stamped photographer's 'A.M. Rodchenko / V.F. Stepanova / Archive' credit (flush mount, verso)
image/sheet/flush mount: 11 ½ x 8 in. (29.2 x 20.3 cm.)
This work is unique.

1) Honor, liberty, and the good of the homeland are at the front.

2) Iron discipline

3) Unwavering strength of the spirit and the will

4) Bravery and courage

5) Punctuality, accuracy, and swift execution of orders

6) Perfect honesty and serious attitude to the cause

7)

8) Respecting of others' opinions, full mutual trust, and noble behaviour

9) Fights and personal bickering are unacceptable as degrading of the human dignity.

Both were published by the Instituto Histórico Centroamericano. The first, which features a design based off a famous photograph taken by American journalist Susan Meiselas in 1979 (see third image), was written by Catholic priest and revolutionary Gaspar García Laviana. The second shows the crucified Christ compared with a revolutionary, along with text reading ‘Christian faith and Sandinista Revolution in Nicaragua’.

The Sandinistas overthrew President Anastasio Somoza Debayle in 1979 and shortly after established a ‘Junta of National Reconstruction’. In government, the FSLN fought a decade-long war against the Contras, anti-communist insurgents backed by the US.

A great deal of English-language, anti-Sandinista propaganda was printed in the 1980s - the fourth image shows the two pamphlets' covers reprinted on a leaflet produced by the anti-communist Superior Council of Private Enterprise (COSEP) with some text in English condemning the 'Jesuits':

‘Christian Faith and Sandinista Revolution in Nicaragua - The process whereby religious meanings of Christian symbols are replaced with political meanings is graphically illustrated by the cover of a book published by the Jesuits at Managua, Nicaragua in 1980. The image of Jesus Christ crucified is superimposed on a larger image of a guerrilla fighter, his arms raised and brandishing a rifle. The armed revolutionary inherits the reverence given to Christ.

‘Front cover of pamphlet glorifying the REVOLUTIONARY CHRISTIANS who kill fellow human beings in order to advance the Marxist-Leninist cause. Published by the Jesuits at Managua, Nicaragua in 1980.’

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