Hero of Labour

Alexey Stakhanov (1906-1977), a Russian miner achieving incredibly high production figures, was reported to have set a new record by mining 227 tonnes of coal in a single shift on 19 September 1935. He was held up as shining example for workers throughout the Soviet Union. On this poster from 1936 Azerbaijani cotton workers express their approval with Stakhanov.

Many years later, Soviet authorities admitted that Stakhanov was assisted by a team of miners when he performed his heroic feats.