Communism in colour: Vivid photographs portray life in the Soviet Union in the final year of the Stalin era These revealing pictures shed light on life in the Soviet Union right at the end of the rule of despot Joseph Stalin. Published in Soviet Union Magazine, they were distributed across Europe and the Americas in an effort to generate sympathy for the Communist country's ideals. The pages of the magazine offer some of the greatest examples of early 20th-century photo-montage as propaganda. Communism in colour: The Volga-Don canal is pictured on the cover of the September 1952 issue of Soviet Union magazine, a propaganda title - published in Russian, French, English, German, and, from 1938, Spanish - that was intended to visually extol the virtues of the Marxist state to audiences abroad Propaganda: The images were published in Soviet Union Magazine, which was distributed across Europe and America in a bid to garner sympathy for Communist ideals Smiling faces: The happy scenes vividly portrayed in the magazine belie the harsh truth of forced collectivisation on Russia's agricultural economy Land of plenty: A picture shows a market overflowing with fresh produce. The images document the country in the final year of Stalin's life Domestic bliss: Family life in the Soviet Union is presented in these images of rosy-cheeked youngsters and sturdy Russian matriarchs Pastoral scenes: The pages of Soviet Union magazine offer some of the greatest examples of early 20th-century photomontage as propaganda Soviet salad: With elements such as oversized pages and multi-page fold-outs, each issue exists as an elaborate artistic creation Public relations stunt: The magazine tried to convey the heroic efforts of the Soviet people in fulfilling the objectives set forth by Joseph Stalin Published in Russian, French, English, German, and, from 1938, Spanish, it informed readers abroad of the hyper-construction taking place within the USSR, portraying its emergence as a leading industrial power. The self-proclaimed purpose of the magazine was to 'reflect in photography the whole scope and variety of the construction work now going on the USSR'. By focusing on a single theme or initiative in each issue, the contributing artists produced a work which effectively conveyed the heroic efforts of the Soviet people in fulfilling the objectives set forth by Joseph Stalin to transform the technologically deficient country into a highly developed and productive world power. The first issues tended to focus upon large state projects, particularly those related to industrialisation. Great works: The Moscow metro's Komsomolskaya station on the cover of the February 1952 edition of Soviet Union magazine To take away: A uniformed assistant holds a product in a well-stocked-looking Soviet supermarket The scope of the journal quickly expanded, however, with later issues focusing on different ethnic republics and regions, various building projects, new transportation routes, and themes of daily life such as children, the arts, and athletics, in addition to special political issues. The reality behind the Iron Curtain, however, was a world away from the sugar-coated image Stalin portrayed. The ruthless dictator is estimated to have been responsible for the deaths of over 20million of his own people through purges, famine and forced labour camps, known as gulags. High society: These woman and men look suspiciously smartly dressed for what was, in theory, a strictly egalitarian communist country Under construction: A fine example of grand Stalin-era architecture is shown under construction, left, as the bright young things of socialism walk towards the camera. Right, a Russian woman stands proud in what is presumably a new house, with a youngster ostentatiously brandishing a picture of Stalin to decorate the wall Babes of the Red Army: Two woman soldiers clad in fatigues discuss dialectical materialism with rifles slung over their shoulders Watch out grandpa or I'll denounce you to the secret police! A man and a youngster share a joke, left; on the right trainee teachers contemplate the future of socialism Soviet style: A woman straightens her partner's tie. By focusing on a single theme or initiative in each issue, the contributing artists produced a work which effectively conveyed the heroic efforts of the Soviet people It is thought that around 14.5million needlessly starved to death and 9.5million were executed in cold blood for opposing his politics. Some historians have suggested he could be responsible for over 60million deaths. The reality - with so few records kept - is no one knows how much damage this dictator truly inflicted on his people. Stalin died in his bed at home near Moscow on March 5, 1953, at the age of 74 after suffering a stroke. Life in the Soviet Union: The first issues tended to focus upon large state projects, particularly those related to industrialisation Hard at work: Workers growing lemons in a chemical laboratory in Pavlov-on-Oka, 1952 Discussing the five-year plans? A smartly dressed man and woman chat as a crowd looks on in this picture A department store is shown being built in a Russian city: In the early-Fifties the Soviet Union was still recovering from the ravages of the Second World War