Inscriptions

Petroleum is a mineral oil extracted from the depths of the earth. The richest oil-bearing region in the Soviet Union is located in the Caucasus on the Apsheron Peninsula, close to the city of Baku. We also have other oil-bearing regions: Grozny, Kuban-Black Sea, Emba, Northern Urals, Uzbek and Sakhalin. Scientific (and geological) exploration will no doubt find new oil-bearing lands in our union. \r\n\r\nCrude oil, which is oil in the same state as it was when it was extracted from the earth, is processed at the refinery and results in a number of valuable products: fuel oil, kerosene, gasoline, lubrucating oils, and so on. \r\n\r\nThe significance of oil for industry and for agriculture is enormous. Oil is the best fuel. Without gasoline, motor vehicles and aircraft would not be able to exist. The possession of oil places in our hands a powerful means for the development of industry and agriculture (tractors). Soviet oil is sold abroad and gives us the possibility to purchase equipments for our factories, plants, state farms and collective farms. \r\n\r\nBefore the October Revolution, foreign banks that invested their capital in the Russian oil industry almost completely controlled the oilfields. In 1913 more than 60% of the entire Russian oil production was in their hands. Hence we can understand the savage wrath of the capitalists against the proletarian state that deprived them of such wealth. At the time of the Civil war of 1918-1919, the British captured Baku and they wanted to keep the oil-bearing region of Baku for themselves, but they were driven out by the Red Armyand the revolutionary workers. And now, preparing a military campaign against the USSR, the imperialists are seeking to capture our oil fields. The counter-revolutionary pests of the "Industrial Party" attempted to help them with this through their subversive espionage work. But the working people of the Soviet Union are vigilantly monitoring the machinations of the interveners and are ready to repell them. \r\n\r\nOur oil industry is developing at a fast rate. If in 1913 there were 9.3 million tons of oil were extracted for the former owners, already in the 3rd year of the Five-Year Plan we have reached 23 million tons. \r\n\r\nDepicted in this painting is an oil field. Towers are built above the oil wells and boreholes, from which oil often shoots up like a fountain. \r\n\r\nartist: Boris Yakovlev \r\nOGIZ-IZOGIZ, Moscow & Leningrad, 1931