Abstract
Protecting the state frontier and separating the country by the Iron Curtain were important Communist instruments to control society. Therefore, much attention was paid to it also by Communist propaganda.
It was important to depict an outer enemy who allegedly threatened the country and against whom the country had to be defended by the Iron Curtain. The bad enemies were confronted with heroes - brave frontier guards.
Particular elements of the frontier guard's image between 1948 and 1956 are discussed as well as a model frontier guard in that period of time and the way of presenting the guard inside and outside the country. The frontier guard was mostly presented as a guardian protecting the country, homes and children against the dishonest and bloodthirsty enemy.
Additional motifs in the picture of model frontier guard were, e.g., devotion to the people and to the Communist Party, patriotism, adventure, and struggle with wild nature. Communist propaganda made use of all media available (political speeches, literary texts, visual tools - posters, caricature, film) to disseminate the frontier guard's image. "Political education" was used in the Frontier Guard Corps to indoctrinate and form its members.