Mother Russia is a national personification of Russia, appearing in patriotic posters, statues, etc... The usage of the term "mother" in reference to a nation or culture symbolizes the "spirit of collectivity". In the Soviet period, the term Mother Motherland was preferred, as representing the multi-ethnic Soviet Union; still, there is a clear similarity between the pre-1917 Mother Russia and the Soviet figure, especially as depicted during, and in the aftermath of, the Eastern Front of World War II.