Figure 1.--This idealized poster in many ways perhaps unintentionally expresseses a not fully understood aspect of Hitler's war. It was not just a war against Bolshevism, but a racial war against the Slavs. Hitler's goals was to eliminate a large portion of the Slavic people and repopulate the East with Germans. The Red Army which drove out the NAZIs from Easern Europe did not truly liberate them, but did prevent the genocide that the NAZIs were planning against the Slavs. the text on the poster appears incomplete, but is probably missing only a few letters at either end. What is there says "I waited for you, warrior-liberator." Probably the word "I" is all that is missing, at the beginning.

This idealized poster in many ways perhaps unintentionally expresseses a not fully understood aspect of Hitler's war. It was not just a war against Bolshevism, but a racial war against the Slavs. Hitler's goals was to eliminate a large portion of the Slavic people and repopulate the East with Germans. The Red Army which drove out the NAZIs from Easern Europe did not truly liberate them, but did prevent the genocide that the NAZIs were planning against the Slavs.

Posters

With improved printing technology, especially lithography, posters became an important medium of political expression in the 19th century. They also became important commercially for plays, events (like circuses), and movies. European cities often had places where posters could be put up for the plublic to see and read. Ww have noted photographs of these locations. We also note them depicted in NAZI text books. This continued through the early 20th century through the World war II era. Both the NAZIs and Soviets printed many posters during the War. This began to change after the War, especially with the development of television. Posters could be real works of art and today are avidly sought by collectors who often specialize in certain kinds of posters.

Usage

These posters were vput up in prominent locations such as government buildings, schools, markets, and especially war plants.

Racial War

This idealized poster in many ways perhaps unintentionally expresseses a not fully understood aspect of Hitler's war. It was not just a war against Bolshevism, but a racial war against the Slavs. Hitler's goals was to eliminate a large portion of the Slavic people and repopulate the East with Germans. The Red Army which drove out the NAZIs from Easern Europe did not truly liberate them, but did prevent the genocide that the NAZIs were planning against the Slavs. NAZI opperations in the East were horibly brutal. It was not just the Holocaust against the Jews, but the Slavs were also brutalized. NAZI operations in the occupied East was just the beginning of what was to become when the NAZIs had won the War. The NAZIs planned to kill millions, drive millions more to their death beyond the Urals, and turn the remaining Slvs into a slave labor force. Th NAZIs were, however, constantly in search of suitably Aryan stock for the Lebensborn program. This was not fully understood at the time, but certainly given added poigancy to the posters showing the Red Army protecting children.

Soviet Depictions

Soviet posters before the War lauded Communism. This changed with the NAZI invasion. The Soviet posers became a patriotic appeal to save Mother Russia and its people. There was no effort to glorify war. There was the dpictions like this one of Red Army soldiers protecting women and children. If children were depicted it was to showcase NAZI attrocities or to show Red Army soldiers protecting them.

NAZI Depictions

The NAZI posters were very different. The NAZIs at least during the early phase of the War glorrified it. Children were depicted as future soldiers. Hitler Youth boys were shown as the future officers and tank commanders of thge German military. There are several examples in the HBU Hitler Youth section. AS the War went against Germany, the theme in NAZI posters changed. Increasingly the posters showed monsterous beings from the East threatening the German people, especially German children and women.

Created: 1:23 AM 2/22/2005
Last updated: 8:12 AM 2/25/2005