Chop the black and red block in two! Pro-Nazi election poster of a man smashing a red and black block
Extent and Medium
overall: Height: 47.250 inches (120.015 cm) | Width: 33.375 inches (84.773 cm)
Creator(s)
- Herman Esser (Artist)
Biographical History
Hermann Esser (1900-1981) was born in Rörmoos, Germany. His father was a civil servant. Esser volunteered for the German army and served during the later stages of World War I (1914-1918). After the war, he returned to Germany a radical socialist, and co-founded the German Workers Party with Anton Drexler in 1919. Later that year, the German army assigned Adolf Hitler to spy on the Party, which he ultimately joined. During the early stages of the Party, Esser was an important figure due to his oratory skills, which were second only to Hitler. Esser made speeches that attacked the government, and spread conspiracy theories about Jews. After Hitler joined, the German Worker’s Party name was changed to Nationalsozialistische Deutsche Arbeiterpartei (NSDAP). Esser held several leadership positions in the new party. In 1929, he became a member of the Councils of Bavaria and Munich, and was elected to the Reichstag in 1933. Esser was editor of Völkische Beobachter (Ethnic Observers, an early party newspaper), and Illustrierter Beobachter (Illustrated Observer, a party propaganda magazine), until 1932, and the first chief of Nazi Party propaganda. He also served as Bavarian minister of economics until 1935. Esser had an unscrupulous personal life that left him at odds with Hitler and his Nazi colleagues. This caused his role within the party to become diminished during the war. He was alleged to have assaulted the underage daughter of a prominent businessman. To marginalize him, Hitler to appoint him as head of the Tourist Division of the Reich Propaganda Ministry and president of the Reich Group Tourist Traffic. In 1939, he published an antisemitic book, Die Jüdische Weltpest (The Jewish World Pest), but otherwise was insignificant. After the war, Esser was captured by the Americans and held for two years, but he was considered an unimportant Nazi Party official and released in 1947. He was arrested again in 1949 by the German police and was classified as a major offender by a Munich de-Nazification court for being the most senior propagator of Nazi ideas and for past anti-Jewish activities. He was sentenced to five years hard labor in 1950 but was released in 1952 for previous time served. Afterward, he maintained a low profile until his death.
Archival History
The poster was acquired by the United States Holocaust Memorial Museum in 1990.
Acquisition
United States Holocaust Memorial Museum Collection
Funding Note: The cataloging of this artifact has been supported by a grant from the Conference on Jewish Material Claims Against Germany.
Scope and Content
Political poster published by Hermann Esser and printed in Munich, Germany, promoting the Nazi Party candidates for a national election held between 1924 and 1933. The poster features an image of a tradesman smashing a black and red block with a hammer, while a swastika within a sun-like circle hovers over the horizon. The image implies that the people will smash the previous government, represented by the block depicted in two traditional colors of the German flag, while the Nazi party rises. Herman Esser, was a co-founder of the German Worker’s Party, and a prominent early Nazi Party member. He was the first chief of Nazi Party propaganda, however, his role in the party diminished, in part due to his unscrupulous personal life and antagonistic relationships with other prominent party members. The Nazis first entered candidates in German elections in 1924. However, they, did not have much success until 1930, when the party won 107 seats in Germany’s parliament, the Reichstag. In July 1932, the Nazi Party won 230 seats, and became the largest political party in the Reichstag. With the support of his majority party, Adolf Hitler was appointed Chancellor on January 30, 1933. In March, the final free election was held in the Weimar republic, and the Nazi Party won 288 seats in the Reichstag. Later that month, the cornerstone of Hitler’s dictatorship, the Enabling Act was passed. It allowed Hitler to enact laws, including ones that violated the Weimar Constitution, without approval of parliament or President von Hindenburg.
Conditions Governing Access
No restrictions on access
Conditions Governing Reproduction
No restrictions on use
Physical Characteristics and Technical Requirements
Poster printed on off-white paper, adhered to a white linen backing. The image shows a tradesman shaded in blue and black, standing in right profile, with a large hammer with tapered ends (possibly a creasing hammer) held aloft in his right hand. He has short hair, a mustache, and a muscular build. The man is wearing a shirt with his sleeve rolled up, and shorts under a heavy-looking apron (possibly a blacksmith apron). He stands with his feet separated in an athletic stance, the hammer is depicted raised up in the air, as though about to be swung down. In front of him is a large black and red block. The side facing the man is damaged, with chunks missing and chipped and uneven edges. He stands on a white plateau with mountains in the background. The sky is yellow, with a white circle containing a large yellow swastika, just above the horizon. Large, black German text is printed in the sky, and in a white banner below the image. A small, manufacturer’s logo is in the bottom right area of the image, and black text is in the bottom left margin. A small round stamp with a reichsadler has been added in the upper right area of the bottom banner.
front, bottom right, stamped, black ink : Nationalsoz. Deutsche Arbeiterpartei + hauptarchiv + [National Socialist Workers Party + Main Archive +] front, bottom right, handwritten, pencil : 24. 4. 1932 [March 24, 1924]
People
- Esser, Hermann, 1900-1981.
Subjects
- Mass media and nationalism--Germany--History--20th century.
- Germany--Politics and government--1918-1933--Pictorial works.
- National socialism--Posters.
- Germany--Politics and government--20th century--Posters.
- Political campaigns--Germany--History--20th century.
- Mass media--Germany--20th century.
- Germany.
Genre
- Political posters.
- Object
- Posters