18-43? – An anti-Semitic booklet presenting, in a comparative format, Weimar Germany’s defeat in 1918 versus Nazi Germany’s prosperity in 1943 through photographs compiled by the German Reich’s propaganda unit. The photographs in the booklet illustrate Germany’s strength in contrast to its days of defeat across various domains – industry, labor, youth, military, technology, the rise of Adolf Hitler, and more. Some of the photographs are accompanied by quotes from Nazi Propaganda Minister Dr. Joseph Goebbels. French.
An anti-Semitic propaganda booklet comparing, side by side, Weimar Germany’s defeat in 1918 with Nazi Germany’s prosperity in 1943. On each double-page spread, the page on the right displays a photograph from 1918 (marked on the top left), while the opposing page on the left features a photograph from 1943 (marked on the top right). In some sections, the booklet also includes photographs of scenes in England under the title “As Before” to demonstrate that “nothing has changed.” On one page, photographs depict Jewish men and women under the heading: “Jewish Saboteurs, ” contrasted on the opposite page with an image of a cheering German crowd accompanied by a quote from Goebbels: “Yes! Today… Are you determined to follow the Führer to victory, by all means, and to accept, if necessary, the heaviest personal burdens? (Dr. Goebbels, 18.2.43).”
Other comparisons include: America fighting on one front in 1918 versus America spread across multiple fronts in 1943. Salonika captured by the Allies in 1918 versus “The German flag flying over Salonika” in 1943. Germany’s prosperous economy in 1943 contrasted with the depression of 1918. The dwindling and surrendering German forces in 1918 versus mass mobilization for the war effort in 1943 following Goebbels’ appeal. Large-scale unemployment in 1918 versus “The labor potential of the Axis powers in Europe” in 1943. German youth “then and now.” The booklet also conveys a message of social harmony in Germany in 1943 versus 1918. For example, one page contrasts a hungry family dependent on others for survival in 1918 with a content family in 1943 described as enjoying “fair distribution for everyone.” Similarly, “Representatives from various parties” in 1918 are juxtaposed with an image of Adolf Hitler in the German Reich, described as “A single leader: the Führer.”
Germany emerged from World War I utterly defeated, with its loss solidified in the Treaty of Versailles. The Germans were forced to relinquish nearly 13 percent of their empire’s territories. The largest portion of this “confiscated” land was returned to Poland, which claimed most of the areas it had controlled prior to the partitions of 1772–1795. The heavy reparations Germany was required to pay led to an economic collapse, and the ensuing chaos significantly contributed to the rise of extremist factions, including the Nazi Party. Germany paid reparations to the victorious nations in the form of goods and other materials, triggering a massive economic depression. Many Germans came to believe that they could have won the war had it not been for the betrayal of politicians on the home front. Against this backdrop, the Nazi Party arose. In his book Mein Kampf, Hitler identified the goal of restoring Germany to its “former greatness, ” and rejecting the humiliation Germany endured in World War I became the cornerstone of the Nazi Party’s path. The “guilt clause” (Article 231) of the Treaty of Versailles, which declared Germany responsible for the damages caused by it and its allies during the war, was particularly loathsome to Hitler. Germany’s secret rearmament in defiance of this clause reached its peak in 1933 with his rise to power. At the outbreak of World War II, the German Propaganda Ministry sought to present the “completed revolution” to the public through the booklet before us. No longer the shame of Versailles, no longer economic depression, no longer a defeated nation – but now a strong and powerful country standing on its feet, leveraging endless human resources and reclaiming its strength and control over Europe. Portraying this reality as a “new era” in which Germany returned to its greatness under Hitler brought the Nazi Party the popular support it needed, even as its actual intentions were to sow global chaos unprecedented in human history.
The Nazi Propaganda Ministry regarded this booklet as a great success and printed it in multiple languages. The edition before us is the French version.
[64] pages. 15 cm. Very good condition.
