“Once Upon a Time” – An Antisemitic Propaganda Booklet in Favor of Nazi Germany, Depicting the Strength of Germany in 1943 Compared to the Defeated Germany of 1918, Blaming the Jews. Accompanied Throughout by Illustrations Glorifying the New Era of Nazi Germany. Serbian, 1943. Extremely Rare.
A propaganda booklet presenting a “then and now” comparison between the weak and defeated Germany of 1918 and the powerful and victorious Germany of 1943. On each page, the left side describes and illustrates “Germany in 1918”, while the following page presents a contrasting description and illustration of “Germany in 1943.” The booklet opens with a political comparison, stating that in 1918, Germany was almost isolated and surrendered to its enemies in the last world war. In contrast, in 1943: “Now there is once again a world war, and the enemies of Europe hope that Germany will surrender this time as well. But they are mistaken in this hope, because there is a vast difference between the military and political situation of the last world war and this present situation. The difference is in favor of the German Reich.”
The booklet describes how in 1918, chaos ruled Germany, blaming the Jewish press:
“But Germany’s worst enemy was the political disorder within Germany itself. Social issues were not regulated, so industrial capitalists sat on gold, while the working class collapsed into misery… The Jewish press influenced the people with a spirit of mutual hatred. Certain German regions’ populations were incited against others, manipulated by leftists and Jews. Ignoring the needs of the front, the leftists pushed the workers into strikes…” By contrast, in 1943: “Powerful allies stand with a strong Germany… Germany’s strength comes from the harmony reigning in the Reich. The entire German people are united in the patriotic zeal of the National Socialist Party. The German people work and achieve victory in the war through labor. Workers toil tirelessly in every possible factory and mine, each seeing their labor as a sacred duty to their homeland and the European community of nations. Millions upon millions of European workers take part in this work.” The booklet continues in this comparative manner, depicting the defeated Germany of 1918 versus the “Golden Age” of Germany in 1943. Toward the end, the booklet reaches its inevitable conclusion: “There are no similarities between 1918 and 1943. Anyone who thinks 1943 is like 1918 is mistaken. Anyone who believes that the war’s events will follow the same course as before is wrong…”. It then highlights Germany’s powerful allies, providing it with strength it lacked in World War I. The final page contains an illustration contrasting Germany’s enemies: in 1918, facing an amateur German army, and in 1943, facing a well-trained and powerful German military.
This booklet is based on a similar propaganda booklet published in Germany at the time, which compared the defeated Germany of 1918 to the thriving Germany of 1943 using photographs (see Dynasty Auction 28, item 52).
Extremely rare. Not listed in the WorldCat global library catalog or any bibliographic records.
[16] pages. Very good condition.
