Insignificant Joke! Word of the Week German propaganda poster claiming Hitler and the Nazis are not against religion
Extent and Medium
overall: Height: 33.250 inches (84.455 cm) | Width: 47.500 inches (120.65 cm)
Creator(s)
- Reichspropagandaleitung der N.S.D.A.P. (Issuer)
- Zentralverlag der NSDAP (Publisher)
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
German propaganda poster, issued the week of December 3 to December 9, 1941, from the Parole der Woche (Word of the Week) series. The poster shows an unflattering picture of United States President Franklin Roosevelt. The German text claims that Roosevelt is a Jewish puppet that said that the Nazis wish to destroy all religion. To refute this, the poster quotes a speech Adolf Hitler gave on November 8, 1941, at Löwenbräukeller in Munich, Germany, to commemorate the anniversary of the Beer Hall Putsch. In the speech, Hitler claims that he does not care what religion a person is. He goes on to falsely claim that religious leaders in the U.S. are barred from speaking out against the state, and that soldiers cannot attend religious ceremonies. The relationship between the Nazi party and religion was complex. Initially, the Party was not openly hostile to the Protestant and Catholic Churches; however, the Party believed that Christianity and Nazism were ideologically incompatible. The Nazi government signed a Concordat with the Vatican, stating it would recognize the Nazi regime, which would in turn would not interfere in the Catholic Church. However, the Concordat was broken by the Nazis with the passage of anti-religious policies to undermine the church’s influence in 1935. The first Word of the Week Series of posters (also referred to as Wandzeitung, or wall newspapers), were distributed on March 16, 1936. The series used colorful, often derogatory caricatures, and photorealistic images with vibrant language to target political adversaries, Jews, Communists, and Germany’s enemies during the war. The series was discontinued in 1943.
Conditions Governing Access
No restrictions on access
Conditions Governing Reproduction
No restrictions on use
Physical Characteristics and Technical Requirements
Offset lithographic poster printed on off-white paper adhered to a white linen backing. The left third of the poster has a teal colored background with two lines of German text in a large, cursive-style font at the top. Below, there is a black and white photographic image with a large, illustrated, black thumbtack in the top right corner pinning it in place. The image is a headshot of Franklin Roosevelt with an exaggerated frown on his face. In the top right corner of this section is a small logo consisting of a line of text arranged in a circle around three larger letters. The right two-thirds of the poster is filled by a black background with several paragraphs of teal, German text, punctuated with sections of white underlined text. The poster has a narrow white border, with discoloration and traces of printing ink throughout. There are small losses along the edges, and stains along the right side that are likely from liquid.
People
- Roosevelt, Franklin D. (Franklin Delano), 1882-1945.
Corporate Bodies
- Reichspropagandaleitung der N.S.D.A.P.
- Central Publishing house of the Nazi Party
- Nazi Party
Subjects
- Holocaust, Jewish (1939-1945)--Religious aspects.
- Parole der Woche.
- World War, 1939-1945--Propaganda.
- Germany.
- Church and state--Germany--History--1933-1945.
- Nazi propaganda--Germany--History--20th century.
- Nazi Propaganda
- Nazi propaganda--Posters--Germany.
Genre
- Object
- Political posters.
- Posters