A Poster from the March 1933 Reichstag Election
Title
A Poster from the March 1933 Reichstag Election
Subject
Nazi Propaganda
Description
A poster that shows Hitler together with President Hindenburg. The text reads: "In the deepest need Hindenburg chose Adolf Hitler for Reich Chancellor. You too should vote for List 1.”
Creator
NSDAP
Source
Calvin College Nazi Propaganda Archive: 1933-39 posters
https://www.bytwerk.com/gpa/posters2.htm
https://www.bytwerk.com/gpa/posters2.htm
Publisher
Dr. Robert D. Brooks
Date
March 1933
Analysis
This image of Hitler and President Hindenburg standing together was published in March 1933 as propaganda for the Nazi Party leading up to the Reichstag Elections (5 March 1933). These elections occurred after Hitler had been made Chancellor of Germany in January 1933 and preceded his Enabling Act (23 March 1933) which gave Hitler dictatorial powers. The significance of this is that these elections were the last multi-party elections held in a unified Germany until 1990.
Within this context, I believe this propaganda poster targeted the average German citizen in order to convince them of Hitler as the natural successor to Hindenburg as the one to lead Germany forward. One striking visual element that supports this idea is the similarity in height between Hindenburg and Hitler (albeit Hitler looks slightly shorter). In fact, it is well documented that Hindenburg was a giant of a man (he stood at some 195cm) while Hitler was of smaller stature (at some 175cm). Indeed, this was a technique also seen in the Riefenstahl propaganda film, “Triumph of the Will”, as shots of Hitler were often taken from a low angle to disguise his height [Riefenstahl, Triumph of the Will]. This alteration reflects the desire of the Nazi party to elevate Hitler to a heroic status in the eyes of German society – something which Hindenburg (as their primary First World War hero) had already achieved.
Hindenburg himself had not endorsed Hitler, having defeated him in the 1932 presidential elections, and appointed him Chancellor in 1933 to satisfy the dramatic rise in power of the Nazi party (which had won a plurality in the November 1932 elections) rather than due to belief in his person. As such, the text of the source, which states that “In the deepest need Hindenburg chose Adolf Hitler for Reich Chancellor. You too should vote for list 1”, appears to be aimed at convincing the public of Hindenburg’s personal endorsement of Hitler. This suggests that Hindenburg’s stamp of approval was an important factor in swaying public opinion at the time. The phrase “deepest need” has a similar effect as, despite its ambiguity, it has the effect of creating an atmosphere of crisis within Germany at the time such that Hitler was viewed as a solution.
Indeed, this idea of a ‘solution’ reflects one of the main aspects of Nazi ideology which was that they considered their movement to be a new direction for Germany after the troubles of the First World War, subsequent post-war years and the Great Depression. The background of the source subtly accentuates this message. The sky in the background is yellow to represent dawn which has connotations of this ‘dawn of a new era’ that the party tried to associate with the rise of their movement. Indeed, the sun can be seen rising over the German landscape which further reinforces this image of a glorious new departure for Germany and its people. Furthermore, the military-like salutes and Nazi flags waving in the background serves to create an association between this new direction and the military/organisation machine of the party.
Finally, the temporal context of this source is particularly important when considering the purpose of its message. These Reichstag elections occurred at a time after the Nazi party had seized power in Germany (January 1933) and directly preceded the Enabling Act of 1933. The aim of the Nazi Party in the elections was to establish a political majority within the Reichstag such that they could exert complete political control over Germany. However, this was ultimately achieved by the Enabling Act rather than any legitimate electoral means which suggests a potential ulterior motive of this propaganda. Indeed, the personal emphasis on Hitler and Hindenburg is reflective of the aim of the party to cement their view of Germany that was centred on Hitler as a personality [Bloch, Lecture 5]. It might be that, under the context of the Reichstag Elections, this propaganda poster was published with the intent of creating the impression of Hindenburg handing over the reins to Hitler. The fact that Hindenburg is looking off into the distance, rather than at Hitler, as they grasp hands is indicative of this idea of him handing over control. Furthermore, the fact that this propaganda refers directly to Hitler, rather than the party, serves to reinforce the message of Hitler as the personal embodiment of Germany and the Nazi Party.
By Anthony Monaco
Within this context, I believe this propaganda poster targeted the average German citizen in order to convince them of Hitler as the natural successor to Hindenburg as the one to lead Germany forward. One striking visual element that supports this idea is the similarity in height between Hindenburg and Hitler (albeit Hitler looks slightly shorter). In fact, it is well documented that Hindenburg was a giant of a man (he stood at some 195cm) while Hitler was of smaller stature (at some 175cm). Indeed, this was a technique also seen in the Riefenstahl propaganda film, “Triumph of the Will”, as shots of Hitler were often taken from a low angle to disguise his height [Riefenstahl, Triumph of the Will]. This alteration reflects the desire of the Nazi party to elevate Hitler to a heroic status in the eyes of German society – something which Hindenburg (as their primary First World War hero) had already achieved.
Hindenburg himself had not endorsed Hitler, having defeated him in the 1932 presidential elections, and appointed him Chancellor in 1933 to satisfy the dramatic rise in power of the Nazi party (which had won a plurality in the November 1932 elections) rather than due to belief in his person. As such, the text of the source, which states that “In the deepest need Hindenburg chose Adolf Hitler for Reich Chancellor. You too should vote for list 1”, appears to be aimed at convincing the public of Hindenburg’s personal endorsement of Hitler. This suggests that Hindenburg’s stamp of approval was an important factor in swaying public opinion at the time. The phrase “deepest need” has a similar effect as, despite its ambiguity, it has the effect of creating an atmosphere of crisis within Germany at the time such that Hitler was viewed as a solution.
Indeed, this idea of a ‘solution’ reflects one of the main aspects of Nazi ideology which was that they considered their movement to be a new direction for Germany after the troubles of the First World War, subsequent post-war years and the Great Depression. The background of the source subtly accentuates this message. The sky in the background is yellow to represent dawn which has connotations of this ‘dawn of a new era’ that the party tried to associate with the rise of their movement. Indeed, the sun can be seen rising over the German landscape which further reinforces this image of a glorious new departure for Germany and its people. Furthermore, the military-like salutes and Nazi flags waving in the background serves to create an association between this new direction and the military/organisation machine of the party.
Finally, the temporal context of this source is particularly important when considering the purpose of its message. These Reichstag elections occurred at a time after the Nazi party had seized power in Germany (January 1933) and directly preceded the Enabling Act of 1933. The aim of the Nazi Party in the elections was to establish a political majority within the Reichstag such that they could exert complete political control over Germany. However, this was ultimately achieved by the Enabling Act rather than any legitimate electoral means which suggests a potential ulterior motive of this propaganda. Indeed, the personal emphasis on Hitler and Hindenburg is reflective of the aim of the party to cement their view of Germany that was centred on Hitler as a personality [Bloch, Lecture 5]. It might be that, under the context of the Reichstag Elections, this propaganda poster was published with the intent of creating the impression of Hindenburg handing over the reins to Hitler. The fact that Hindenburg is looking off into the distance, rather than at Hitler, as they grasp hands is indicative of this idea of him handing over control. Furthermore, the fact that this propaganda refers directly to Hitler, rather than the party, serves to reinforce the message of Hitler as the personal embodiment of Germany and the Nazi Party.
By Anthony Monaco
Collection
Citation
NSDAP, “A Poster from the March 1933 Reichstag Election,” HIST 1049, accessed April 26, 2024, https://hist1049-20.omeka.fas.harvard.edu/items/show/24.