Und Du?
A recruitment poster c. 1929 for the paramilitary veteran’s organization Der Stahlhehm, Bund der Frontsoldaten (The Steel Helmet, League of Frontline Soldiers) by Ludwig Hohlwein, a prolific commercial poster artist known for pioneering the Sachplakat style. Despite its simple composition of three elements of subject, backdrop and caption, the poster achieves a remarkable blend of nationalism, chauvinism and militarism in an exemplary feat of visual storytelling. Eyes obscured by a shadow cast by his M16 stahlhelm, one nonetheless feels the soldier’s steely gaze set upon him. The soldier is illustrated as a stolid sentinel who appears as both a dependable ally and an intimidating adversary, depending on the viewer’s perspective. To the backdrop of the Imperial German tricolor and by posing the simple question “And You?“, the caption acts as an effective call to action which prods the reader to do their part for the Fatherland. Nationalists at the time felt they were faced by adversaries on all sides, and it was organizations like the Stahlhelm that stood on the frontline of turbulent interwar politics in the Weimar Republic. These right-wing paramilitaries viewed themselves as the last-line of defenders of their country against liberal decadence, communist insurrection and scheming politicians.
The Stahlhelm was a monarchist, extra-legal paramilitary formation formed by veterans of the First World War. The league was a rallying point for revanchist and nationalistic elements within society, its members oriented towards the prior Imperial regime and being both anti-liberal and anti-democratic in character. They promoted the Dolchstosslegende (Stab-in-the-back legend), believing the politicians of the Weimar Republic to have sold their country out to the Allies.
Financing was provided by the Deutscher Herrenklub (German Gentlemen’s Club), an association of German industrialists, business magnates and Junker aristocrats. By 1930, the Stahlhelm had grown to around 500,000 standing members, making it the largest paramilitary organization in the Weimar Republic. After the National Socialist ascension to power, the Stahlhelm was subject to the process of national coordination (Gleichschaltung) instituted by the party, renamed Nationalsozialistischer Deutscher frontkämpfer-Bund (Stahlhelm) before being dissolved by decree on the 7th of December, 1935. Most of its members would go on to join the armed forces or other state-sanctioned paramilitaries such as the Schutzstaffel or Sturmabteilung.
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A recruitment poster c. 1929 for the paramilitary veteran’s organization Der Stahlhehm, Bund der Frontsoldaten (The Steel Helmet, League of Frontline Soldiers) by Ludwig Hohlwein, a prolific commercial poster artist known for pioneering the Sachplakat style. Despite its simple composition of three elements of subject, backdrop and caption, the poster achieves a remarkable blend of nationalism, chauvinism and militarism in an exemplary feat of visual storytelling. Eyes obscured by a shadow cast by his M16 stahlhelm, one nonetheless feels the soldier’s steely gaze set upon him. The soldier is illustrated as a stolid sentinel who appears as both a dependable ally and an intimidating adversary, depending on the viewer’s perspective. To the backdrop of the Imperial German tricolor and by posing the simple question “And You?“, the caption acts as an effective call to action which prods the reader to do their part for the Fatherland. Nationalists at the time felt they were faced by adversaries on all sides, and it was organizations like the Stahlhelm that stood on the frontline of turbulent interwar politics in the Weimar Republic. These right-wing paramilitaries viewed themselves as the last-line of defenders of their country against liberal decadence, communist insurrection and scheming politicians.
The Stahlhelm was a monarchist, extra-legal paramilitary formation formed by veterans of the First World War. The league was a rallying point for revanchist and nationalistic elements within society, its members oriented towards the prior Imperial regime and being both anti-liberal and anti-democratic in character. They promoted the Dolchstosslegende (Stab-in-the-back legend), believing the politicians of the Weimar Republic to have sold their country out to the Allies.
Financing was provided by the Deutscher Herrenklub (German Gentlemen’s Club), an association of German industrialists, business magnates and Junker aristocrats. By 1930, the Stahlhelm had grown to around 500,000 standing members, making it the largest paramilitary organization in the Weimar Republic. After the National Socialist ascension to power, the Stahlhelm was subject to the process of national coordination (Gleichschaltung) instituted by the party, renamed Nationalsozialistischer Deutscher frontkämpfer-Bund (Stahlhelm) before being dissolved by decree on the 7th of December, 1935. Most of its members would go on to join the armed forces or other state-sanctioned paramilitaries such as the Schutzstaffel or Sturmabteilung.
