For probably only the second or third time here, I'm putting up a poster
from the Great War's Central Powers, this one for the Albatros
aircraft.
from the Great War's Central Powers, this one for the Albatros
aircraft.
My German is rusty, but I think this says some something like "Union for
Aircraft", with the locations for the same. It's likely a labor union
poster.
Aircraft", with the locations for the same. It's likely a labor union
poster.
This poster may say more than we might know. For one thing, Germany was
heavily industrialized by World War One, even though big sectors of its
economy remained nearly Medieval in other ways. Anyhow, labor was a
major, and fairly radical, sector of the German demographic at the time
and the government worried about it continually. Fears were constant
that Socialist workers would reject the war or even overthrow the
government. And, in fact, there was something behind those fears.
heavily industrialized by World War One, even though big sectors of its
economy remained nearly Medieval in other ways. Anyhow, labor was a
major, and fairly radical, sector of the German demographic at the time
and the government worried about it continually. Fears were constant
that Socialist workers would reject the war or even overthrow the
government. And, in fact, there was something behind those fears.
Socialist Germans, like every sector of the German population, rallied
to the crown in 1914 when the war came and by and large the Social
Democratic Party remained loyal to the German government and war
effort. The SDP, while Germany's largest political party at the time,
saw itself begin to fracture during the war, however, and by 1917 really
radical elements had started to split into Communist parties as the SDP
pulled back from a pre war heavy leaning towards Communism. The SDP
would in fact end up being the party that tried to bring Germany into
being a true parliamentary democracy without a crown in 1918, something
that would taint it with some voters thereafter, although those voters
were likely not in the SDP crowd to start with. Nonetheless, there
would be no post war reunion with Communist who went on to try to foment
rebellion prior to the end of the war and who went into a civil war
with the SDP government immediately after the war, a rebellion that was
only put down through the aid of the very conservative German Army which
never supported the republic itself.
to the crown in 1914 when the war came and by and large the Social
Democratic Party remained loyal to the German government and war
effort. The SDP, while Germany's largest political party at the time,
saw itself begin to fracture during the war, however, and by 1917 really
radical elements had started to split into Communist parties as the SDP
pulled back from a pre war heavy leaning towards Communism. The SDP
would in fact end up being the party that tried to bring Germany into
being a true parliamentary democracy without a crown in 1918, something
that would taint it with some voters thereafter, although those voters
were likely not in the SDP crowd to start with. Nonetheless, there
would be no post war reunion with Communist who went on to try to foment
rebellion prior to the end of the war and who went into a civil war
with the SDP government immediately after the war, a rebellion that was
only put down through the aid of the very conservative German Army which
never supported the republic itself.
Those tensions would all lead to the German republic being very short
lived. It functioned from 1918 to 1932, a mere fourteen years, before a
final election brought the Nazis to power. Communist elements in
Germany were completely anti democratic. German conservatives tended to
lean towards monarchy and there were a lot of them. Only the SDP and
the collection of Christian parties, with the Catholic Center Party
being the biggest, supported the parliament. By the 1932 election the
stress of the Depression and the near state of civil war between
Communist and Nazi elements had undermined the SDP sufficiently that it
wasn't able to hold on any longer as Germans turned to the Nazis and the
Communist and brought down their republic and sent into and Europe into
a thirteen year long nightmare.
lived. It functioned from 1918 to 1932, a mere fourteen years, before a
final election brought the Nazis to power. Communist elements in
Germany were completely anti democratic. German conservatives tended to
lean towards monarchy and there were a lot of them. Only the SDP and
the collection of Christian parties, with the Catholic Center Party
being the biggest, supported the parliament. By the 1932 election the
stress of the Depression and the near state of civil war between
Communist and Nazi elements had undermined the SDP sufficiently that it
wasn't able to hold on any longer as Germans turned to the Nazis and the
Communist and brought down their republic and sent into and Europe into
a thirteen year long nightmare.
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