German Propaganda Archive Calvin College

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Background: The GDR appointed agitators to spread its messages in factories, offices, etc. Often, they maintained Wandzeitungen, essentially bulletin boards or “wall newspapers” that contained propaganda, encouragement and news. To provide them with material, the Socialist Unity Party (SED) provided material they could use. This is from a 1989 edition, one of the last published. It was tabloid size. Agitators could cut out what was useful and post it along with material specific to their office or facto

East German Bulletin Board Material

Wall Newspaper Wall Newspaper Material
40 years of GDR Our Day of Honor. 40 Years of the German Democratic Republic.
GDR anniversary October 7. Our National Holiday [October 7 was the anniversary of the GDR’s founding]
slogans The top slogan reads” “Looking forward to the XII. Party Congress, we meet the challenges of today.” The middle is the logo of the SED. The bottom is the common party slogan “Where a party member is, there, too, is the party.”
Profiles of Marx, Engels and Lenin Marx, Engels, and Lenin
martyrs Karl Liebknecht, Rosa Luxemburg and Ernst Thälmann. Liebknecht and Luxemburg were “martyrs” of the socialist movement, killed in 1919. Thälman was the leader of the Communist Party of Germany during the Weimar Republic. He was killed by the Nazis shortly before the end of the war.
Slogan, organization, and medal The top says “Our Activists.” It could be put alongside pictures of good workers. The FDGB was the “Free German Trade Union.” The medal was given to workers who met their goals. On the back, it said “Work, learn, and live socialistically.”
Holiday May 1: The fighting holiday of the working class.
Flowers Best wishes to our women!
Holiday March 1: Day of the National People’s Army
Slogan My workplace: My battleground for peace.
Organizational Logos Various organizational logos. The upper right is the symbol for the Society for German-Soviet Friendship. Below it is the DTSB, the sports organization of the GDR. The DFD was the women’s organization. The KDT was the organization for engineers and technical workers. “Schlüssel Technologie” is “key technologies,” part of the GDR’s attempt to develop its technical base.
Logos The bottom logo is for the Society for Sports and Technology, which provided military training for youth 14 and older..
Logos

The top is the logo for the “World Federation of Democratic Youth.”

The bottom is the logo for the “Free German Youth,” to which nearly all young people belonged.

Logos

Upper logo: Vereineinigung der gegegenseitigen Bauernhilfe, a farmers’ organization.

To the bottom left is the logo for the Thälmann Pioneers, the group for children in the 4th to 7th grades.

The MMM was something of an exhibition fair for young people to display their accomplishments.

November 7 November 7, 1917: The dawn of a new era
Slogan Their program lives in our deeds.
Mach mit slogans The “Mach mit” movement was a “voluntary compulsory” activity that got people to clean up their neighborhoods, etc. These four graphics urge people to clean up, plant, repair and renovate.
Slogans

Upper left: “I save energy.”

Upper right: “Join in: Beautify our cities and communities.”

Lower left: SERO was the GDR’s campaign to recycle.

The lower right is another “Mach mit” logo encouraging maintenance.

Go to the East German Propaganda Page.

Go to the German Propaganda Archive Home Page.