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Antikbar, one sheet
Dutch anti-Bolshevik (anti-communist) propaganda poster from the Second World War. The text on the poster, "BOLSJEWISME is MOORD!", translates to "Bolshevism is Murder!".
Key Information
Origin: The poster was produced in the occupied Netherlands during World War II. It was issued by the Departement van Volksvoorlichting en Kunsten (Department of Popular Education and Arts), which was the Nazi propaganda ministry in the occupied territory.
Date: It was likely created between 1941 and 1945, with some sources dating a specific print to 1943.
Purpose: The poster's aim was to demonize the Soviet Union and communism, aligning with the Nazi war effort, particularly after Germany's invasion of the Soviet Union (Operation Barbarossa) in 1941. It sought to portray Bolshevism as an existential and violent threat to rally support and possibly recruit Dutch citizens to fight alongside German forces on the Eastern Front.
Imagery: The artwork depicts a terrified woman reacting to the bloody scene of a man and a child lying dead in pools of blood, with a broken crucifix nearby. This imagery was designed to evoke fear and religious outrage, suggesting that Bolshevism brought violence and the destruction of traditional values.
Language: The poster is in Dutch, the language of the target audience The poster itself was created in the occupied Netherlands and issued by the official Nazi propaganda body in the territory, the Departement van Volksvoorlichting en Kunsten (Department of Popular Education and Arts). While some Dutch wartime posters have known artists like Thon de Does or Cornelis Koekkoek, the creator of this specific, widely distributed image has not been definitively identified in the available records |
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