onsdag 20 april 2011

Kultur-Terror / Liberators

This is an fascinating piece of work - it's an anti-american, pro-axis poster made by norwegian artist Harald Damsleth. It depicts the americans as smashing monsters, destroying the european culture and heritage.

This poster was made in two versions: The original with the title "Kultur-Terror" (Cultur terror), with norwegian text and in full color.




At the top; "Kultur-Terror" (Cultur terror)

At bottom; "USA vill redde Europas kultur fra undergang. Med hvilken rett?" (USA is going to save Europe's culture from decline. With what right?)








The second version was dutch, with the title "Liberators". This time only in black, white and red (for blood). The text was in dutch and also encouraged the viewer to read the dutch nazi-paper Storm-SS.









Some motifs contained in this poster:




- The decadence of beauty pageants (scantily-clad "Miss America" and "Miss Victory", "The World's Most Beautiful Leg") -- or more generally, the putative sexual laxness of American women.




- Gangsterism and gun violence (the arm of an escaped convict holding a submachine gun).





- Anti-black violence (a lynching noose, a Ku Klux Klan hood).





- General violence of American society, in addition to the above (boxing-glove which grasps the money-bag).




- Mistreatment of Native Americans ("Miss America" wears plains-Indian head-dress).




- The pure materialism or commercialism of America, to the detriment of any spirit or soul (moneybag with "$" symbol).




- The presence of blacks in U.S. population, contributing to its "mongrelization", adding undesirably "primitive" elements to American popular culture, and constituting a potential danger to the white race (strongly muscular arms of a black male, a stereotypically-caricatured black couple dancing the "JITTERBUG - Triumph of Civilization" in birdcage, which is portrayed as a degraded animalistic ritual).





- Decadence of American popular culture, and its pernicious influence on the rest of the world (dancing of jitterbug, hand holds phonograph record, figure of a European gullible "all-ears" dupe in lower foreground).




- Indiscriminate U.S. military violence (bloodied bomb for foot, metal legs, military aircraft wings), threatening the European cultural landmarks at lower right.
Hence the falsity of American claims to be "Liberators". (The word "Liberators" was also the name of a U.S. bomber plane.)





- American jingoism and war fervor (a business-suited arm literally "beating the drum" of militarism, "Miss Victory" and her drum-majorette cap and boots).




- Malevolent influence of Jews and Freemasons (Star of David on Masonic apron descending from drum, caricatured Jewish figure holding on to money-bag).





- Demonization of national symbols of the United States ("Miss Victory" waves the reverse side of 48-star U.S. flag, and the WW2-era Army Air Corps roundel -- of small red disk within white star on large blue disk -- is shown on one of the wings).



You can buy a copy of the first of these posters on www.worldwarera.com/en/nordic-propaganda/kultur-terror/












tisdag 19 april 2011

WW2 Propaganda blog is open!

Welcome to the WW2 propaganda blog!

Here I will post propaganda posters and include some information about the poster.

You can already now visit www.worldwarera.com and take a look on some of the posters!