Nazi election poster 1933

*Edited to provide some additional context*

Nazi political propaganda poster from the March 1933 elections. Shame it has the bite out of it but I still had to buy it as these things hardly ever come up at an affordable price. As a piece of social and political history I think it is worth preserving.

Rough translation is - "Adolf Hitler brought you together in 13 years. German head and hand workers! German farmers! Don't divide yourselves any more choose National socialists list 1 "

The 1933 German elections were held during a time of political turmoil in Germany. In the early 30s Germany was still in the middle of the Great Depression. This economic distress and uncertainty contributed to a rise in the popularity of the Nazi Party. In January 1933 Hitler was appointed Chancellor by President Hindenburg, but he needed more support in the Reichstag if he was to gain absolute power, as was his aim. He convinced Hindenburg to call a new Reichstag election for March 1933.

The election was marked by violence and intimidation, with the Nazis using tactics such as propaganda, false promises, threats and terror to gain support. The poster is a good example of Nazi propaganda aimed at bringing together the working people, who might otherwise be swayed by the communist party which was also looking to gain more members of parliament. It shows three rather stern looking workers from different backgrounds supposedly being united under Hitler. For some people their reason for voting for Hitler was simply because he promised them food and jobs, for others that he promised to rebuild Germany. Many more voted out of fear and intimidation from the SA and other party members. The Nazi Party, won a significant victory in the election, receiving 43.9% of the vote and becoming the largest party in the Reichstag, but still did not have enough for an overall majority.

Soon after the elections, on 23rd March 1933, Hitler proposed the Enabling act in response to a fire in the Reichstag, blamed on a Dutch communist. This new law gave Hitler the power to rule by decree and pass laws unopposed. As the Nazis had banned the communist party from attending the opposition was too few and the law was voted through the Reichstag. The marked the end of a democratic parliament in Germany and the beginning of the Nazi dictatorship.