Nazi-German in 22 Lessons

On the fatal logic of propaganda – and how it can be overcome through satire. Lesson 16 – Decadent Nations: Nations that (…) allow free speech. (…) Nations that allow people to hate war. So says a leaflet dropped by British Royal Airforce One aircraft over Nazi-occupied territories in early 1942. It was meant to offer a different reading or definition of the most common Nazi terms and theses to all those who lived in a press world with the same political agenda. For the implementation of this pedagogical-enlightenment intention, the British Ministry of Information brought in none other than the illustrator Walter Trier, the well-known draughtsman of the Erich Kästner volumes, who was living in exile in London, and had him draw blatantly unambiguous and sarcastic pictures of the “Aryan type”, successful “collaboration” and effective “protective measures”. The explanatory captions were provided by the Irish journalist Frank Dowling. This collection of illustrations may seem bizarre and comical today, but the reference to the real political and military situation is nevertheless shocking. When Vladimir Putin speaks of “demilitarisation” and “liberation action”, he invokes a Russian propaganda tradition that was already a model for Joseph Goebbels’ cynical and inhuman rhetoric. Taking responsibility and taking a stand with the means of art is therefore more important than ever. Reprint of the illustrated original pamphlet with all “22 Lessons” and commentaries. With a foreword by Max Czollek and comments by Walter Trier expert Antja M. Warthorst. Bilingual edition.