DIE WANZE ALS KAMMERJÄGER (THE BUG AS VERMIN EXTERMINATOR)

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Flit, a popular insecticide used around the world, here becomes “Nazi-Flit/Frick brand, German product.” The “human” bug who exterminates other bugs is Wilhelm Frick, whose job was to neutralize opponents of the Nazi regime (see July 20, 1933 montage). The Germans cited were pacifists, communists or Jewish; all were intellectuals. Heartfield had strong personal connections with two of them. Willi Münzenberg (1889-1940) was AIZ’s publisher and thus Heartfield’s employer. Kurt Tucholsky (1890-1935), a writer opposed to nationalism and militarism, had co-authored with Heartfield a satirical book about Germany that was published by Münzenberg. Wilhelm Piek (1876-1960), a German Communist leader, became chancellor of the German Democratic Republic after the war.

Keywords

Photogravure
Photomontage
World War II
Propaganda
Commercial Art
Germany
Politics