11 Large German Trade Cards Of The Aftermath Of WW1 In Germany, Issued In 1934
Item History & Price
| Reference Number: Avaluer:27537747 | Modified Item: No |
| Country/Region of Manufacture: Germany |
Offered here are 11 large color German cigarette cards of theNapoleonic Wars, issued in 1934 by the Fritz Homann Margarine Co. of Dissen forthe album 1000 Jahre deutscher Geschichte(A Thousand Years of German History). Pictured here are: No. 185: Declaring a Communist Republic in Berlin (1918). While theGerman armies were still fighting outside their homeland, the Marxists didtheir best to undermine the nation. This was made easier by the starvationblockade maintained by England of Ger...man ports. This demoralized the Germanpeople and made them frustrated. Parts of the Navy mutinied, the Kaiser had toabdicate and a cease-fire with the enemy was arranged. On the 9th ofNovember 1918, after the Cease-Fire was signed, returning soldiers on cars andtrucks proclaimed the new Marxist republic. The criminal republic had begun. No. 186: The German National Conventionin Weimar (1919). The Social Democrats who had previously fought for a republicform of government played into the hands of the enemy and now saw therealization of their goal. However, there were armed attacks by the radicalSpartakusbund organization that had to be put down by returning elements of thearmy. Nevertheless, some organized Communists remained to the misfortune of thecountry. Once peace was restored the first Reichspresident, Friedrich Ebert, opened the National Assembly in Weimar in 1919. The former empire now becamethe plaything of political parties. No.187: The Scuttling of the German High Seas Fleet at Scapa Flow (1919). TheGerman High Seas Fleet accomplished great successes in the war. But the enemiesof Germany wanted to humiliate her and forced Germany to turn over her fleet toEngland. The fleet was anchored at Scapa Flow on the Scottish coast. However, before leaving the ships, the crews opened the vents and scuttled the ships, which earned the begrudging respect of the English navy. No. 188: The Signing of the Treaty of Versailles (1919). After longand difficult negotiations by the Allies among themselves, the treaty wasfinally signed. This was done under the direction of the German-haterClemenceau in the Hall of Mirrors in the Versailles castle. According to theterms of the treaty, Germany lost Alsace and Lorraine, Eupen and Malmedy, theprovince of Posen, parts of Upper Silesia and West Prussia, as well as parts ofSchleswig. In addition, Germany was required to pay 120 gold marks inreparations and accept the lie that it alone was responsible for starting WorldWar 1. Germany’s 14 years of misery can be directly attributed to this treaty. No. 189: Fighting in Upper Silesia(1921). The Versailles Treaty robbed Germany of entire provinces, but allowedthe nationality of other areas to be determined in a plebiscite. In UpperSilesia the Poles, with the help of Poland, tried to campaign for annexation byPoland. Intimidation attempts were countered with armed groups of citizens. TheGerman army and some German militias had to be sent to restore order and toprotect industrial areas. After some difficult times, the situation wasresolved and the region was voted to remain a part of Germany. No. 190: Albert Leo Schlageter’s Death(1923). One terrible war ended, but another worse war began: against Marxists, Communists, Bolsheviks and Poland. Schlageter was a German activist who workedin the Baltics and freed many captured women and children. He fought theLithuanian attempts against German lands in the Baltics, then went to fight inthe Ruhr region in the West where he was captured by the French. On May 26, 1923 he was executed by a firing squad. On the day before his execution hewrote: “I do not fear dying. There is no shame in it; rather, it is a greathonor.” On the Golzheimer Heath near Düsseldorf where he was executed therestands a cross in his memory. No. 191: The9th of November 1923 in Munich (1923). The NSDAP was the most hatedopponent of the Communists since 1919. When Germany was pushed to the brink ofdestruction by the terms of the peace treaty in 1923, A.H. proclaimed aprovisional national government with Ludendorff and others on November 8th.A number of Bavarian leaders of the party, however, left after thisproclamation. On November 9th an unarmed protest march with A.H. andLudendorff at the front was shot at by police near the Feldherrnhalle whereby16 demonstrators were wounded or killed. In 1933 the new Chancellor dedicated awreath to them on that spot with the saying: “In the end you were victorious!” No.192: The London Conference (1924). Trusting that U.S. President Wilson’s 14Points, that proposed a just peace and did not recognize any of the belligerentcountries as victor or defeated, Germany and her allies laid down their weaponsin 1918. How bitter was their disappointment! The reparation payments in thepeace treaty of Versailles were untenable, as many experts noted. They arguedthat the almost destroyed German economy should rather be supported. A plan, called the Dawes Plan, was adopted at the London Conference according to whichGerman payments could be done over a period of time in gold. But even this wasnot doable for Germany. No. 193: Hindenburgis Elected Reichspresident (1925). When the first Reichspresident of the WeimarRepublic, Friedrich Ebert, died, anelection for his successor was announced. The revolutionary atmosphere of theearly postwar years slowly ebbed, such that Field Marshal von Hindenburg couldbecome a candidate for the position. His victories in the war were still in thememory of all Germans and he won the election with a large majority. Theresults were announced on gigantic banners throughout the land and quickly madeknown to all newspapers. No. 194: TheConference in Locarno, Switzerland (1925). Where the Dawes Plan and the LondonConference dealt with the economic issues of Germany’s status after WW1, theLocarno Conference took up the unresolved political issues. The followingresults from this conference were announced: Instead of resolving issuesbetween nations through war, they would be resolved in a special court. Thefinished agreement was signed on December 1, 1925 in London. Unfortunately, thespirit of reconciliation in this agreement was never upheld by France, who feltthat it had not achieved its wartime goals. No. 195: The Collapse of the German Economy (1930-32). After thehyperinflation of the early 1920s a kind of calming occured in the Germaneconomy and it started to work again, which led to a deceptive appearance ofprosperity. But the underlying conditions were getting worse. The hugereparation payments that Germany had to pay to its enemies brought about highertaxation. The number of bankruptcies climbed drastically, old, establishedcompanies suddenly disappeared, and unemployment rose. Making things worse was corruptionand mismanagement.Each cardmeasures 4 and ¼ inches by 2 and ¾ inches.Withmultiple purchases, please wait for the invoice for reduced shipping.
