Original Third Reich Hitler Election Propaganda Set 1933–1936 – Ballot, Pencil and Badges

Description

Original Third Reich Hitler Election Propaganda Set

This original Third Reich Hitler election propaganda set combines four period German political objects dating from the crucial years between 1933 and 1936.

The group contains an original Reichstag ballot paper marked in pencil, an original brown election propaganda pencil and two different political campaign badges. Together, the pieces document the methods used by the National Socialist regime to present political conformity as popular approval during the years immediately preceding the Second World War.

The collection includes:

• Original 1936 “Reichstag für Freiheit und Frieden” ballot
• Original “Deutschland wählt Hitler!” election pencil
• Original stylised “Ja” political campaign stickpin
• Original “Ein Volk, Ein Reich, Ein Führer” Hitler portrait badge

Although these objects predate the German invasion of Poland in September 1939, they belong directly to the political and propagandistic development of the Third Reich. They illustrate the transformation of Germany from a parliamentary democracy into a dictatorship and the construction of the political system that later led Europe into WWII.

Original 1936 Adolf Hitler Reichstag Ballot

The principal item is an original printed election ballot headed:

“Reichstag für Freiheit und Frieden”

This translates approximately as:

“Reichstag for Freedom and Peace.”

Below the heading appears the electoral district:

“Wahlkreis Oberbayern-Schwaben”

The ballot identifies the:

“Nationalsozialistische Deutsche Arbeiterpartei”

The name Adolf Hitler dominates the centre in large black Gothic lettering. Printed beneath it are the surnames of several senior members of the regime:

Heß, Frick, Göring, Goebbels, Wagner and Wahl.

A small pencilled cross remains visible inside the printed voting circle on the right.

This specific ballot design is held in public collections and is identified as material from the Reichstag election of 29 March 1936. The Deutsches Historisches Museum records the Oberbayern-Schwaben version as a printed paper ballot measuring approximately 14.7 × 21 centimetres.

By 1936, meaningful political competition had already been eliminated. The population was presented with a unified National Socialist list rather than a genuine selection between independent parties. The ballot therefore represents a controlled political vote used to manufacture an appearance of national approval.

The 1936 Election and the Road to WWII

The March 1936 election took place shortly after German troops entered the demilitarised Rhineland. The regime used the political campaign to present Hitler’s foreign policy as the recovery of German sovereignty and to claim public support for his actions.

The propagandistic phrase “Freedom and Peace” contrasted sharply with the continuing destruction of democratic institutions, German rearmament and the increasingly aggressive direction of National Socialist foreign policy.

For a WWII collection, this ballot is therefore significant as an object from the period in which Hitler tested the post-First World War European order. The absence of an effective international response to the remilitarisation of the Rhineland strengthened the regime and contributed to the more aggressive territorial actions that followed.

“Deutschland wählt Hitler!” Propaganda Pencil

The group includes an original brown wooden pencil carrying the white printed slogan:

“Deutschland wählt Hitler!”

Translated into English:

“Germany votes for Hitler!”

Small swastika symbols appear on either side of the inscription.

Groups of these pencils have been documented as propaganda material produced for the 1933 Hitler election campaign. Surviving examples are sometimes found unused in their original printed wrappers, although the example included here has been sharpened.

The pencil demonstrates how National Socialist propaganda was applied not only to posters, newspapers and public rallies but also to inexpensive everyday objects. A functional writing instrument became a portable political advertisement.

The accompanying ballot retains a pencilled vote, but there is no documentary evidence proving that this individual pencil was used to mark this specific ballot. The items are consequently presented as a historically related collection rather than a proven personal voting group.

Original 1933 “Ja” Campaign Stickpin

The openwork metal stickpin forms the stylised German word:

“Ja” — “Yes.”

This distinctive design is documented by the Deutsches Historisches Museum as an NSDAP campaign badge associated with Germany’s withdrawal from the League of Nations and the Reichstag election held on 12 November 1933. The museum catalogues an example manufactured from light metal and dated to 1933.

The election was combined with a national referendum concerning the withdrawal from the League of Nations. Campaign objects bearing the word “Ja” encouraged an affirmative vote and allowed the wearer to display visible support for the government’s policy.

The pin retains its elongated needle and displays surface ageing, handling wear and colour variation.

Hitler Portrait “Ein Volk, Ein Reich, Ein Führer” Badge

The second political badge is a circular, gold-coloured example depicting the left-facing profile of Adolf Hitler.

Around the portrait appears the slogan:

“Ein Volk, Ein Reich, Ein Führer”

Translated:

“One People, One Reich, One Leader.”

This exact portrait design is catalogued by specialist militaria dealers as an early 1930s NSDAP election badge. Both gold-coloured and less common silver-coloured versions are documented.

The slogan and central portrait demonstrate the personality cult developed around Hitler. Political authority was increasingly presented as inseparable from the figure of the party leader, while slogans promising unity excluded, persecuted or criminalised those whom the regime considered politically, socially or racially undesirable.

The United States Holocaust Memorial Museum explains that Nazi propaganda played an important role in mobilising support, shaping public behaviour and creating the conditions for persecution, war and genocide.

From Election Propaganda to Dictatorship

The pieces dated 1933 belong to the year in which Hitler became Chancellor and the Nazi Party rapidly transformed Germany from a democracy into a dictatorship. The Enabling Act of March 1933 allowed the government to issue laws without parliamentary approval and became a cornerstone of Hitler’s dictatorship.

By the time of the 1936 ballot, the transformation had already taken place. Elections, referendums, political badges, slogans and mass-produced objects were used to display supposedly unanimous national approval rather than provide voters with a genuine democratic choice.

The four objects therefore form a coherent historical collection illustrating different levels of National Socialist propaganda:

• An official state voting document
• An everyday promotional object
• A wearable referendum stickpin
• A portrait badge promoting the Hitler personality cult

Condition

The ballot displays general age toning, small stains, scattered marks, minor edge wear and light creasing. A darker stain is visible near the left margin, together with a small mark or hole near the upper central area. The lower-right corner shows minor handling wear.

The black printed design remains strong and clearly legible. A lightly applied pencil cross is present inside the voting circle.

The brown pencil has been sharpened and displays small areas of surface and storage wear. The white slogan and symbols remain clearly visible.

The stylised “Ja” stickpin retains its long needle and shows age-related patina and wear.

The circular Hitler portrait badge displays substantial patina, dark oxidation, rubbing and surface deterioration, particularly across the portrait and parts of the surrounding inscription. A projecting pin or needle remains visible beneath the badge.

Only the fronts of the badges are shown clearly. No statement is therefore made regarding manufacturer markings or the complete construction of their reverses. All supplied photographs form an essential part of the condition description.

Third Reich and WWII Historical Collection

This original set would be particularly suitable for collections focused on:

• Third Reich political propaganda
• Adolf Hitler election material
• Pre-WWII German history
• The origins of the Second World War
• NSDAP political badges
• Reichstag elections and referendums
• German historical documents
• Political ephemera
• WWII home-front collections
• Twentieth-century dictatorship and propaganda

The objects are offered strictly as historical collectables for preservation, documentation, education and research. Their sale does not endorse National Socialist ideology, dictatorship, antisemitism, racial persecution or the political messages represented by the pieces.

PRICE

Recommended selling price: €185

Realistic negotiated range: €145–€170

The price reflects the four-piece presentation, the identifiable 1933 and 1936 campaign objects and the condition of the portrait badge. Comparable individual portrait badges are offered at approximately €25, while individual ballots and political pins vary considerably according to condition and seller.