Description

Original 1938 German Propaganda Brochure – “Führer, wir danken Dir!”

This 1938 German propaganda brochure is an original period example of Führer, wir danken Dir!, an extensively illustrated publication produced in connection with the political campaign surrounding the German and Austrian plebiscite of 10 April 1938.

Rather than being a later historical publication, the brochure belongs directly to the political and propaganda environment of 1938. Its pages combine large photographic images, captions and carefully constructed political messages intended to present the achievements of the National Socialist government and encourage a positive vote in the April referendum.

The surviving publication shows honest age and use, including edge damage, creasing, small tears and general paper wear visible in the photographs. From a collector’s point of view, much of its interest lies precisely in its original large-format presentation and the extensive period photographic material preserved throughout.

A 1938 German Propaganda Brochure Produced for the April Plebiscite

The title “Führer, wir danken Dir!” appears prominently on the illustrated cover.

Inside, the publication presents a visual narrative contrasting the political and economic situation of the early 1930s with what the regime portrayed as German recovery after 1933. The photographs cover a broad range of subjects, including heavy industry, motor production, shipbuilding, aviation, agriculture, road construction, monumental architecture and the armed forces.

One page carries the slogan “Unsere Aufgabe heißt Arbeit, Arbeit und nochmals Arbeit!”, while other sections depict military formations, naval vessels and large-scale public gatherings.

The photographic material is therefore useful not simply as imagery from 1930s Germany but as an example of how photography was selected and arranged to communicate a political message.

The 1938 German propaganda brochure ends with an especially revealing campaign page calling on German men and women to vote “Ja!” on 10 April.

This directly connects the publication with the plebiscite organized after the annexation of Austria.

The Anschluss and the Vote of 10 April 1938

German troops entered Austria on 12 March 1938, and the formal incorporation of Austria into Nazi Germany followed on 13 March. Hitler then appeared before a huge crowd in Vienna on 15 March, an event that is also represented within this publication.

A Reich-wide plebiscite was subsequently held on 10 April 1938 to retrospectively approve the annexation.

The Deutsches Historisches Museum specifically describes contemporary propaganda material encouraging voters to approve the already completed Anschluss and notes that the voting process did not meet free democratic standards.

The US Holocaust Memorial Museum likewise records that the referendum formed part of a propaganda campaign designed to demonstrate popular approval for the annexation and that the reported result was manipulated. Jewish and Roma citizens were among those excluded from voting.

That historical context is essential when cataloguing this material today.

What the Publication Shows

The attraction of this 1938 German propaganda brochure is the amount of photographic material it contains.

Visible subjects include:

• German heavy industrial complexes
• automobile manufacturing
• merchant and naval shipbuilding
• aircraft
• agriculture and rural production
• Autobahn construction
• monumental state architecture
• military formations
• Kriegsmarine imagery
• public demonstrations and political crowds
• events surrounding Austria in March 1938
• Vienna and the 1938 Anschluss
• campaign imagery connected with the 10 April vote

The design makes extensive use of full-page and near full-page photographs rather than long blocks of text. That makes the publication visually stronger than many ordinary political leaflets from the same period.

“Führer, wir danken Dir!” as a Historical Source

From a collector’s point of view, the importance of Führer, wir danken Dir! lies not in the truth of its political claims but in what the publication reveals about the construction of National Socialist propaganda.

Economic recovery, employment, industrial expansion, road construction, military strength and territorial expansion are presented as parts of a single narrative centred upon Hitler.

The resulting publication is a useful primary source for studying visual propaganda, political communication, photography, the Anschluss and the manufacture of political consent in 1930s Germany.

Comparable copies are catalogued by antiquarian dealers as a “Propagandazeitung zum 10. April 1938”, while another surviving version is described as a large-format 1938 publication connected specifically with the election of 10 April.

Collector Interest

Collectors interested in original political ephemera often distinguish between ordinary mass-produced paperwork and publications that can be tied to a specific political event.

This example has that connection.

The date of 10 April 1938, the incorporation of Austria, the images from Vienna and the explicit final appeal to vote “Ja” make the purpose of the publication particularly clear.

It may therefore be of interest to collectors specialising in:

German historical documents, political ephemera, 1930s photography, propaganda publications, the Anschluss, Austrian history, WWII-era printed material and comparative propaganda studies.

Condition

The publication is approximately eighty-eight years old and shows clear evidence of period handling and storage.

Visible condition includes:

• age toning
• creasing and folds
• wear around the edges
• several small tears
• edge and corner losses in places
• handling marks
• minor surface and paper imperfections

The interior photographic printing nevertheless remains generally strong and clear.

No restoration is claimed.

Please assess the exact condition carefully from all photographs, which form an important part of the description.

Authenticity

Authenticity is guaranteed by Autographs & Militaria.

The item is offered as an original 1938 period publication, not as a modern reproduction.

Historical Responsibility

This 1938 German propaganda brochure is offered exclusively as an original historical, documentary and collecting object.

The title, names, political terminology, photographs and symbols are described explicitly because accurate identification is essential when cataloguing historical material.

Autographs & Militaria has no political or ideological affiliation with National Socialism or any other totalitarian ideology. The sale of this publication does not constitute support for, promotion of or sympathy with the political ideas represented in the original material.