Madrid – The ‘military’ practice of the rebels

Artist / Maker

Unknown

Date

Creation: 1937

Object Name

posters

Inventory Number

C.2015.094.067

Physical Description

Lithograph propaganda poster with a photomontage showing a dead girl with morgue identification tags superimposed on a picture of military aeroplanes flying in formation. Lettering in English.

Content Description

The Spanish Civil War began in 1936 and ended in 1939 with the establishment of Franco’s dictatorship. His coup d’état against the Second Spanish Republic is illustrative of the confrontations during the interwar period. Western democracies tried to remain neutral and volunteers from around the world went to defend the Spanish Republic. The Soviets also supported it, while Franco received military aid from Germany and Italy. The Spanish Civil War became an arena in which Soviet Russia and Nazi Germany assessed each other’s strength, put their own forces to the test and made clear their expansionist capabilities.

Keywords

Children Spain--History--Civil War, 1936-1939 Airplanes Name tags Death

Exhibition Theme

-> 9. When walls talk! Posters. Promotion, propaganda and protest (not on display)

Material / Technique

Lithography on paper

Dimensions

H x W 66,30 x 50,00 cm

Place

Place of origin: Spain Production Place: Spain

Curator’s Note

This poster is a call to arms produced by the Republican Government’s Ministry of Propaganda during the Spanish Civil War. It was produced in English and French in order to recruit an international public to its cause and encourage it to join the fight against fascism. In November 1936, with the support of German and Italian air forces, General Franco bombed Madrid, destroying a large part of the capital. Air raids against civilian populations were a bitter new development of the 1930s, which would expand in scope and destructive force during the Second World War. In this respect, the poster seems almost prophetic. It warns that if the international community tolerates ‘the “military” practice’ of air raids, their ‘children will be next’.

Inscription

Inscription Madrid The “military” practice of the rebels What Europe tolerates or protects What your children can expect Ministerio de Propaganda

Credit line

Acquired 2015. EU, EP, House of European History, Brussels.

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