Kultur

 

Belgian Resistance Flyer – “Belgium Will Be Reborn!” (Kultur)

 

Date: Circa 1944

Location: Belgium

Medium: Printed flyer

Collection: Yavneh Klos Collection, European Resistance Archive 

This double-sided flyer, written in French and Dutch, features stark imagery of German firing squads and impassioned appeals to resistance fighters. It denounces Nazi terror tactics and honors the sacrifices of patriots. Distributed covertly, it reflects the unyielding spirit of occupied Belgium’s underground press.

Kultur! – A WWII Belgian Anti-Nazi Propaganda Poster
By: Jonah Bassinger

Brief Description:

WWII Belgium Anti-Nazi Propaganda (circa 1944): This poster was made in Belgium towards the end of World War II by the Belgian underground clandestine press. The front of the poster bears the German word “Kultur” – meaning culture – to contrast to the Nazi firing squad killing a civilian. In this case, the Belgian underground press is using the word to mock the Nazi Germans to imply their culture is one of murder. The back of the poster bears writing that talks about the end of the War coming soon, and encourages the people to continue resisting the Nazis.

Lengthier Description:

Nazi German forces marched into Belgium on May 10, 1940 and subsequently occupied the country 18 days later on May 28, 1940. Belgium remained under Nazi control until its liberation by the Allies in February 1945. Despite the lengthy Nazi occupation, Belgian citizens formed many local as well as national groups throughout the country in defiance of harsh Nazi control. It is estimated that about five percent of the population of Belgium was actively involved in resistance against the Nazi tyranny. The exact source of this specific poster is unknown as the author was anonymous. However, during the occupation a flourishing system of ‘clandestine press’ emerged in Belgium through which information about the events of World War II and propaganda against Nazi Germany was disseminated. Resistance editions of many newspapers, such as the French paper Le Soir, reported on wartime events – in some cases much more quickly than Allied news – both spreading information locally as well as printing anti-Nazi propaganda. These newspapers, like Le Soir, went directly against Nazi attempts to use their propaganda on the Belgian people and other conquered nations.

The word ‘Kultur’ – German for culture, refinement, or civilization – was used by Nazi Germany to justify their ideological and nationalistic goals through art and literature. The Allied powers and groups within Nazi controlled regions like the ones in Belgium, however, began to use the word to mock the Germans. The poster depicts a German firing squad preparing to shoot a man who is likely an innocent Belgian citizen. The contrast of this brutal act being performed with the phrase “Kultur!” imposed above is meant to ridicule the Nazi ideas of being a superior culture. The backside of the poster bears propaganda in Dutch and French about the hope of the liberation of Belgium and Western Europe. The poster was created towards the end of World War II and speaks about Nazi Germany being exhausted and on the brink of collapse as Allied forces pressed in on all fronts.

In addition, underground newspapers and posters from the clandestine press similar to this one were, in some cases, smuggled to London. The smuggling of documents to England helped Allied morale by showing that the people in occupied nations were still fighting and contributed to Allied intelligence and decision-making. On September 28, 1940, the Free Belgium government based in England established and began to regularly run a radio program called Radio Belgique (in French) or Radio Belgiё (in Dutch). From here, the Free Belgium government was able to broadcast messages to boost morale in turn for the Belgian people. The clandestine press and other underground groups kept contact with the Free Belgian government and helped to inform them as well as coordinate further attempts at resistance to Nazi occupation.

Resistance efforts in occupied territories were often met with brutal retaliation by the Nazis. They employed various deterrents – including mass arrests, deportations, and executions – to punish anyone found associated with the forbidden clandestine press materials. In addition, to counter the spread of resistance publications, Nazis launched numerous propaganda campaigns and attempted to seize many printing presses. Despite Nazi attempts to discourage resistance, Belgians continued to defy their oppressors throughout the entirety of the occupation.

For more information, see “V for Victory: A Sign of Resistance”, “Belgium: A Small but Significant Resistance Force during World War II”, and “Serenity in the Face of Death: How Belgian Resistance Hero Met His End”.