COMMENTS TO MY PAGE "ART POSTCARDS WITH A RAILWAY MOTIVE"

Thälmann im Hamburger Aufstand 1923

In 1953, the Museum für Deutsche Geschichte turned to the Hamburg painter Willy Colberg with a request to paint "Thälmann im Hamburger Aufstand" (Thälmann in the Hamburg Uprising). In the historiography of the DDR (German Democratic Republic), Ernst Thälmann was systematically portrayed as a shining example of an upright and honest fighter who did not betray the idea of ​​socialism but paid for it with his life. The museum wanted to commission five paintings on the "work of Ernst Thälmann" alone, with a total order value of 37,500 DM. The painting "Thälmann in the Hamburg Uprising" shows a situation before the uprising. In order to "ensure the greatest possible truth of the historical events," Colberg not only carried out research into those involved, he also tried to "study the mood in the streets at this time of year." The claim to present the "greatest possible truth", so to speak, is contradicted by the aim of wanting to erect a posthumous monument to Thälmann. In keeping with Lenin's principle of democratic centralism, Thälmann is the one who leads the uprising, but is portrayed as an equal among equals. Although the uprising was not a success, DDR historiography made it the central event from which the fighting working class emerged undefeated.

November 19th 2024

 

 
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