Political posters were first used widely in Europe in the context of First World War propaganda. They have remained with us since then as visual commentaries on social and political upheavals. This publication traces the development of political poster design and subjects from 1918 onwards. While expressionist designs after the First World War reflected the traumatised state of the nation, the forms and motifs of posters from the 1920s and 1930s increasingly bore witness to the brutality of political conflicts. After the Second World War, the focus shifted to issues such as the conflict between political systems and individual politicians. The pop art style of posters from the 1960s and 1970s was intended to appeal to a younger target group. Finally, the 1980s and 1990s marked the start of stylistic pluralism.Political posters as a reflection of the 20th centuryIncluding works by A. M. Cay, Heinz Fuchs, Ludwig Hohlwein, Käthe Kollwitz, Holger Matthies, Max Pechstein, Walter Schnackenberg, Klaus Staeck, Franz von Stuck, and many othersExhibitions: Museum Wiesbaden, February 6 to August 9, 2026; Hessischer Landtag, March 18 to April 12, 2026
