Poster of the Week: When Greece Bailed-Out Germany
The U.S. inaugurated The Marshall Plan (officially the European Recovery Program, ERP) to rebuild Western Europe and counter the appeal of communism. Named after Secretary of State George Marshall, the plan ran from 1948-1952 and helped rebuild the economies of Western Europe on a capitalist model. In the fall of 1950, the Intra-European Cooperation for a Better Standard of Living Poster Contest was held throughout Europe whereby artists were encouraged to submit posters that captured the spirit and goals of the Marshall Plan with an emphasis on cooperation and economic recovery as the main theme. Over 10,000 pieces were submitted from Artists from over 13 Marshall Plan countries. The entries were submitted to a jury in Paris comprised of museum curators and other artist and scholars, each representing a different Marshall Plan country. They selected twenty-five winning posters, including this one from Sweden.
The flag of Greece, prominently located in the upper right, reminds us of Greece's supporting role over sixty years ago to aid the economic recovery of Europe, and links to what is happening to Greece now. It is both ironic and criminal that Germany is the primary obstacle against forgiving or reducing Greece's debt today, yet Greece-which was one of Germany's creditors-supported reducing Germany's debt after WWII. Greece was one of the countries that willingly took part in a deal to help create a stable and prosperous western Europe, despite the war crimes that German occupiers had inflicted just a few years before.
When will we ever learn!
For more details and analysis read:
http://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2013/feb/27/greece-spain-helpe…
http://www.businessinsider.com/germany-failed-to-learn-from-its-own-his… Â
BOYCOTT! The Art of Economic Activism continues to tour the US:
July 2-16: Urban Grace Church, Tacoma, WA
August 8 to September 30, 2015: University of Nebraska, Omaha, Omaha, NE
August to October 2015: Quaker Heritage Center, Wilmington College, Wilmington, OH
Funded in part by the American Friends Service Committee, Department of Cultural Affairs City of Los Angeles, and the Los Angeles County Arts Commission.