Poster, lithograph, 'Deutschland is it?', issued by the 'Action Alliance United Left' for their campaign for the first free parliamentary elections in the German Democratic Republic (GDR), GDR, 1990

Poster

This object is part of a group of graphics inspired by the pro-democracy movement in East Germany in 1989 and 1990, which saw popular demonstrations result in the overthrow of the Communist government, led by Egon Krenz, culminatinng in the free elections of 18 March 1990. All the material, which covers a wide range of the political parties and movements that took part in these events, was gathered by V&A Curator Margaret Timmers in East Berlin in the week preceding these elections.

Poster issued for the East German elections of 18 March 1990 by Aktionsbundnis Vereinigte Linke [Action Alliance United Left] campaigning against the unification of Germany, the design deliberately evoking the Coca-Cola brand image as a symbol of undesirable capitalism. The poster refers unmistakably to Coca-Cola by imitating the colour, design and logo-style of its brand name and by manipulating the slogan then current, "Coca-Cola is it". Action Alliance United Left was an electoral alliance formed in February 1990 between Die Nelken [The Carnations] a small Marxist party founded on 13 January 1990 and Vereinigte [United Left]. Strongly against a capitalist annexation of the German Democratic Republic by the Federal Republic, they sought a renewal of socialism in the context of a market economy with worker participation in decision making and within a socially determined overall plan.

The Alliance of the United Left (Aktionsbündnis Vereinigte Linke/AVL) was formed out of the ruins of the Socialist Unity Party (Socialistische Einheitspartei Deutschlands/SED) to contest the elections of March 1990 for the Volkshammer. The election was, in effect, a plebiscite for the reunification of Germany. This design sought to raise the spectre of the Americanization of the country through one of its most powerful symbols of capitalism, Coke. Using the brands characteristic colour scheme and lettering the AVL asked the viewer whether a united Germany would mean the consumption of East Germany by the market. The answer was clear when the conservative Alliance for German effectively won and set about working for reunification, an event that took place in October 1990.

This is a campaign poster issued by the 'Aktionsbündnis Vereinigte Linke' ('Action Alliance United Left') for the first and only free parliamentary elections ('Volkskammerwahl') in East Germany (GDR-German Democratic Republic) on 18th March 1990. The election took place between the fall of the Berlin Wall in November 1989 and the reunification of East and West Germany. It was, in effect, a plebiscite for the reunification of Germany.

The left wing parties were apprehensive of monetary and political union with the Western Germany. This poster sought to raise the spectre of the Americatization of the country through one of its most powerful symbols of capitalism, Coca-Cola. Using the brand's characteristic colour scheme and lettering the Alliance asked the viewer whether a united Germany would mean the consumption of East Germany by the market.

E.2083-1990