Catalogue Number
NMLH.1993.55
Object Name
Poster
Title
MADRID. THE 'MILITARY' PRACTICE OF THE REBELS. IF YOU TOLERATE THIS YOUR CHILDREN WILL BE NEXT. MINISTERIO DE PROPAGANDA.
Place
Guernica; Spain
People
child, killed by bombing; refugees
Events
Spanish Civil War
Creator(s)
Ministerio De Propaganda
Description
Warning - Graphic Image
The poster shows an image of a child victim of a bombing raid, likely of Guernica. 'Above' the child is an image of the sky filled with fighter aircraft. The poster is created by a photo montage to make it seem that the planes are flying behind the child.
The poster is one of the most famous images from the Spanish Civil War and was produced by the Republican Ministry of Propaganda in different languages as part of the campaign to find help among the international community as many of the European powers had agreed to help through the Non-Intervention agreement.
While France and the UK did not break the non-intervention pact, many people volunteered to fight for the Republicans in what became known as the International Brigades. Many of the volunteers linked the situation in Spain to their fight against fascism at home in Britain. They claimed that if the government in Spain was not protected against fascist aggression, then Britain and other democratic countries would be next.
