Hi Gents,
well the summer is here and it is always a quiet time for collectors. You don’t spend hours in front of your computer searching for good deals or write emails to other collectors. Always better in your garden with a cold beer or a barbeque with friends.
Same with me, after 8 – 9 hours in my navy office I have to kick myself in the butt to get some writing done. But anyway, here I am and very happy that another collector friend provided me with an interesting topic…..ore tinnie.
To be honest, after I received Gary Munson`s Email it took me a while to understand that I have never seen this tinnie before. So I checked my books, IMM, database, the net and asked some other collectors……nothing.
Seems like Gary found something which was made for the “early” NSDAP party but it was never used due to the small power of the movement in the political field of Germany that time.
Here you see a picture of it.
It says “Zweimonatsplan und dennoch” – which means: “two-month plan – and nevertheless”
There is the date 20th of June, 1931 and the NSDAP letters. Also you can see the “Feldherrnhalle” which is located in Munich (you have seen it on the blood order)
But let`s get to the beginning and what the history says about that particular day. The date on the pin says June 20th 1931. What was the Plan on that date?
Here is all what Gary found out:
This tinnie was originally produced for a pre-election rally that was part of a 2-month plan designed to make huge increases in the Nazi party membership. The rally was to be held in the Berlin Stadium – a stadium that no longer exists; it was leveled to make room for the Berlin Olympic Stadium that housed the infamous 1936 Berlin Olympics games. The Mayor of Berlin rejected Dr. Goebbel’s application for a rally, and the Party decided to cancel the event. Appropriately, it appears that all evidence of the planned rally was destroyed, except this pin.
Dimensions:
Paper Circle (diameter): 30 mm
Metal Circle (diameter): 21.45 mm
Here we have some very detailed information what happened between the different political leaders and the persons in charge.
I tried to translate it as it is, wording that time was different from now but I think you will get an idea about the problems of the young NSDAP and also the communist party. I hope you get a little inside view how it was that days:
Discussion on the lifting of the Spartakiad ban. June 29, 1931
R 43 I / 2675, p. 23-25
Present: Brüning, Wirth, Treviranus; Zweigert, Meissner; Protocol: MinDir. v. Hagenow.
After the opening of the conference, the Reichsminister of the Interior presented the state of affairs. He stated that last Friday he had been surprised by the lifting of the ban and had immediately communicated to Minister Severing his objections to the lifting of the ban. At the meeting with Minister Severing, he pointed out the political consequences that the lifting of the ban must entail. Minister Severing had informed him that he had spoken with the representatives of the Communist Party about the nature of the event. He was told that the event will take place in quiet forms. Minister Wirth once again spoke with Minister Severing on the journey to Frankfurt, pointing out the position of the Reichspräsident and the seriousness of the situation.
Minister Severing had stated at the meeting that he was compelled to prepare a police shooting decree, and that he would have to prepare for the day when serious clashes could occur in Berlin. He thought that he should have allowed the Spartakiade to prevent sporting events from provoking bloody riots in Berlin. Moreover, Minister Severing has the impression that the Spartakiade is completely flattened. Of course, that would mean that if the Spartakiad were banned, the police action would break up as well. Minister Severing has the opinion that no workers‘ blood should flow during sporting events. It was for these reasons that Minister Severing came to his decision. As for the question of whether it is possible to wrestle further conditions from the Communists, he, Minister Wirth, must point out that the Communists have already made severe demands. He considered it possible, with Article 48 of the Reich Constitution, to ban the Spartakiade by a decree of the Reichspräsident. Minister Severing had stated in the meeting that if the lifting of the austerity measures were to succeed by an order of the Reichspräsident, he would no longer be able to render assistance to the Reich Government if it came into political difficulties for other reasons. So far, Minister Severing, he has always been ready to do his best to remedy the difficult situation in which the Reich Government is in power and to press it on its party.
At the end of his presentation, Minister Wirth suggested that the Chancellor should hold a meeting with both Prime Minister Braun and Prussian Minister of the Interior Severing. Moreover, he further argued that Article 48 of the Reich Constitution was applicable. The Reich Ministry of the Interior first examined the framework within which the regulation could be adopted. The Spartakiade begins on 3 July and lasts 8 days. As a result, an urgent decision is necessary.
Secretary of State Meissner emphasized that the Reich President was very displeased about the lifting of the Spartakiad’s ban and had sent him a very specific telegram. The President of the Reich had the impression that his decree of 28 March 1931 was abused. He, Secretary of State Meissner, did not even speak to the Reichspräsident by telephone, but only with his son, Lieutenant Colonel von Hindenburg. He replied that both the Reich Ministry of the Interior and the Foreign Office had opened negotiations on the matter. Moreover, it is primarily Prussia’s task to implement the order of March 28th. The Reich has a small influence here. The Reichspräsident regarded the handling of the decree as a provocation and found it particularly peculiar that the communist event was called the „Spartakiad“. In the opinion of the President, the National Socialist event should have been permitted if one tolerated the Communist event. He shared this view, Secretary of State Meissner. He also had the impression that the decree of the Reichpräsident was applied too strongly to the right and that no parity was guaranteed. Minister Wirth once again referred to the attitude of the Prussian Minister Severing and emphasized that this attitude could not be easily avoided, since Minister Severing was a man of honor.
Minister Reviranus stated that the people of the East did not understand the way in which the presidential decree of March 28th was applied. In this area, one has the impression that the decree of the Reichspräsident is handled only against the “right” (NSDAP), while the left-wing circles are spared to a large extent. He could not understand the attitude of the Prussian government in this regard and considered the ban on National Socialist events to be a great stupidity.
Secretary of State Meissner also added that the Reich President was awaiting the presentation of a decree, which would abolish the ban, this evening. He therefore asked the Reich Ministry of the Interior to send him an appropriate draft without delay.
Chancellor Brüning remarked that he was truly saddened that at a moment when highly political decisions were to be made in Germany, the Reich Government was also to be faced with this difficulty.
Reichsminister Treviranus asked whether in the present strong workload of the Reich Chancellor it was not possible for Reich Minister of the Interior to discuss things with Prime Minister Braun. In his conversation, Minister Wirth had to explain to the Prussian Prime Minister that the ban on the National Socialist event had been a great mistake.
The Chancellor remarked that he would speak to the Prussian Minister of the Interior of Severing tomorrow, and asked Minister Wirth to inform Minister Severing immediately.
In the course of the meeting, it was found that the following conditions had been set for the event by Minister Severing:
1. speech forbidden by foreigners,
2. prohibition of removals,
3. Submission of the speeches to be given to the Chief of Police for the purpose of review,
4. no uniform rally, but only individual events,
5. No use of the stadium.
The further debate revealed that the following new editions are still expected to be made:
1. prohibition of provocative inscriptions,
2. banning political speeches,
3. Note that the event will be canceled or prevented by police force if the conditions are violated. Moreover, negotiations are to be reached with Prussia
a) ensuring equal treatment to the right and left in order to achieve justice on all sides,
b) possible agreement with the Reich Government on fundamental decisions.
The opportunity of negotiations with Prussia should be used to subsequently raise ideas about the unjustified operation of the regulation.
….
Finally you can see that both parties, left wing (communist) and right wing (nsdap), had the plan to do something big to get a better standing in the mind of the German people. So both events were canceled due to the decisions of the gentleman in charge.
Bottom line is that the discovery of this tinnie is very special. Really rare but with a believable story behind it.
If there are more pins or if there is more paperwork about the “Zweimonatsplan” out there just let me know and I will add this information here.
Thanks to Gary Munson for providing me with pictures and information`s.
Best
Sascha