Hultschin

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Political propaganda protesting the Czechoslovakian  annexation of Hultschin province in 1920, without plebiscite; and protesting the destruction of German culture in that region. Plebiscites were held in the vast Silesian provinces which contained a comingling of ethnic Germans, Czechs and Poles. However the southwest corner of Silesia, comprising Hultschin Land and part of the province of Troppau, were granted outright to Czechoslovakia by article 83 of the Treaty of Versailles.

The cards is entitled: Das Unrecht am Hultschiner Ländchen (The wronging of the Hultschin Land (people). To left is a vertical box, black graphic and text on emerald green. Note the naked man atop the rock. He represents the German Hultschiners - his wrists are shackled to a heavy weight on which is written "Tschechoslowakei" (Czechoslovakia). Beneath is a text outlining the injustice done to the inhabitants of Hultschin Land.
"Without plebiscite and despite the protest of the population on 4 February 1920, Czechoslovakia seized: one town and 37 communities with 50,000 inhabitants and 333 square kilometers of fruitful (productive) land and two coal mines. With the exception of those in Zauditz and Thröm, all German language schools have been closed. German instruction is only available through 30 private teaching centers!"

Explanation of the map's green area, showing the land seized by Czechoslovakia: The annexed land encompassed two German administrative districts (Verwaltungsbezirk): Section #1, part of Troppau Land; and section #2, Hultschin. Each community is represented by a circle of different size to indicate population size, and inside each circle the black portion represents ethnic Germans. The graphic demonstrates that the annexed land clearly had a majority of ethnic Germans versus ethnic Czechs. As further proof of the German majority, the card states: "Es haben bei der Parlamentswahl gestimmt: Deutsch 16243, Tschechisch 7570" (in the parliamentary election, 16,243 people voted German and 7,570 voted Czech). The arrows on the map show how Germans from various communities have had to send their children to schools in Troppau and Oderfurt in Germany. The text and graphics showing the efforts of the ethnic Germans to continue to maintain German instruction, highlight the emotional accusation akin to cultural genocide against Czechoslovakia: " Die Tschechoslowakei hat das ein- heitliche Hultschiner Ländchen zerrissen und aus Tschechisierungsgründen:
1. dem Verwaltungsbezirk Troppau Land zugeteilt
2. dem Verwaltungsbezirk Hultschin zugeteilt !"
(Czechoslovakia has torn apart the unified Hultschin area and alloted:
Section #1 to the Troppau Land district
Section #2 to the Hultschin district in order to integrate it into Czechoslovakia !) These lands were recovered by Germany  during the Third Reich's final partition of Czechoslovakia, which was accomplished with the March 15, 1939 invasion of the rump state that remained after the Munich Compromise and first partition in October 1938.
(Cancelled Göttingen, May 7, 1932. Published by Franz Lindner, Ratibor)