Unser Kaiser an sein Volk (Our Emperor to His People)
An armoured Saint George drives his lance into the jaws of a bleeding dragon above the Kaiser's words of 31 July 1914: 'Envious rivals everywhere force us into just defence. The sword is being pressed into our hand.' The saint and the closing call to kneel in church lend a religious sanction to the claim of a defensive war; the text gives no account of how the war began.
- Date
- 1914
- Period
- First World War
- Made by
- Red Cross benefit print of Kaiser Wilhelm II's proclamation; artist Eduard Kaempffer
- Region
- Western and Central Europe
- Country
- German Empire
- Medium
- Issuer type
- Mixed
- Regime
- German Empire
- Leader
- Wilhelm II
- Audience
- Domestic public
- Purpose
- Mobilize or secure compliance
- Themes
- War and the military, Religion, Home front
- Event
- World War I
- Techniques
- Transfer
- Source
- Identified Openly sourced: the speaker is who they say they are
- Source
- Library of Congress, retrieved September 27, 2026
- Rights
- Public domain in the U.S. (published before 1931)
Kaempffer, Eduard, artist. 1914. Library of Congress, LC-USZC4-11627.
Text on the object
Unser Kaiser an sein Volk „Eine schwere Stunde ist heute über Deutschland hereingebrochen. Neider überall zwingen uns zu gerechter Verteidigung. Man drückt uns das Schwert in die Hand. Ich hoffe, daß wir, wenn es nicht in letzter Stunde meinen Bemühungen gelingt, die Gegner zum Einsehen zu bringen und den Frieden zu erhalten, das Schwert mit Gottes Hilfe so führen werden, daß wir es mit Ehren wieder in die Scheide stecken können. Enorme Opfer an Gut und Blut würde ein Krieg vom deutschen Volke fordern, den Gegnern aber würden wir zeigen, was es heißt, Deutschland anzugreifen. Und nun empfehle ich Euch Gott. Jetzt geht in die Kirche, kniet nieder vor Gott und bittet ihn um Hilfe für unser braves Heer!" Berlin, 31. Juli 1914. [illegible — small imprint, bottom left] Zum Besten des Roten Kreuzes. [illegible — small imprint, bottom right]
Our Emperor to His People "A grave hour has today broken upon Germany. Envious rivals everywhere force us into just defence. The sword is being pressed into our hand. I hope that, should it not succeed at the last hour through my efforts to bring our opponents to reason and preserve the peace, we shall wield the sword, with God's help, in such a way that we can sheathe it again with honour. A war would demand enormous sacrifices of goods and blood from the German people, but we would show our opponents what it means to attack Germany. And now I commend you to God. Now go to church, kneel before God, and ask Him for help for our brave army!" Berlin, 31 July 1914. [illegible] For the benefit of the Red Cross. [illegible]
Main text is set in blackletter (Fraktur) type and is legible; the two small imprint lines at the very bottom of the sheet (publisher/distributor credits either side of the Red Cross line) are too small to read confidently in this scan. This transcription's ending sentence and the 'for the benefit of the Red Cross' line independently match what this entry's own notes field already quotes.
