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Description: | obverse design : Michaelis, Imperial German Chancellor, standing facing behind a lectern decorated with the arms of
Lorraine and the motto "JEDEM DAS SEINE". He holds a palm branch in his right hand. Below his right arm, to left of lectern, a mass of
applauding hands
obverse text : "FRIEDENSFORMEL DES DEVTSCHEN REICHSTAGS" & "19.JVLI 1917" & "MICHAELIS Dr." (lower right edge)
reverse design : Lloyd George, facing left addressing the chamber of the House of Commons, his left hand resting on a document marked
"FLANDERN" and his right hand raised. Beyond him, right, sit Prime Ministers Paschitsch and Sonnino. All figures are depicted in
caricature, their heads surrounded by glories marked with their names. Above each glory a tongue of fire
reverse text : "WIE DERHERSTELLVNG" & "4.AVGVST 1917"
In this medal Goetz makes satirical comment on the German Reichstag's Peace Resolution of 19 July 1917, overseen by the recently appointed Chancellor, and former Prussian bureaucrat, Georg Michaelis. The ambiguous terms of the resolution included a call for 'a peace of understanding and the permanent reconciliation of the peoples without forcible acquisitions of territory and without political, economic or financial measures of coercion'. The obverse design shows Michaelis as a conciliatory figure and the text is translated as 'Peace formula of the German Reichstag', and the text on the lectern as 'Everyone his own'. Enemy politicians saw in the resolution evidence of potential German weakness which encouraged them to a more aggressive and confident criticism of German actions, a factor acknowledged by Goetz's composition on the reverse. The unforgiving nature of the Allies is emphasised by his reverse text, translated as 'Reparations'. | Publisher: | http://www.iwm.org.uk | Subjects: | Georg satirical First World War & Peace Initiative Michaelis peace campaigns commemorative German Reichstag's & 19/7/1917 | Source: | Imperial War Museum | Creator: | Goetz, Karl | Identifier: | http://www.iwm.org.uk/collections/item/o... | Go to resource |
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