The raising of the flag over Reichstag

The raising of the flag over Reichstag

This photo commemorates the start of the victory of communist Russia over Berlin and the arrival of the troops in Berlin after four years of fighting in east Europe. This photo was taken three days after Hitler’s death. The photographer wanted it to be euphoric, even scratching the negative to romanticise it. The image became a propaganda icon and the driving force behind Joseph Stalin’s rise and fall.  Russia advanced into Berlin at about 30 km a day but Reichstag had been closed for 12 years so it was no longer a symbol of fascist power. Reichstag was the symbolic heart of Nazi Germany so when it fell it was a major achievement.

The photo was framed over the top of the Reichstag building and was made into a negative, where it was scratched to add further detail. the focus is on the communist flag and the lighting is completely natural, with the smoke coming from the newly destroyed houses. the only visible space is through the smoke

The photo was taken by Yevgeny Khaldei born in the Ukraine. He carried a huge flag made by his uncle out of three tablecloths. He had realised that one of the soldiers was wearing two watches and had potentially stolen one from a corpse, an offence punishable by death, so he removed one from the photo. He also added smoke to the background to make the scene grimier as the battle had taken place the night before.

this photo shows the dedication of the soldiers in the second world war and how long it took for the troops to get to Berlin. It also shows victory over the Nazis, as that was their political base before their rise to power. Soldiers carried a large flag and a camera into enemy territory, they weren’t sure if they would make it out alive.

Yevgeny’s dedication was shown because he hid a court marshal offence so the picture would become a icon to Russia and a driving force during the final hours of Nazi Germany. The picture was edited by Yevgeny himself and shows how important he felt this photo would be. He made changes to the original negative because he was confident that they would help the image to become more iconic.

The frame has very little unfilled space despite the flag being the central image of the picture. Yevgeny has made a iconic photo. the photo depicts the war torn side of Berlin, the smoke, though fake, was a realistic addition during a period where being negative towards the war was frowned upon. The image is an accurate depiction of the war, even the history of the image was hidden due to prosecution. It was a very controversial image but was also an icon for Russia. the flag was originally hoisted over the statue of Germania, a female personification of Germany, but the Nazis took the flag down during the night, too soon to take a picture.