40 years of European elections

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These posters are definitely not in Instagram-friendly format and some of them date back to the very first European elections. From 1979 to 2019, have a look at these election posters to get a feel of a different era.

Posters from Italy in 2004, UK in 1979. Some gymnastics and we are good to vote in Portugal in 2009. (From left to right).

With time, the way we communicate changes. From posters to social media, you can see how the EU communication has evolved over time.

Printed communication on European elections was the norm before the digital age that we are in today. Different European languages, visuals with flags of European countries, elephants, emojis and much more — featured on them. Today these graphics are a reflection of the moment that we were in back then.

Let us journey back and have a look at some of the vintage posters and the messages they promoted. How about starting from the very first 1979 elections?

Domenico’s speech – Nostalghia (1983) Andreï Tarkovski

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Στη «Νοσταλγία», ο Ντομένικο είναι ο τρελός του χωριού. Στο λόγο του απέναντι στην «καλοθρεμμένη, ικανοποιημένη, τυφλή πλειονότητα», που δεν είναι τίποτα λιγότερο από συγκλονιστικός, πριν αυτοπυρποληθεί, φωνάζει: Τι κόσμος είναι αυτός αν ένας τρελός σας λέει ότι πρέπει να ντρέπεστε;

Domenico’s speech:

“What ancestor speaks in me? I can’t live simultaneously in my head and in my body. That’s why I can’t be just one person. I can feel within myself countless things at once.

There are no great masters left. That’s the real evil of our time. The heart’s path is covered in shadow. We must listen to the voices that seem useless in brains full of long sewage pipes of school wall, tarmac and welfare papers.

The buzzing of insects must enter. We must fill the eyes and ears of all of us with things that are the beginning of a great dream. Someone must shout that we’ll build the pyramids. It doesn’t matter if we don’t.

The Sword of Damocles

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According to the story, Damocles was pandering to Dionysius, his king, and exclaimed to him that Dionysius was truly fortunate as a great man of power and authority, surrounded by magnificence.

In response, Dionysius offered to switch places with Damocles for one day so that Damocles could taste that very fortune firsthand. Damocles quickly and eagerly accepted the king’s proposal. Damocles sat down in the king’s throne surrounded by every luxury, but Dionysius, who had made many enemies during his reign,