1958 Vigil on Hamburg Rathausplatz: Analysis of a Primary Source

Sourcing

What

This photo is of a vigil (Mahnwache) against nuclear weapons held at the Rathausplatz in Hamburg, Germany in April 1958 (see map). Organized by prominent German activists Hans-Konrad and Helga Tempel, the vigil at the point this photo was taken had lasted 212 hours. It was held at the end of the Kampf dem Atomtod demonstration on April 17.

When

Started on April 17, 1958, lasted 14 days.

Where

Who/Creator

This photo is from the collection of German activist Hans Konrad Tempel.

Contextualization

The hotspots in the image contextualize the photo and analyze its historical context.

• Bayard Rustin
  • American Civil Rights activist Bayard Rustin (1912-1987) was raised in a Quaker household in Pennsylvania and was influenced by his grandmother’s work with the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP). He served as executive secretary for War Resisters League from 1954-1965. An advisor to Martin Luther King, Jr.,  Rustin played a primary role in organizing the 1963 March on Washington. A gay man, in the 1980s he was an advocate for AIDS education.
• April Carter
  • April Carter is a British scholar activist who was active in the nuclear disarmament movement, including this vigil in Hamburg. She has lectured at various universities and published several books in political science and nonviolent direct action. In 2012 she edited A Guide to Civil Resistance with Howard Clark and Michael Randle.
• The Vigil (Mahnwache)
  • According to the Aktionskreis für Gewaltlosigkeit Wikipedia entry (Hans Konrad Tempel is a primary author) the term Mahnwache was created by Jürgen Grimm as a translation for the English term “vigil.” The vigil on Rathausplatz in 1958 was sponsored by the Aktionskreis für Gewaltlosigkeit.

Corroboration

There are several types of sources that will help historians understand what is happening in this photo more clearly. Biographies of Bayard Rustin, April Carter, Hans Konrad Tempel and Helga Tempel for example. Each additional source contextualizes and confirms the sourcing and historical thinking above.

Additional Sources

Historians can use the following historical sources to corroborate the moment in this image

“Rustin, Bayard,” Martin Luther King, Jr. Encyclopedia, Accessed October 3, 2022. https://kinginstitute.stanford.edu/encyclopedia/rustin-bayard

• Biographical information on Bayard Rustin compiled by the Martin Luther King, Jr. Research and Education Institute, Stanford University. https://kinginstitute.stanford.edu/

Szodrzynki, Joachim, ed.. “Kampf dem Atomtod!” Die Protestbewegung 1957/1958 in zeithistorischer und gegenwärtiger Perspektive. Hamburg: Dölling und Galitz Verlag, 2009.