Socialist steins are relatively rare because they were taboo during the Nazi period.
If you took one of these into a bar at that time, you would be lucky to leave with your
life still intact. This was largely because those in power in Germany had seen what had
befallen Russia at the hands of the Bolsheviks and communism, the extreme, radical form
of socialism, and didn’t want any part of it. This is a little enigmatic because the
party in power was the Nazi Party, Nationalsocialistische Deutsche Arbeiterpartei
(National Socialist German Worker’s Party). I suspect that most of these were
secreted away and mostly in Eastern Germany after WWII and just have been appearing
again after the reunification of Germany.
This stein has some of the classic socialist symbols: the clasped hands, the red banner, the wreathe signifying victory (not made of Laurel, but of Oak leaves symbolic of Germany), and the small gold sun bringing light to a dark world.
Wohlan wer Recht und Wahrheit achtet,
zu unsrer Fahne steh’ zu Hauf,
wenn auch die Lüg uns noch umnachtet,
bald steigt der Morgen hell herauf-!
Whoever boldly heeds right and truth,
stands together in mass by our flag,
(and) if he also recognizes the lie to us as deranged,
(he) will soon (see) the morning light rise from below-!
