List of political slogans
- This is an incomplete list that may never be able to satisfy particular standards for completeness. You can help by expanding it with reliably sourced entries.
The following is a list of notable 18th, 19th, 20th and 21st-century political slogans.
Political slogans (listed alphabetically)
- Abolish the wages system – used by the Socialist Party of Great Britain and the World Socialist Movement as well as many anarchists and communists including the Industrial Workers of the World
- A fair day's wage for a fair day's work - used by American unions
- Alba gu bràth (Scotland forever) - Scottish Gaelic slogan for Scottish allegiance, often used by those in the independence movement
- All power to the Soviets (Вся власть – Советам!) – A Bolshevik slogan in the eve of the October revolution.
- All Power to the Imagination! – Situationist slogan used during May 1968 in Paris; a détournement of the slogan "All Power to the Soviets" used during the Russian October Revolution
- Arbeit Macht Frei (Work Will Set You Free) – used 1933-1945 by Nazi Germany over the main gates at a number of Nazi concentration camps
- A.B.U. (Asalkan Bukan Umno - Anything But Umno) is a rallying cry of the opposition in Malaysia against the political party United Malays National Organisation (UMNO), which controls the ruling coalition Barisan Nasional, which has been in control of Malaysia since independence in 1957.
- Are you thinking what we're thinking? – British Conservative Party slogan under Michael Howard in the 2005 general election
- As Maine goes, so goes the nation - 19th and early 20th century slogan describing Maine's reputation as a bellwether state for presidential elections
- "A weak economy, underfunded schools and an NHS that costs more and delivers less" – Slogan by Kirsty Williams and the Welsh Liberal Democrats during the National Assembly for Wales election, 2011, outlining the failures of the Labour and Plaid Cymru government in Wales.[1]
- Britain Deserves Better – British Labour Party slogan and manifesto title for the 1997 General Election. The slogan was matched by the use of D:Ream's Things can only get better as the campaign song.
- Behindertsein ist schön (To be disabled is beautiful) was the political slogan of the (West) Germany disability movement in the 1970s, 1980s (cripple movement- Krüppelbewegung)), used analogously to the political slogan Black is beautiful.
- Better dead than Red – anti-Communist slogan.
- Bigger cages! Longer chains! – Anarchist slogan mocking use of the political demand.
- Black is beautiful - political slogan of a cultural movement that began in the 1960s by African Americans
- Black Power - a political slogan and a name for various associated ideologies
- Bolje rat nego pakt, bolje grob nego rob (Better war than pact, better dead than slave) – A Bosnian anti-fascist slogan after the overthrow of the Yugoslav government that signed the Tripartite Pact
- Bread and roses – labor and immigrant rights slogan.
- Catch up and overtake America! (Догнать и перегнать Америку) – Slogan invented by Nikita Khrushchev in 1957 for his vision of the Soviet economy
- Chávez Vive, La Patria Sigue! (Chavez Lives, The Fatherland Continues!) - used in Venezuela after the death of Hugo Chávez to honor his legacy
- Come and take it – Slogan at the Battle of Gonzales
- Death to fascism, freedom to the people - anti-Nazi slogan used by the Yugoslav resistance movement during World War II
- Deeds Not Words – W.S.P.U. suffragette slogan, 1903.
- Democracia Real Ya! – (Real Democracy Now!) Used in the 2011 Spanish protests
- Deus, Patria, e Familia – Salazar reactionary slogan
- Doctors need to be preserved, not reserved. – Slogan used by medical students, doctors, and lawyers in India when they protested in New Delhi against the raised quotas for lower-caste students medical colleges from 22.5 to 49.5%.
- Don't let him take Britain back to the 1980s – 2010 Labour poster attacking Conservative leader, David Cameron.
- Don't Mess with Texas - slogan that began as anti-littering campaign; later adopted for political and other purposes
- Don't Stop, Keep Going On! – The general electoral slogan of the Justice and Development Party in the Turkish general elections of 2007
- Drill, baby, drill - slogan used by the U.S. Republican party to call for increasing domestic oil and gas production
- Each for all and all for each – Tariff Reform League, 1905.
- Eat the Rich – A leftist slogan originally traced back to Jean-Jacques Rousseau, who is reputed to have said, "When the people shall have nothing more to eat, they will eat the rich."
- Ein Volk, ein Reich, ein Führer ("One people, one empire, one leader") – Nazi Germany.
- Ena-Ena-Tessera (ένα-ένα-τέσσερα ) – Greek slogan from the late 1960s to early 1970s. Means One-One-Four, the number of the constitution that says the king may not interfere with the workings of government.
- England Will Fight to the Last American – Slogan of the America First Committee, against providing aid to Britain during WWII[2]
- Éirinn go Brách (Ireland Forever) - used to express allegiance to Ireland or Irish pride; anglicised "Erin go Bragh"
- Every Man a King – 1934 Introduced in February 1934, during a radio broadcast, this was the wealth and income redistributionist platform slogan (and later a song and a book) for Louisiana Governor Huey Long; it was part of a broader program that had the slogan, "Share Our Wealth".
- Fianna Fáil (Now... The Next Steps) - slogan used during 2007 Irish General Election
- Fifty-Four Forty or Fight – Oregon boundary dispute, 1846, Democrats claim all of Oregon Country for the United States
- Fuck War! (Хуй войне!) - anti-Iraq War phrase made famous by Russian group t.A.T.u.
- Führer befiehl, wir folgen dir! (Führer command, we'll follow you!), from the song "Von Finnland bis zum Schwarzen Meer"
- Give me liberty, or give me death! - slogan coined by Patrick Henry prior to the American Revolutionary War, various versions and translations have been used around the world
- Glory to Ukraine! Glory to Heroes! (Слава Україні! Героям слава!) - slogan of Ukrainian nationalists
- God made Adam and Eve, not Adam and Steve – Anti-gay slogan used by Christians who oppose homosexuality on religious grounds.
- Got Guv? – A play on the "got milk" campaign; used by dairy owner Jim Oberweis in 2006 during his campaign for Governor of Illinois.
- Go For Growth – Australian Liberal 2007 campaign slogan used by John Howard. The slogan refers to the period of economic growth under his leadership.
- Go Nawaz Go - Inqilab March - Azaadi March slogan used by Pakistan Awami Tehrik and Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf supporters, during the political movement against the Nawaz Sharif government in Pakistan.
- Had enough? – This was the 1946 slogan for Congressional elections for the out-of-power Republican Party; noting that they had been out of power in Congress since 1930, this slogan asked voters if they had "had enough" of the Democrats.
- Hands Off Russia - slogan created by British socialists protesting Britain's intervention during the Russian Revolution
- ¡Hasta la victoria siempre! (Until Victory, Forever!) – Marxist revolutionary Che Guevara's famous slogan, and how he would end his letters.
- He killed my ma, he killed my pa, but I will vote for him. – Charles Taylor's 1997 election slogan. Taylor threatened to restart the country's civil war if he wasn't elected.[3]
- Heim ins Reich (Back home into the Reich), describing the Adolf Hitler's initiative to include all areas with ethnic Germans into the German Reich (Austria, Sudetenland, Danzig,...) that led to World War II.
- He's Good Enough for Me – Balfour's Conservative poster, 1905.
- Hey, Hey, LBJ, how many kids you kill today? – Anti-Vietnam War and anti-Lyndon B. Johnson slogan from the 1960s. Other variations included, "How many boys did you kill today?"
- I agree with Nick – Unofficial Liberal Democrat slogan for the 2010 United Kingdom general election, parodying Gordon Brown's performance in the televised debates where he often ended up espousing the same views as Lib Dem leader, Nick Clegg.
- If you want a nigger for a neighbour, vote Liberal or Labour - Slogan for the successful candidacy of Peter Griffiths for Smethwick in the 1964 general election.
- It's Scotland's oil – Used by the Scottish National Party (SNP) during the 1970s in making their economic case for Scottish independence
- It's Time – Used by the Australian Labor Party in 1972; they had been out of government since 1949.
- Jai Jawan Jai Kisan – Used by the Prime Minister of India Lal Bahadur Shashtri in 1965; It means hail the soldier and hail the farmer.
- Jai Jawan Jai Kisan Jay Vigyan – Used by the former Prime Minister of India Atal Bihari Bajpai in 2001; It means hail the soldier, hail the farmer and hail the science.
- Jedem das Seine – Literally, the slogan means "to each his own" and was the German translation of Prussia's motto which read in Latin: "suum cuique". The meaning at that time was "justice for everyone". Used 1937-45 by Nazi Germany over the main gate at Buchenwald concentration camp it figuratively meant "everyone gets what he deserves". The slogan was already used in ancient Roman times by Cicero and Cato.
- Je suis Charlie - slogan born of the 2015 Charlie Hebdo killings, used by those expressing outrage or support for the victims, as well as the free speech movement
- Joy Bangla – Slogan used by the people in the Liberation war of Bangladesh in 1971.
- Labour Isn't Working – 1978 Conservative Party poster devised by Saatchi and Saatchi. The poster showed a long queue outside a 'unemployment office' commenting on the high levels of unemployment.
- Le Québec aux Québécois - (Quebec for the Quebecers) Separatist chant. 1970s+
- Liberté, Égalité, Fraternité (Liberty, Equality, Fraternity) – the national motto of France, with its origins in the French Revolution.
- Lips That Touch Liquor Must Never Touch Mine – slogan of the Anti-Saloon League of the U.S. temperance movement from a poem from George W. Young, supposedly writen c. 1870[4]
- Ma Mati Manush - popular political slogan coined by Mamata Banerjee, Chief Minister of West Bengal, who represented All India Trinamool Congress
- Maggie, Maggie, Maggie – Out, Out, Out – Popular chant used at rallies and marched opposing the government of Margaret Thatcher.
- Make love, not war – anti-war slogan began during the War in Vietnam
- Me ne frego! – Slogan used by the Benito Mussolini's blackshirts, literally "I don't give a damn".
- Moving New Hampshire Forward – Slogan used by Maggie Hassan in her 2012 NH gubernatorial campaign.
- Naya Pakistan - Slogan used by Pakistan Tehreek Insaf in its 2013 election campaign.
- Never had it so good – 1957 campaign under Harold Macmillan's leadership of the Tories.
- Never been had so good – 1957 campaign slogan of the British Labour Party (in response to the Tory slogan).
- New Labour, New Danger – Slogan on 1997 Conservative Party campaign poster showing Tony Blair with glowing red eyes. The campaign backfired as the poster was criticised for implying that Blair, a stated Christian, was demonic and then the Conservative Party's failure to state who had authorised the poster.
- Ni dieu, Ni maitre (No God, No Master) – A French anti-religious saying.
- ¡No pasarán! ¡Pasaremos! (They shall not pass! But we will!) - Slogan of International Brigade in Spanish Civil War.
- No Surrender! – Pro Northern Irish Loyalist slogan referring to the Siege of Derry
- No taxation without representation - slogan first used during the American Revolutionary War
- One man, one vote - slogan used worldwide for universal suffrage
- Not a step back! (Ни шагу назад!) – The motto representing Joseph Stalin's Order No. 227 issued on July 28, 1942. It is famous for its line "Not a step back!", that became a slogan of Soviet antifascist resistance.
- Nothing About Us Without Us! is a slogan used to communicate the idea that no policy should be decided by any representative without the full and direct participation of members the group(s) affected by that policy.
- No War but Class War – Used by diverse Marxist groups as a means of underlining the priority of class struggle above other political aims – and as a general anti-militarist slogan.
- Pakistan khappay (God bless Pakistan)
- Patria o Muerte (Homeland or Death) – aA 1960 slogan of Fidel Castro used for the first time at a memorial service for the La Coubre explosion. As a result, it became a motto of the Cuban Revolution.
- Perón o muerte – (Perón or death) Peronist slogan used in Argentina.
- Piss On Pity is a rallying cry for those in the disability-inclusive circles of world politics.
- Power to the people – A frequent anti-establishment slogan used in a variety of contexts by different political groups around the world such as libertarians, socialists and pro-democracy movements.
- Proletariat of the world, unite! (Пролетарии всех стран, соединяйтесь!) – A Soviet communist slogan coined by Karl Marx from The Communist Manifesto.
- Promises Kept – Slogan used by Thomas P. Gordon in 2012 race for New Castle County Executive.
- Rally Around O'Malley – Campaign slogan used during Patrick O'Malley's 2002 Illinois gubernatorial campaign.
- Remember Pearl Harbor! – A slogan, a song, an invitation to encourage American patriotism and sacrifice during World War II.
- Remember the Alamo! – Battle cry at the Battle of San Jacinto.
- Remember the Maine! – The rallying cry during the Spanish–American War.
- Revolution is not a dinner party – A phrase by Mao Zedong, extracted from his full statement that "Revolution is not a dinner party, nor an essay, nor a painting, nor a piece of embroidery; it cannot be advanced softly, gradually, carefully, considerately, respectfully, politely, plainly, and modestly. A revolution is an insurrection, an act of violence by which one class overthrows another."
- Ro Imran Ro - A slogan used by Pakistan Muslim League N supporters during Pakistan Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf sit-in in Islamabad. This slogan was specifically against baseless allegations by Imran KhanChairman PTI on numerous politicians, judicial bodies, government bodies. Further this slogan also symbolizes his many U-Turns from his allegations/statements during this sit-in
- Safety First – 1929 Conservative election poster.
- Save the Bay – Chesapeake Bay Foundation slogan to save the Chesapeake Bay. Also the name, and main slogan, for Save The Bay, a San Francisco Bay environmental organization
- Serve the People (为人民服务) – a political slogan of Mao Zedong. The slogan later became popular among the New Left, Red Guard Party, and Black Panther Party; due to their strong Maoist influences.
- Simon Go Back – Against the Simon Commission: The Indian Statutory Commission was a group of seven British Members of Parliament that had been dispatched to India in 1927 to study constitutional reform in that colony. It was commonly referred to as the Simon Commission after its chairman, Sir John Simon. Ironically, one of its members was Clement Attlee, who subsequently became the British Prime Minister who would oversee the granting of independence to India and Pakistan in 1947.
- Stanley Baldwin the Man You Can Trust! – 1929 election poster
- Stay the course – A slogan popularized by the Bush administration as the strategy for the Iraq War
- Stop the boats – Tony Abbott, during his time as Leader of the Liberal Party
- Tabdeeli aa nahi rahi - Tabdeeli aa gai hai – Slogan used by Pakistan Tehreek Insaf during their 2013 election campaign; later made a part of the Pakistan Tehreek Insaf Party anthem
- The Buck Stops Here – A phrase first uttered by Harry S. Truman in reference to government accountability
- The Chinese must go – used by 19th century California labor leader Dennis Kearney, known for his anti-Chinese stance, who ended every speech with the phrase
- The rich get richer and the poor get poorer – Used by Marxist-inspired socialists to criticize capitalism
- There Ain't No Such Thing as a Free Lunch - the first official slogan of the Libertarian Party, a phrase popularized by Robert A. Heinlein in his 1966 novel The Moon Is a Harsh Mistress. Commonly abbreviated as 'TANSTAFL'.[5]
- The whole world is watching - phrase used by anti-war demonstrators and others
- They shall not pass (Spanish: ¡No Pasaran!) – used during the Battle of Verdun in World War I by French General Robert Nivelle
- From each according to his ability, to each according to his need (от каждого по его способности, каждому — по его труду- Marxist slogan
- Three Word Chant! – Anarchist anti-slogan used in the Battle of Seattle to illustrate the reification of the slogan in mass culture.
- Think globally, act locally or "Think global, act local" has been used in various contexts, including town planning, environment, and business
- Tiocfaidh ár lá (Our Day Will Come) - slogan for a United Ireland
- Tutto nello Stato, niente al di fuori dello Stato, nulla contro lo Stato (Everything Within the State, Nothing Outside the State) – Early 1930s Italian Fascist slogan.
- Trust Baldwin he will steer you to safety! – 1929 Conservative poster
- Tyler and Texas! – John Tyler's slogan for supporting the annexation of Texas.
- ¡Una, Grande y Libre! – "One, Great and Free!", a Francoist slogan from Spain. It expressed three nationalist concepts; One) indivisible, against regional separatism, Great) in recognition of its imperial past and advocation of future expansion in Africa, Free) not submitted to internationalist foreign influences, which was a reference to what Francoists claimed was a "Judeo-Masonic-International Communist conspiracy" against Spain.[6]
- Venceremos (We will overcome/we shall triumph) – A Spanish phrase associated with the Cuban Revolution and socialism in Latin America and unofficial national anthem of Chile during the period leading up to the coup.
- Vivre Libre ou Mourir ("Live free or die") - French Revolution slogan
- Vote for Change – British Conservative party slogan for the 2010 general election.
- We are the 99% – a solidarity internet meme commonly associated with the 2011 Occupy Wall Street and associated protests
- White Power - slogan and chant of white supremacists
- Wir sind das Volk (We are the people), motto of the "Monday demonstrations" that led to the demise of the East German State and its inclusion into the West German one.
References
- ↑ "Lib Dems focus assembly election campaign on economy". BBC News. 2011-04-05.
- ↑ Baily, Thomas A.; & Kennedy, David M. (1994). The American Pageant (10th ed.). D.C. Heath and Company. ISBN 0-669-33892-3.
- ↑ Left, Sarah (2003-08-04). "War in Liberia". The Guardian (London). Retrieved 2008-01-18.
- ↑ http://www.fresnostate.edu/folklore/ballads/R341.html
- ↑ FaceFwd.com:libertarianism
- ↑ "Una, Grande y Libre – Francoist slogan". Iberianature.com. Retrieved 2009-09-16.