The peace symbol that began as Hitler’s people’s car

A closer look

The peace-loving, flower-power symbol of the 1960s hippie movement has a remarkably dark origin story. The 'People's Car' (Volkswagen) was aggressively championed by Hitler in the 1930s as an affordable vehicle for the German working class. He hired Ferdinand Porsche to design a rear-engine, beetle-shaped car that was cheap to produce. It is quite the historical irony that a machine birthed from fascist propaganda became the global vehicular mascot for peace, love, and questionable bumper stickers.