Käthe Kollwitz was inspired to explore the theme of the Peasants' War after reading Wilhelm Zimmermann’s "General History of the Great Peasants' War" (Allgemeine Geschichte des grossen Bauernkrieges), first published in 1841–1843. In social democratic circles with which Kollwitz was affiliated, the Peasants’ War of 1524/1525 was seen as a symbol of class struggle. In her cycle of etchings, Kollwitz represented the plight of the working classes. In "The Ploughmen," she depicts two men hauling a plough. Their near-horizontal bodies evoke the physical demands of their labor. With the support of Max Lehrs, director of the Dresden Print Room, as well as Max Liebermann, her most important patron, Kollwitz approached the Association of Historical Art (Verbindung für historische Kunst) and applied for funding to complete the cycle. In 1908, the Association and art dealer Emil Richter co-published the cycle together.