HOME

TheInfoList



OR:

''Der Stürmer'' (; literally, "The Stormer / Stormtrooper / Attacker") was a weekly German tabloid-format
newspaper A newspaper is a Periodical literature, periodical publication containing written News, information about current events and is often typed in black ink with a white or gray background. Newspapers can cover a wide variety of fields such as poli ...
published from 1923 to the end of
World War II World War II or the Second World War (1 September 1939 – 2 September 1945) was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War II, Allies and the Axis powers. World War II by country, Nearly all of the wo ...
by Julius Streicher, the '' Gauleiter'' of Franconia, with brief suspensions in publication due to legal difficulties. It was a significant part of
Nazi propaganda Propaganda was a tool of the Nazi Party in Germany from its earliest days to the end of the regime in May 1945 at the end of World War II. As the party gained power, the scope and efficacy of its propaganda grew and permeated an increasing amou ...
, and was virulently anti-Semitic. The paper was not an official publication of the
Nazi Party The Nazi Party, officially the National Socialist German Workers' Party ( or NSDAP), was a far-right politics, far-right political party in Germany active between 1920 and 1945 that created and supported the ideology of Nazism. Its precursor ...
, but was published privately by Streicher. For this reason, the paper did not display the Nazi Party swastika in its logo. The paper was a very lucrative business for Streicher, and made him a multi-millionaire. The newspaper originated at
Nuremberg Nuremberg (, ; ; in the local East Franconian dialect: ''Nämberch'' ) is the Franconia#Towns and cities, largest city in Franconia, the List of cities in Bavaria by population, second-largest city in the States of Germany, German state of Bav ...
during
Adolf Hitler Adolf Hitler (20 April 1889 – 30 April 1945) was an Austrian-born German politician who was the dictator of Nazi Germany from 1933 until Death of Adolf Hitler, his suicide in 1945. Adolf Hitler's rise to power, He rose to power as the lea ...
's attempt to establish power and control. The first copy of ''Der Stürmer'' was published on 20 April 1923.''Holocaust Education and Archive Research Team. ''Holocaust Research Project. 2009. Web. 21 October 2009. ''Der Stürmer''s circulation grew over time, eventually distributing to a large percentage of the German population, as well as
Argentina Argentina, officially the Argentine Republic, is a country in the southern half of South America. It covers an area of , making it the List of South American countries by area, second-largest country in South America after Brazil, the fourt ...
,
Brazil Brazil, officially the Federative Republic of Brazil, is the largest country in South America. It is the world's List of countries and dependencies by area, fifth-largest country by area and the List of countries and dependencies by population ...
,
Canada Canada is a country in North America. Its Provinces and territories of Canada, ten provinces and three territories extend from the Atlantic Ocean to the Pacific Ocean and northward into the Arctic Ocean, making it the world's List of coun ...
, and the
United States The United States of America (USA), also known as the United States (U.S.) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It is a federal republic of 50 U.S. state, states and a federal capital district, Washington, D.C. The 48 ...
. The newspaper reached a peak circulation of 486,000 in 1937. Unlike the '' Völkischer Beobachter'' (''The Völkisch Observer''), the official Nazi Party paper, which gave itself an outwardly serious appearance, ''Der Stürmer'' often ran obscene material such as the blood libel and graphic
caricature A caricature is a rendered image showing the features of its subject in a simplified or exaggerated way through sketching, pencil strokes, or other artistic drawings (compare to: cartoon). Caricatures can be either insulting or complimentary, ...
s of Jews,Koonz, p. 228 as well as sexually explicit, anti-communist, and anti- monarchist propaganda. As early as 1933, Streicher was calling for the extermination of the Jews in ''Der Stürmer''. During the war, Streicher regularly authorized articles demanding the annihilation and extermination of the " Jewish race". After the war, Streicher was convicted of being an accessory for
crimes against humanity Crimes against humanity are certain serious crimes committed as part of a large-scale attack against civilians. Unlike war crimes, crimes against humanity can be committed during both peace and war and against a state's own nationals as well as ...
, and was executed by hanging.


Circulation

Most of the paper's readers were young people, and people from the lowest strata of German society. Copies of ''Der Stürmer'' were displayed in prominent red ' (display boxes) throughout the
Reich ( ; ) is a German word whose meaning is analogous to the English word " realm". The terms and are respectively used in German in reference to empires and kingdoms. In English usage, the term " Reich" often refers to Nazi Germany, also ca ...
. As well as advertising the publication, the cases also allowed its articles to reach those readers who either did not have time to buy and read a newspaper in depth, or could not afford the expense. In 1927, ''Der Stürmer'' sold about 27,000 copies every week. By 1935, its circulation had increased to around 480,000.


Nazi attitudes towards the paper

From the late 1920s, Julius Streicher's vulgar style of propagandism increasingly became a cause of embarrassment for the Nazi Party. In 1936, the sale of ''Der Stürmer'' was restricted in Berlin during the Summer Olympics, in an attempt to preserve the Nazi regime's international reputation and prestige. Propaganda Minister Joseph Goebbels tried to completely ban the newspaper in 1938, '' Reichsmarschall''
Hermann Göring Hermann Wilhelm Göring (or Goering; ; 12 January 1893 – 15 October 1946) was a German Nazism, Nazi politician, aviator, military leader, and convicted war criminal. He was one of the most powerful figures in the Nazi Party, which gov ...
forbade ''Der Stürmer'' in all of his departments, and
Baldur von Schirach Baldur Benedikt von Schirach (; 9 May 1907 – 8 August 1974) was a German politician who was the leader of the Hitler Youth from 1931 to 1940. From 1940 to 1945, he was the '' Gauleiter'' (district leader) and '' Reichsstatthalter'' (Reich gov ...
prohibited
Hitler Youth The Hitler Youth ( , often abbreviated as HJ, ) was the youth wing of the German Nazi Party. Its origins date back to 1922 and it received the name ("Hitler Youth, League of German Worker Youth") in July 1926. From 1936 until 1945, it was th ...
members from reading it in Hitler Youth-sponsored hostels and other education facilities by a ''"Reichsbefehl"'' ("Reich command"). Göring harboured a particularly intense hatred of the paper, especially after it published a libelous article alleging that his daughter Edda had been conceived through
artificial insemination Artificial insemination is the deliberate introduction of sperm into a female's cervix or uterine cavity for the purpose of achieving a pregnancy through in vivo fertilization by means other than sexual intercourse. It is a fertility treatment ...
. It was only through Hitler's intervention that Streicher was spared from severe punishment. However, other senior Nazi officials, including '' Reichsführer-SS''
Heinrich Himmler Heinrich Luitpold Himmler (; 7 October 1900 – 23 May 1945) was a German Nazism, Nazi politician and military leader who was the 4th of the (Protection Squadron; SS), a leading member of the Nazi Party, and one of the most powerful p ...
, chairman of the German Labour Front Robert Ley, and proprietor of the ''Zentral Verlag'' (Central Press) Max Amann, whose organization comprised 80% of the German press, endorsed the publication, and their statements were often published in the paper. Albert Forster, the ''Gauleiter'' of Danzig (now
Gdańsk Gdańsk is a city on the Baltic Sea, Baltic coast of northern Poland, and the capital of the Pomeranian Voivodeship. With a population of 486,492, Data for territorial unit 2261000. it is Poland's sixth-largest city and principal seaport. Gdań ...
), wrote in 1937:
With pleasure, I say that the ''Stürmer'', more than any other daily or weekly newspaper, has made clear to the people in simple ways the danger of Jewry. Without Julius Streicher and his ''Stürmer'', the importance of a solution to the Jewish question would not be seen to be as critical as it actually is by many citizens. It is therefore to be hoped that those who want to learn the unvarnished truth about the Jewish question will read the ''Stürmer''.
Hitler considered Streicher's primitive methods to be effective in influencing "the man in the street". Although Streicher and his paper were increasingly isolated in the Nazi party, Hitler continued to support Streicher, and was an avid reader of ''Der Stürmer''. In December 1941, he stated: "Streicher is reproached for his ''Stürmer''. The truth is the opposite of what people say: He idealized the Jew. The Jew is baser, fiercer, more diabolical than Streicher depicted him." In February 1942, he praised the newspaper, by stating: "One must never forget the services rendered by the ''Stürmer''. Now that the Jews are known for what they are, nobody any longer thinks that Streicher libeled them." Trevor-Roper, Hugh R. and Weinberg, Gerhard L. (2013). ''Hitler's Table Talk 1941–1944: Secret Conversations''. Enigma Books. p
118250
.
Hermann Rauschning, who claimed to be Hitler's "confidant", said in the mid-1930s:
Antisemitism was beyond question the most important weapon in Hitler's propagandist arsenal, and almost everywhere, it was of deadly efficiency. That was why he had allowed Streicher, for example, a free hand. The man's stuff, too, was amusing, and very cleverly done. Wherever, he wondered, did Streicher get his constant supply of new material? He, Hitler, was simply on thorns to see each new issue of the ''Stürmer''. It was the one periodical that he always read with pleasure, from the first page to the last.
During the war, the paper's circulation suffered because of paper shortages, as well as Streicher's exile from Nuremberg for corruption. More ominously, because of the Holocaust, the people it targeted had begun to disappear from everyday life, which diminished the paper's relevance. Hitler, however, insisted that Streicher receive sufficient support to continue publishing ''Der Stürmer''. The final edition of the newspaper was published in February 1945. The chief editor, Julius Streicher, was tried at
Nuremberg Nuremberg (, ; ; in the local East Franconian dialect: ''Nämberch'' ) is the Franconia#Towns and cities, largest city in Franconia, the List of cities in Bavaria by population, second-largest city in the States of Germany, German state of Bav ...
after the end of the war, and after being found guilty of being an accessory to crimes against humanity, he was hanged in 1946.


Antisemitic content

According to the American writer Dennis Showalter, "a major challenge of political antisemitism involves overcoming the images of the 'Jew next door' – the living, breathing acquaintance or associate whose simple existence appears to deny the validity of that negative stereotype". The newspaper's lurid content appealed to a large spectrum of readers who were lower class and less-sophisticated. ''Der Stürmer'' was known for its use of simple themes that required little thought. The newspaper often gave descriptions of how to identify Jewish people, and included racist political cartoons, including antisemitic caricatures. Besides the graphic depictions, articles often focused on imaginary fears, exaggerations, and perceived behavioral differences between Jews and other German citizens. Showalter, Dennis E. (1982) ''Little Man What Now? Der Stürmer in the Weimer Republic'' Hamden, Connecticut: Archon Books. After the war, Streicher was tried at the Nuremberg trials. His publishing and speaking activities were a major part of the evidence presented against him. In essence, the prosecutors took the line that Streicher's role in inciting Germans to murder Jews made him an accessory to murder, and thus as culpable as those who actually carried out the killing. Prosecutors also introduced decisive and irrefutable evidence that Streicher continued his incendiary articles and speeches when he was well aware that Jews were being killed. Streicher was found guilty of being an accessory for
crimes against humanity Crimes against humanity are certain serious crimes committed as part of a large-scale attack against civilians. Unlike war crimes, crimes against humanity can be committed during both peace and war and against a state's own nationals as well as ...
, and was executed by hanging shortly afterwards.


Anti-Semitic caricatures

''Der Stürmer'' was known for its virulently anti-Semitic caricatures, which depicted Jews as ugly characters with exaggerated facial features and misshapen bodies. In his propaganda work, Streicher furthered medieval stereotypes accusing Jews of killing children, sacrificing their bodies, and drinking their blood. The large majority of these drawings were the work of Philipp Rupprecht, known as ''Fips'', who was one of the best-known anti-Semitic cartoonists of Nazi Germany. Through the adaptation and amalgamation of almost every existing anti-Semitic stereotype, myth, and tradition, Rupprecht's virulent attacks aimed predominantly at the dehumanization and demonization of Jews. At the bottom of the title page, there was always the motto ''"Die Juden sind unser Unglück!"'' ("The Jews are our misfortune!"), coined by Heinrich von Treitschke in the 1880s.Ben-Sasson, H.H., ed. (1976) ''A History of the Jewish People''. Cambridge, Massachusetts: Harvard University Press. p. 875. In the nameplate was the motto ''"Deutsches Wochenblatt zum Kampfe um die Wahrheit"'' ("German Weekly Newspaper in the Fight for Truth").


Alleged sexual crimes

Stories of ''
Rassenschande ''Rassenschande'' (, "racial shame") or ''Blutschande'' ( "blood disgrace") was an anti-miscegenation concept in Racial policy of Nazi Germany, Nazi German racial policy, pertaining to sexual relations between Aryan race#Nazism, Aryans and non-A ...
'', which denoted alleged scandals of Jewish men and German women having sex, were staples of ''Der Stürmer''. Streicher described Jews as sex offenders who were "violators of the innocent, perpetrators of bizarre sex crimes, and ritual murderers", who allegedly performed in religious ceremonies using blood of other humans, usually
Christians A Christian () is a person who follows or adheres to Christianity, a monotheistic Abrahamic religion based on the life and teachings of Jesus Christ. Christians form the largest religious community in the world. The words '' Christ'' and ''C ...
. Streicher also frequently reported attempts of child molestation by Jews. ''Der Stürmer'' never lacked details about sexual intercourse, names, and crimes to keep readers aroused and entertained. These accusations, articles, and crimes printed in ''Der Stürmer'' were often inaccurate, and rarely investigated by staff members. In the newspaper's opinion, if a German girl became pregnant by a Jew, the Jew would deny paternity, offer to pay for an abortion, fail to pay child support, or leave for the U.S. Within ''Der Stürmer'', it was not uncommon to read reports of German women aborting their children because they did not want to bring a "Jewish bastard into the world". Streicher believed in the antisemitic telegony hypotheses of Artur Dinter.


Accusations of financial crimes

Showalter said: "For Julius Streicher, the Jews' hatred for
Christianity Christianity is an Abrahamic monotheistic religion, which states that Jesus in Christianity, Jesus is the Son of God (Christianity), Son of God and Resurrection of Jesus, rose from the dead after his Crucifixion of Jesus, crucifixion, whose ...
was concealed only for one reason: Business." Jewish businessmen were often portrayed as doing almost anything to obtain financial wealth, which included, in his words, "become a usurper, a traitor, a murderer". In the summer of 1931, Streicher focused much of the paper's attention on a Jewish-owned butchery. As an example, when a philanthropic merchant started operating a soup kitchen, ''Der Stürmer'' ran articles accusing the business of poisoning the food being served. ''Der Stürmer'' criticized and cherrypicked every single price increase and decrease in Jewish shops, as well as their charitable donations, denouncing it as a further form of financial greed. This attack on Jewish benevolence, generosity, and philanthropism received the most public criticism out of all of ''Der Stürmers anti-Semitic propaganda. Its "Letter Box" encouraged the reporting of Jewish illegal acts, while its unofficial style helped prevent suspicion of propaganda, and lent it an air of "authenticity".


See also

*Other newspapers of Nazi Germany: **'' Der Angriff'' ("The Attack"), Josef Goebbels' Berlin-based newspaper **'' Berliner Arbeiterzeitung'' ("Berlin Workers Newspaper"), Gregor and Otto Strasser's newspaper, representing the Strasserite wing of the Nazi Party **'' Illustrierter Beobachter'' ("Illustrated Observer"), illustrated companion to the ''Völkischer Beobachter'' **'' Panzerbär'' ("The Panzer Bear"), a tabloid Nazi newspaper intended for the troops defending Berlin from the Red Army ** ''Das Reich'', a weekly newspaper founded by Goebbels **'' Das Schwarze Korps'' ("The Black Corps"), the official newspaper of
Heinrich Himmler Heinrich Luitpold Himmler (; 7 October 1900 – 23 May 1945) was a German Nazism, Nazi politician and military leader who was the 4th of the (Protection Squadron; SS), a leading member of the Nazi Party, and one of the most powerful p ...
's '' Schutzstaffel'' (SS) **'' Völkischer Beobachter'' ("People's Observer"), official Nazi newspaper published in Munich **'' Westdeutscher Beobachter'' de">:de:Westdeutscher Beobachter">de("West German observer"), official Nazi newspaper published in Cologne *'' Arijský boj'' ("The Aryan Struggle", 1940–1945), Czech fascist newspaper inspired by ''Der Stürmer'' *'' The Daily Stormer'', American white supremacist and neo-Nazi website named and modeled after ''Der Stürmer''


References

Notes Bibliography *Bytwerk, R.L. Julius Streicher (New York: Cooper Square, 2001), p. 59. *Imbleau, Martin. "Der Stürmer." '' Encyclopedia of Genocide and Crimes Against Humanity''. Ed. Dinah Shelton. Vol. 1. Detroit: Macmillan Reference USA, 2005. 247–249. 3 vols. Gale Virtual Reference Library. Thomson Gale. *Keysers, Ralph. ''Der Stürmer: Instrument de l'idéologie nazie: Une analyse des caricatures d'intoxication''. L'Harmattan, Paris 2012. . * Koonz, Claudia (2003) ''The Nazi Conscience''. Cambridge, Massachusetts: Belknap Press. *Wistrich, Robert. ''Who's Who in Nazi Germany'' (Routledge, New York, 1995), q. v. Streicher, Julius.


External links


Caricatures from Der Stürmer: 1924-1944
{{DEFAULTSORT:Sturmer 1923 establishments in Germany 1945 disestablishments in Germany Antisemitic publications Conspiracist publications Defunct newspapers published in Germany Defunct weekly newspapers German-language newspapers Nazi culture Nazi terminology Nazi newspapers Propaganda newspapers and magazines Newspapers established in 1923 Publications disestablished in 1945 Weekly newspapers published in Germany Nazi incitement to genocide of Jews Right-wing newspapers