Der Angriff

Der Angriff
Name	Der Angriff
Type	Daily newspaper
Founded	1927
Founder	Joseph Goebbels
Language	German
Political	National Socialist
Headquarters	Berlin
Ceased publication	1945

Der Angriff was a Berlin-based daily newspaper established in 1927 that became a major propaganda organ of the National Socialist movement in Germany. Founded and directed by Joseph Goebbels, it served as a platform for Nazi messaging during the Weimar Republic, the rise of the National Socialist German Workers' Party, and the Third Reich until the end of World War II. The paper intertwined coverage of Berlin affairs with rhetoric linked to major events and institutions across Europe, promoting policies associated with Adolf Hitler and the Nazi leadership.

History and Founding

Der Angriff was launched in 1927 in Berlin by Joseph Goebbels, then an influential member of the National Socialist German Workers' Party leadership faction vying for influence during the late Weimar Republic. Its creation followed political struggles involving figures such as Adolf Hitler and organizational contests with rival publications associated with the Sturmabteilung and other party organs. The newspaper's early years coincided with electoral campaigns for the Reichstag and public confrontations with parties like the Social Democratic Party of Germany and the Communist Party of Germany. As the Nazi movement consolidated power during events including the Munich Putsch aftermath and the 1930 Reichstag elections, the paper became increasingly integrated with the propaganda apparatus centered on the Reich Ministry of Public Enlightenment and Propaganda.

Editorial Policy and Political Alignment

The editorial line of the paper was explicitly aligned with Joseph Goebbels's strategic objectives, reflecting the doctrines of the National Socialist German Workers' Party and the policies promoted by Adolf Hitler and other leaders of the NSDAP. Its editorial staff coordinated with institutions such as the Reichstag majority after 1933 and maintained connections to paramilitary formations like the Schutzstaffel and the Sturmabteilung when messaging required street-level mobilization. The paper endorsed initiatives associated with the Enabling Act of 1933 and legislative shifts under ministers like Hermann Göring and Wilhelm Frick, while opposing parties and organizations such as the Centre Party and Zentrum in sharply polemical terms. Editorial policy emphasized alignment with diplomatic positions involving Nazi foreign policy, including issues tied to Versailles Treaty grievances and later wartime rhetoric tied to campaigns against the Allied Powers.

Publication Content and Features

Content included front-page reports on local developments in Berlin alongside commentary on national events like Reichstag debates and deployments related to the Invasion of Poland and other military operations led by the Wehrmacht. Features ranged from political essays referencing personalities such as Heinrich Himmler and Albert Speer to cultural pieces reacting to exhibitions at institutions like the Prussian Cultural Heritage Foundation and performances at venues such as the Deutsches Theater. The paper published dispatches relating to legal proceedings involving figures like Rudolf Hess and social campaigns targeting groups identified by Nazi racial laws promulgated by officials such as Julius Streicher. Photographs and lithographs documented rallies, including events organized by the Nazi Party Rally in Nuremberg and street actions reminiscent of clashes with opponents from the KPD and trade unions like the Free Trade Unions. Propaganda themes mirrored broadcasts on outlets such as Reichsrundfunk and mirrored messaging in organs like Völkischer Beobachter and periodicals affiliated with the Hitler Youth.

Circulation, Influence, and Reception

Circulation grew as the NSDAP increased its electoral presence in the late 1920s and early 1930s, with readership concentrated in Berlin but resonating with sympathizers across provinces like Prussia and regions affected by economic disputes tied to the Great Depression. The newspaper influenced public opinion among constituencies including civil servants in ministries such as the Reich Ministry of the Interior and industrial managers connected to conglomerates like Krupp and IG Farben. Intellectual reception varied: conservative nationalists linked to figures like Alfred Hugenberg praised its militancy, while opponents from the Social Democratic Party of Germany and the Confessing Church criticized its content. International observers from governments such as the United Kingdom and the United States monitored its dispatches alongside diplomatic reporting by missions including the German Embassy in London and the U.S. Embassy in Berlin.

Legal Issues and Controversies

The paper was central in campaigns that provoked legal and ethical controversies, including incitement to discrimination that later intersected with laws under the Nuremberg Laws and policies enforced by agencies like the Gestapo. Its articles contributed to public pressure that affected judicial proceedings in courts such as the People's Court and municipal administrations in cities like Hamburg and Munich. Rival publications and individuals who challenged its narratives faced harassment or legal sanctions coordinated with local police forces and security services linked to the Reich Ministry of the Interior. Internationally, its reportage on incidents involving states such as France and Poland fed into diplomatic disputes and wartime propaganda campaigns criticized by entities including the League of Nations and postwar tribunals at Nuremberg Trials.

Legacy and Historical Assessment

Historians assessing the newspaper examine its role in the consolidation of National Socialist power and its function within the broader propaganda network overseen by Joseph Goebbels and institutions like the Reich Ministry of Public Enlightenment and Propaganda. Scholarly treatments reference archives held by repositories such as the Bundesarchiv and analyses by historians of modern Europe, including studies of the Weimar Republic collapse and the origins of the Second World War. The paper is frequently cited in discussions about media ethics, propaganda techniques compared with outlets from other regimes such as the Soviet Union's press organs, and the cultural mobilization exemplified by mass events like the Nazi Party Rally in Nuremberg. Its termination in 1945 marked the collapse of the NSDAP-controlled press system and has been evaluated in monographs on de-Nazification efforts and postwar media reconstruction in the Federal Republic of Germany and the German Democratic Republic.

Category:Newspapers published in Berlin Category:Nazi newspapers Category:Joseph Goebbels