Nazi leader Julius Streicher became one of the defendants at the Nuremberg trials after the end of World War II. He was sentenced to death, although he did not directly participate in the destruction of civilians. In this regard, the so-called Streicher incident appeared, which represents responsibility for crimes in the field of propaganda.
Shaping attitudes
The son of a Catholic school teacher Streicher Julius was born in 1885. He was one of the few key figures in the Nazi Party who was older than Hitler. Streicher was from Bavaria, where he spent his entire youth. His life, like the lives of all his peers, was greatly influenced by the First World War. The young teacher volunteered for the army, where he received several awards for his courage.
The defeat of Germany in the war against the Entente de alt a powerful blow to its society. Streicher Julius was exposed to anti-Semitic and nationalist sentiments. In the years of peace in the Weimar Republic, there was a rise of extreme right-wing political forces. The former teacher left his teaching career and began to participate in public life.
Joining the Nazis
In 1919Julius Streicher became the founder of the Socialist Party of Germany. He was a skilled organizer, able to unite like-minded people. His party was characterized by far-right and anti-Semitic views. In this sense, the Streicher organization was like a group of activists who united around the young Adolf Hitler. His National Socialist German Workers' Party also started in Bavaria.
In 1921, Hitler almost lost all his supporters. When he left for Berlin to establish contacts with like-minded people in the capital, some members of the Nazi Party in Munich decided to defect to Streicher. Among the defectors was the founder of the NSDAP, Anton Drexler. He accused Hitler of dictatorship and inability to listen to the position of opponents.
Hitler's close associate
Despite the massive demarche in the party, the future Fuhrer managed to restore his position thanks to his oratorical talent. It was then that he began to work closely with Streicher. There are many similarities between the two far-right politicians. In the end, the Socialist Party of Germany joined the NSDAP, which was primarily facilitated by Streicher.
He became one of Hitler's close associates after the Beer Putsch. It was an unsuccessful attempt by the Nazis to take power in Germany in 1923. When the column of Hitler's supporters walked through the streets of Munich, Streicher was in the forefront of it. Already in the years of the Third Reich, the Fuhrer spoke flatteringly about the devotion of his partner, shown at the most difficult moment.
Stormtrooper
In April 1923, Streicher began publishing his own newspaper. She received the name "Stormtrooper". The Streicher incident is connected with it. The most radical materials in the country appeared in the printed edition, accusing the Jews of many crimes against Germany. For example, in some articles it was said that the Jews practice the ritual murder of German children. Accusations of Jews in various disasters (the destruction of the Hindenburg airship, terrorist attacks, etc.) have also become popular.
The anti-Semitic sentiments that were inflated in Sturmovik resonated with the general German population. But while the democratic power of the Weimar Republic existed, Streicher periodically had problems. So in the 20s he was fired from school for extreme right-wing speeches in front of students. The Streicher syndrome lies in the fact that this propagandist made others believe that Jews and other enemies of the people are to blame for all the troubles. His activities became one of the causes of the Holocaust that unfolded in the Third Reich.
Gauleiter
Even before coming to power, the Nazi Party organized its structure, which lasted until the end of the war. Gauleiters were created. These were the leaders of party cells at the regional level. In 1925 Streicher became Gauleiter of Nuremberg and in 1929 Gauleiter of Franconia. He also became one of the top leaders of the assault squads.
As a Gauleiter, Streicher became famous for his brutal treatment of prisonersand representatives of national minorities. All this was already happening at a time when the Nazi Party was the only party in the country. Due to his intolerable character, Streicher clashed a lot with other top functionaries of the NSDAP.
The longest was his quarrel with Goering. Streicher publicly ridiculed his opponent on the pages of Sturmovik. For a while, he got away with it. At the same time, other Nazi leaders also disliked the paper's editor because of his greed and corruption. In 1940, a financial audit of all Streicher's journalistic activities was carried out. Numerous violations were found. At the same time, he was dismissed from all party posts, because the NSDAP believed that his behavior was causing great harm to the reputation of the party.
Streicher's anti-Semitism
Nevertheless, Streicher's incident is also his trusting relationship with Hitler. Perhaps it was thanks to the old friendship with the Fuhrer that the editor-in-chief of Sturmovik was not subjected to any repression. During the war years, he focused on working on the newspaper. During this time, he had a lot of material to publish. The Holocaust was in full swing in Germany. Jews were sent to concentration camps under false pretenses, where they were used as free labor. When the allies were on the border of the Reich, they began to get rid of the Jews en masse, using gas chambers, executions and other methods of execution.
The atrocities that took place in Germany against Jews and other objectionables were the result oftotal propaganda, part of which was the Streicher incident. What is it and how strong was its influence on the minds of contemporaries, historians continue to study.
In Nuremberg
Streicher continued to live in Bavaria. In May 1945, he was arrested by the Americans, when all of Germany was already captured by the Allies. The propagandist was waiting for the Nuremberg Tribunal, where the main Nazi criminals were tried. Many of them committed suicide, realizing that the war was lost. Some cut their wrists or hung themselves behind bars during the investigation.
Streicher didn't do it. He was accused of inciting the killing of the Jewish population. It was a crime against humanity. Among those who were sentenced to death was Julius Streicher. Nuremberg was the capital of Franconia, where he was once Gauleiter.
The death row was executed by hanging. Julius Streicher was no exception. The last words of the criminal were "Heil Hitler!". This was testified by the executioner, who carried out the sentence.
