Nazi activist Streicher Julius became one of the accused 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 teacher at the Catholic school, 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 youth. His life, as well as the life of all his peers, was greatly influenced by the First World War. The young teacher volunteered to join the army, where he received several awards for his courage.
The defeat of Germany in the war against the Entente dealt 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, the rise of extreme right-wing political forces took place. The former teacher left his teaching career and began to participate in public life.
Joining the Nazis
In 1919, the Socialist Party of Germany was created, the founder of which was Streicher Julius. He was a skilled organizer, able to unite like-minded people. His party was distinguished by extreme right and anti-Semitic views. In this sense, Streicher’s organization was like a group of activists who united around the young Adolf Hitler. His National Socialist German Labor Party also began in Bavaria.
In 1921, Hitler nearly 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 cross over 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 approximate
Despite the massive demarche in the party, the future Fuhrer was able to restore his position thanks to oratorical talent. It was then that he began to work closely with Streicher. There was much in common between the two far-right politicians. In the end, the Socialist Party of Germany joined the NSDAP, which was primarily promoted by Streicher.
He became one of Hitler's close associates after the Beer putsch. It was an unsuccessful attempt by the Nazis to come to power in Germany in 1923. When a convoy of Hitler supporters walked along the streets of Munich, Streicher was in the forefront. Already in the years of the Third Reich, the Führer flatteringly spoke about the devotion of his partner, manifested at the most difficult moment.
"Attack aircraft"
In April 1923, Streicher began publishing his own newspaper. She received the name "Stormtrooper." The Streicher case is associated with it. The most radical materials in the country appeared in the print media accusing the Jews of many crimes against Germany. For example, in some articles it was said that Jews practice ritual murders of German children. Accusations of Jews in various disasters (the destruction of the Hindenburg airship, terrorist attacks, etc.) also became popular.
The anti-Semitic moods that swelled in Sturmovik resonated with the ordinary 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 appearances in front of students. Streicher syndrome consists in the fact that this propagandist made others believe that Jews and other enemies of the people were to blame for all troubles. His activity was one of the causes of the Holocaust, which unfolded in the Third Reich.
Gauleiter
Before the Nazi party came to power, it organized its structure, which lasted until the end of the war. Gauleiter posts 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 due to his atrocious attitude towards prisoners and members of national minorities. All this happened already at a time when the Nazi party was the only party in the country. Due to its unbearable nature, Streicher clashed a lot with other high-ranking NSDAP functionaries.
The most prolonged was his quarrel with Goering. Streicher publicly ridiculed his opponent on the pages of Sturmovik. For some time this got away with him. At the same time, other Nazi leaders also did not like the editor of the newspaper because of his selfishness and corruption. In 1940, a financial audit of all of Streicher's journalistic activities was carried out. Numerous violations have been discovered. Then he was dismissed from all party posts, because the NSDAP believed that his behavior would greatly damage the party’s reputation.
Streicher anti-Semitism
Nevertheless, Streicher's case is also his trusting relationship with Hitler. Perhaps, thanks to the old friendship with the Fuhrer, the editor-in-chief of Sturmovik was not subjected to any repression. During the war years, he focused on working on a newspaper. At this time, he had a lot of materials for publication. The Holocaust was in full swing in Germany. Jews, under far-fetched pretexts, were sent to concentration camps, where they were used as free labor. When the allies were on the border of the Reich, the Jews began to massively get rid of them, using gas chambers, executions, and other methods of execution.
Those atrocities that occurred in Germany in relation to Jews and other objectionable, were the result of total propaganda, part of which was the case of Streicher. What is it and how much 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 Nuremberg Tribunal was waiting for the propagandist, where the main Nazi criminals were tried. Many of them committed suicide, realizing that the war was lost. Some cut their veins or hung themselves behind bars during the investigation.
Streicher did not. He was charged with incitement to kill the Jewish population. It was a crime against humanity. Among those sentenced to death was Julius Streicher. Nuremberg was the capital of Franconia, where he was once a Gauleiter.
The suicide bombers were executed by hanging. Julius Streicher was no exception. The criminal’s last words were “Heil Hitler!” This was testified by the executioner, who carried out the sentence.