Bavarian Ostwacht
The Bayerische Ostwacht (from October 1934 Bayerische Ostmark ) was a National Socialist newspaper that appeared in the Gau Bayerische Ostmark from 1933 to 1945 .
history
When Hans Schemm became the new Gauleiter of the Bavarian East Markets in January 1933, he was given the task of expanding the Regensburg district, which was very weak for the National Socialists . Since Regensburg was traditionally a stronghold of the civil-denominational BVP , this assignment turned out to be particularly difficult. Schemm's aim was to help the Regensburg NSDAP on its feet , primarily through the press . For this purpose, he established a side edition of the Fränkisches Volk newspaper, which he himself had built up in the Gau : the Bavarian Ostwacht . In the coming months this sheet gained a certain popularity through several so-called "propaganda waves" in the entire Ostmark, which u. a. was due to the distribution of the 90-pfennig subscription, which was very effective in advertising for the time.
Due to the widespread use of the Bavarian Ostwacht , the NSDAP succeeded in gaining 31% of the votes in Regensburg. Although this was still well below the Reich average of 43.9%, Schemm had at least managed to double the vote. For his services he was given the pathetic nickname "Father of the Ostmark". Towards the end of 1934 the newspaper was renamed Bayerische Ostmark .
In the course of bringing the press into line, the Bavarian Ostmark was given the obligation to either take over or shut down the other newspapers in Regensburg. The confessional press was already switched off by the editors' law and several Amann regulations insofar as they were no longer allowed to express themselves on political issues and had to present National Socialism positively. The bourgeois newspapers such as B. the Regensburger Anzeiger , were gradually attached to the subsidiaries of Franz-Eher-Verlag or forced to give up. The National Socialists' procedure ranged from "intimidation and insecurity of publishers and editors to the economic undermining of the newspaper business, all instruments of National Socialist press co-ordination".
From 1936 to 1945, the Bayerische Ostmark and the Regensburger Anzeiger , which was meanwhile also under the direction of the NSDAP, were the last newspapers in Regensburg that were also allowed to express their views on political issues.
Individual evidence
- ^ Andreas Jobst: Press history of Regensburg from the revolution of 1848/49 to the beginnings of the Federal Republic of Germany (Regensburger Studien 5). City archive, Regensburg 2002 (also dissertation, University of Regensburg 2001).