| Type | Weeklynewspaper |
|---|---|
| Format | Broadsheet |
| Owner(s) | DSZ Verlag |
| Editor | Gerhard Frey |
| Founded | 1951 |
| Political alignment | Far right |
| Ceased publication | December 2019 |
| Headquarters | Munich,Germany |
TheNational-Zeitung (NZ,National Newspaper) was a weekly,far-right[1][2][3] newspaper, published byGerhard Frey, who also founded the far-rightDeutsche Volksunion (German People's Union) as an association in 1971, turning it into a political party in 1987. The party was merged with theNational Democratic Party of Germany (NPD). NZ was last published in December 2019.
The newspaper was first published in 1951 as theDeutsche Soldaten-Zeitung, came under Frey's control in 1959, was renamedDeutsche National-Zeitung und Soldaten-Zeitung in 1960–61 andDeutsche National-Zeitung in 1963. In 1999 the newspaper was merged with another of Frey's publications, theDeutsche Wochen-Zeitung – Deutscher Anzeiger, and became theNational-Zeitung. It lasted under this name for 20 years until December 2019 when it stopped publishing.[4]
TheBavarian Office for the Protection of the Constitution classified theNational-Zeitung as propagating a xenophobic, nationalist and revisionist world view.
According to theBavarian Office for the Protection of the Constitution, theDSZ-Verlag [de] (Druckschriften- und Zeitungs-Verlag), publisher of theNational-Zeitung, was, for a long time, the most important publisher of far right propaganda in Germany. The Bavarian Office for the Protection of the Constitution classifies theNational Zeitung as propagating a xenophobic, nationalist and revisionist world view.[5]
The newspaper was critical of the scale of immigration to Germany, was critical of German rapprochement with Poland and of Israel, accusing the German government of subservience to the latter. It frequently used inflammatory language and tried to deflect from the German crimes during World War II by instead reporting on real or alleged German victims of the war.[6]
Despite the stereotypical far-right content, the newspaper frequently reiterated its commitment to theGerman constitution.[6] The newspaper also contained a large amount of advertising for Frey's former businesses, likeDeutsche Reisen, a travel service, and theDeutsche Buchdienst, which sold books, medals and flags.[7]
An earlier, unrelated,National Zeitung had existed in Germany from 1848 onward, as a liberal newspaper, published inBerlin.[8] ADeutsche National-Zeitung was also published in German language in the United States from 1838 to 1840, inPhiladelphia.[9]
TheNational-Zeitung was first published as theDeutsche Soldaten-Zeitung (English: German Soldiers Newspaper) in 1951. The idea for a newspaper as an advocate for the rights of German soldiers originated in aprisoner of war camp inGarmisch-Partenkirchen and came from NaziKreisleiterHelmut Damerau and theWehrmacht ColonelHeinrich Detloff von Kalben. It was supported byWaffen-SS GeneralFelix Steiner and financed byLeo Giess, a carpenter, as well asGerman Americans.[8][10]
TheDeutsche Soldaten-Zeitung was an advocate ofGerman rearmament but found itself in financial trouble by 1953, when financial support from the US dried up. Damerau approached the West German government for financial support and the newspaper received a monthly subsidy of DM 11,000 from 1953 onward.[8] This however was not received well by the paper's readership, and the circulation of theDeutsche Soldaten-Zeitung dropped from 30,000 to 12,000. In 1954 the German government pushed for the sale of the paper, which Damerau refused and, consequently, the government dropped its financial support. The paper was subsequently only published fortnightly and, for a time in 1955, only monthly and shifted further to the right of the political spectrum.[8]
The fifth anniversary of the first publication of the paper saw it print well-wishes from a number of high ranking former Wehrmacht Generals, among them the formerGeneralfeldmarschallsErich von Manstein,Wilhelm List,Albert Kesselring andSS-Oberst-GruppenführerPaul Hausser of the Waffen-SS.[8]
It called for and organised protests, like when Germanhandball clubTHW Kiel hosted a team fromWrocław, Poland, because, in the paper's opinion Wrocław should be referred to by its former German name, Breslau. It protested against any form of recognition of the post-war Polish-German border, theOder–Neisse line and attacked prominent German scientists likeCarl Friedrich von Weizsäcker for publishing theMemorandum of Tübingen (German:Tübinger Memorandum) in support of the border. The newspaper also supported thewife ofRudolf Hess in her attempts to free her husband.[8]
The newspaper advocated a return to German military traditions after the formation of theBundeswehr and attempted to influence officers who had previously served in the Wehrmacht. It was critical ofWolf Graf von Baudissin's concept of citizens in uniform, and the West German government became, in turn, critical of the newspaper.German defence ministerFranz-Josef Strauss made unsuccessful attempts to purchase the newspaper, offering Damerau DM 150,000 for the financially troubled paper. Damerau instead asked right-wing journalistGerhard Frey for a loan and the latter, independently wealthy, gradually gained a controlling interest in theDeutsche Soldaten-Zeitung.[8]
The newspaper continued to publish content with ahistorical revisionist view, attempting to deflect Germany's responsibility forWorld War II and attacking members of theGerman resistance as traitors to the Fatherland.[8]
Since 1959 under Frey's control, theDeutsche Soldaten-Zeitung was renamedDeutsche National-Zeitung und Soldaten-Zeitung in 1960–61. It raised its circulation from 27,500 in 1958 to 70,000 by 1963[8] and 131,000 by 1967.[10] Frey, while notoutrightly denying theHolocaust,illegal in Germany, stated that he considered the number of victims as exaggerated, and argued in the 1960s that Germany should pay lesscompensation because of this.[10] Frey and his newspaper frequently publishedanti-Israel and pro-Arab content.[10][11]
In 1963, the newspaper was renamedDeutsche National-Zeitung. In 1987, Gerhard Frey founded the German far right partyDeutsche Volksunion.[12]
Frey's aim had been to make theNational-Zeitung the central national organ of all far right parties in Germany.[13]
In 1971 Frey published a second paper, theDeutscher Anzeiger. In 1986, he purchased the revisionistDeutsche Wochen-Zeitung, which had originally been published by members of the far-rightNational Democratic Party of Germany. In 1991, Frey merged the two newspapers into one, becoming theDeutsche Wochen-Zeitung – Deutscher Anzeiger. Content of this paper was almost identical to theDeutsche National-Zeitung and, in 1999, the two were merged into one, becoming theNational-Zeitung.[14][15]
Despite all this and the fact that Germany grew in size and population after theGerman reunion, the circulation of the newspaper had dropped to 38,000 by 2007.[6]
The paper was shut down in December 2019.[4]
The newspaper was featured in the West German movieRoses for the Prosecutor, in which one of the main characters, the state prosecutor Dr. Wilhelm Schramm, a man with a secret Nazi past, purchases theDeutsche Soldaten-Zeitung. The newspaper subsequently used this exposure for advertisement.[8]