Der Stürmer Archives
Project Information
The Der Stürmer Archives (DSA) is a comprehensive database that is intended to provide historians, teachers, scholars, and students with the means to examine, search, and analyze the data longitudinally and thematically. The archives are comprised of the propaganda cartoons that were featured on the front page of the Nazi newspaper Der Stürmer. DSA provides a completely meta-data driven search and interface that allows these documents to be interpreted and analyzed by the user in innovative ways in order to provide fresh insight and understanding. DSA comprises the only complete digitized data set of these images, as well as the only complete translated archive of these images, which enables users to categorize and search the images and/or the translated text in multiple ways. Translated and coded, these images provide a vehicle for further research into not only the Nazi regime and its propaganda efforts, but also into the broader issues of anti-Semitism, bigotry, intolerance, and marginalization.
"...fear claws at his cursed soul. That is why he clenches every time he sees a swastika."
The Der Stürmer Archives contains the cartoons that were featured prominently on the front page of this Nazi newspaper which was in publication from 1923 to 1945 along with translation of the captions. The Der Stürmer Archives is comprised of the front-page cartoons that were a prominent feature of the Nazi newspaper of the same name. Founded in May 1923, the newspaper was in print, with a few interruptions until shortly before the end of the war in 1945. While never the official newspaper of the Nazi party, Der Stürmer had a wide following in Germany. Its appeal was rooted in its controversial, crude, and anti-Semitic nature. It was intended for an unsophisticated readership and its print material relied on a lot of common terms, slang, and populist sentiment. In short, the newspaper targeted the masses and in terms of reaching its intended audience, Der Stürmer succeeded brilliantly. In short, simple sentences, Der Stürmer repeated the same messages over and over, reinforcing and amplifying the prejudices and stereotypes held by many Germans, especially in regard to the Jews.
"It won't be long, then here in Germany we will also only be seen behind bars"
In the twentieth century, racial, ethnic, and religious persecution and violence remain significant obstacles to social stability and peace. Across the globe, intolerance of people’s differences continues to result in the singling out of individuals and groups and their subsequent victimization. Of key importance to this issue has been trying to identify and understand the mechanisms by which intolerance, prejudice, and bigotry are fostered in order to facilitate participation within populations. The evidence is clear that widespread support and acquiescence are necessary for organized persecution to take place. How is that widespread support created and maintained? How do ordinary people come to accept the validity of persecution? Why are people so willing to become bystanders to the harassment of others? In part, this current project is intended to assist in answering these questions through the vehicle of the Der Stürmer Archives.