45 Facts About Julius Streicher

Julius Streicher was a member of the Nazi Party, the Gauleiter of Franconia and a member of the Reichstag, the national legislature.

Julius Streicher was the founder and publisher of the virulently antisemitic newspaper Der Sturmer, which became a central element of the Nazi propaganda machine.

Julius Streicher was the first member of the Nazi regime held accountable for inciting genocide by the Nuremberg Tribunal.

Julius Streicher was born in Fleinhausen, in the Kingdom of Bavaria, one of nine children of the teacher Friedrich Julius Streicher and his wife Anna.

Julius Streicher worked as an elementary school teacher, as his father had.

In 1913, Julius Streicher married Kunigunde Roth, a baker's daughter, in Nuremberg.

Julius Streicher was heavily influenced by the endemic antisemitism found in pre-war Germany, especially that of Theodor Fritsch.

In February 1919, Julius Streicher became active in the antisemitic Deutschvolkischer Schutz- und Trutzbund, one of the various radical-nationalist organizations that sprang up in the wake of the failed German Communist revolution of 1918.

In 1920 Julius Streicher turned to the Deutschsozialistische Partei, a group whose platform was close to that of the Nazi Party, or Nation zialistische Deutsche Arbeiter Partei.

Julius Streicher founded his local branch in 1919 in Nuremberg.

In 1921, Julius Streicher left the German Socialist Party and joined the Nazi Party, bringing with him enough members of the DSP to almost double the size of the Nazi Party overnight.

Julius Streicher visited Munich in order to hear Adolf Hitler speak, an experience that he later said left him transformed.

In May 1923 Julius Streicher founded the sensationalist newspaper Der Sturmer.

In November 1923, Julius Streicher participated in Hitler's first effort to seize power, the failed Beer Hall Putsch in Munich.

Julius Streicher challenged Rosenberg's weak leadership and on 9 July 1924 was elected as Chairman of the GVG in his place.

When Hitler was released from his prison sentence at Landsberg am Lech on 20 December 1924 for his role in the Putsch, Julius Streicher was one of the few remaining followers waiting for him at his Munich apartment.

Julius Streicher was present and pledged his loyalty; the GVG was formally disbanded.

Julius Streicher established his capital in his home town of Nuremberg.

Gauleiters such as Julius Streicher wielded immense power and authority under the Nazi state.

Der Sturmer accused Fleischmann of stealing socks from his quartermaster during combat in World War I Fleischmann sued Streicher and disproved the allegations in court, where Streicher was fined 900 marks.

Julius Streicher argued that his accusations were based on race, not religion, and that his communications were political speech, and therefore protected by the German constitution.

Julius Streicher orchestrated his early campaigns against Jews to make the most extreme possible claims, short of violating a law that might get the paper shut down.

Julius Streicher insisted in the pages of his newspaper that the Jews had caused the worldwide Depression, and were responsible for the crippling unemployment and inflation which afflicted Germany during the 1920s.

Julius Streicher claimed that Jews were white-slavers responsible for Germany's prostitution rings.

One of the possible solutions to the Nazi's perceived problem Julius Streicher mentioned in the pages of Der Sturmer was transporting Jews to Madagascar.

Julius Streicher's publishing firm released three antisemitic books for children, including the 1938 Der Giftpilz, one of the most widespread pieces of propaganda, which warned about the supposed dangers Jews posed by using the metaphor of an attractive yet deadly mushroom.

Late in 1936 Julius Streicher issued Trust No Fox on his Green Heath and No Jew on his Oath, an infamously anti-Semitic children's picture book by 18 year old Elvira Bauer.

In July 1932, Julius Streicher was elected as a deputy of the Reichstag from electoral constituency 26, Franconia, a seat that he would hold throughout the Nazi regime.

Julius Streicher became a member of the SA on 27 January 1934 with the rank of SA-Gruppenfuhrer and was promoted to SA-Obergruppenfuhrer on 9 November 1937.

Julius Streicher later claimed that he was only "indirectly responsible" for passage of the anti-Jewish Nuremberg Laws of 1935, and that he felt slighted because he was not directly consulted.

Julius Streicher was ordered to take part in the establishment of the Institute for the Study and Elimination of Jewish Influence on German Church Life, that was to be organized together with the German Christians, the Ministry of Public Enlightenment and Propaganda, the Reich Ministry of Education and the Reich Ministry of the Churches.

Julius Streicher's behaviour was viewed as so irresponsible that he was embarrassing the party leadership; chief among his enemies in Hitler's hierarchy was Reichsmarschall Hermann Goring, who loathed him and later claimed that he forbade his own staff to read Der Sturmer.

When Germany surrendered to the Allied armies in May 1945, Julius Streicher said later, he decided not to commit suicide.

Days later, on 23 May 1945, Julius Streicher was captured in the town of Waidring, Austria, by a group of American officers led by Major Henry Plitt of the 101st Airborne Division.

Julius Streicher was not a member of the military and did not take part in planning the Holocaust, or the invasion of other nations.

Julius Streicher complained throughout the process that all his judges were Jews.

In essence, prosecutors contended that Julius Streicher's articles and speeches were so incendiary that he was an accessory to murder, and therefore as culpable as those who actually ordered the mass extermination of Jews.

Julius Streicher was acquitted of crimes against peace, but found guilty of crimes against humanity, and sentenced to death on 1 October 1946.

Julius Streicher answered questions from his own defence attorney with diatribes against Jews, the Allies, and the court itself, and was frequently silenced by the court officers.

Julius Streicher was largely shunned by all of the other Nuremberg defendants.

Julius Streicher peppered his testimony with references to passages of Jewish texts he had so often carefully selected and inserted into the pages of Der Sturmer.

Julius Streicher was hanged at Nuremberg Prison in the early hours of 16 October 1946, along with the nine other condemned defendants from the first Nuremberg trial.

Julius Streicher's was the most melodramatic of the hangings carried out that night.

The consensus among eyewitnesses was that Julius Streicher's hanging did not proceed as planned, and that he did not receive the quick death from spinal severing that was typical of the other executions at Nuremberg.

Julius Streicher is portrayed in detail, as a criminal psychopath in Philip Kerr's detective novel The Pale Criminal.