“Defilement of the Aryan Race”: Anti-Semitic Caricatures in the Magazine Der Stürmer

Silvia Stojčić
University of Belgrade
Faculty of Philosophy
silvia.stojcic@gmail.com
Original research paper
DOI: 10.5281/zenodo.10899412

FULL TEXT IN PDF

received: 25. 11. 2023.
accepted: 18. 3. 2024.

Abstract: Antisemitism and antisemitic caricatures did not originate with Nazism but became instrumental propaganda tools employed by the Nazis, particularly following the establishment of their regime in 1933. The primary objective was to condition the public for the eventual elimination of the perceived Jewish threat. The Stormtrooper (Der Stürmer), a publication active from 1923 to 1945, featured caricatures portraying the Jewish enemy with stereotypical traits indicative of malevolence and intentions to destroy the “superior Aryan” German race. Simultaneously, “Aryan” women were predominantly depicted as victims. The implicit message conveyed was unmistakable: the Jewish enemy would persist until “Aryan” women and children, the vulnerable yet crucial segments of the German nation, essential for its continuity, were annihilated. Consequently, these caricatures advocated for racial laws as measures to combat the perceived threat. While caricatures may not physically harm individuals, they significantly contributed to ingraining a hostile image of the enemy, constituting a form of hate speech in the minds of those exposed to them.

Key words: Antisemitism, Nazism, race, caricature, The Stormtrooper

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