Volkswacht (Danzig)

Volkswacht ('People's Guard') was a social democratic newspaper published in Danzig, Germany (present-day Gdańsk, Poland) from 1910 to 1919.[1] Initially Volkswacht was published weekly.[2] As of 1913 it was published twice weekly.[3] In 1914 it was converted into a daily newspaper.[2] The newspaper masthead carried the slogan Organ für die werktätige Bevölkerung in Westpreußen ('Organ of the toiling population in West Prussia').[4] It was issued as a publication of the Free Trade Unions.[5]

Volkswacht
FoundedSeptember 1910
Political alignmentSocial Democratic Party of Germany
LanguageGerman
Ceased publication1919
HeadquartersDanzig
Sister newspapersVorwärts

Volkswacht was founded in September 1910.[2][4] August Bebel wrote an editorial for the inaugural issue of the newspaper.[6]

Due to financial difficulties the Social Democratic Party of Germany (SPD) had lacked an organ of its own in Danzig for a long time.[2] The new publication was maintained by funds from the central party leadership in Berlin.[1] Arthur Crispien worked as editor of Volkswacht 1910-1912.[7][8] Gustav Schröder took over as editor after Crispien.[1]

The newspaper played an important role in spreading social democratic ideas in the region.[2] The readership of Volkswacht was at pair with the bourgeois Danziger Zeitung.[9] On political issues the article material largely consisted of reprints from the SPD central organ Vorwärts. The Volkswacht editors focused more on writing about local matters.[2]

During the First World War, Volkswacht was placed under preventive censorship.[10]

Julius Gehl became editor of Volkwacht in 1917[11] with Walter Reek heading the press commission.[12] The readership of Volkswacht increased after the outbreak of the November Revolution.[9] In 1920 Volkswacht was replaced by Danziger Volksstimme ('People's Voice of Danzig').[1]

References
  1. Marek Andrzejewski (1 January 1999). Prasa gdańska na przestrzeni wieków. Wydawn. "Marpress". pp. 28, 76, 185. ISBN 978-83-87291-56-3.
  2. Marek Andrzejewski (1980). Die socialdemokratische Partei in der freien Stadt Danzig: 1920-1936. GTN. p. 10. ISBN 978-83-04-00706-2.
  3. Fritz Schultz (1913). Die politische Tagespresse Westpreussens. Schultz. p. 29.
  4. Kurt Koszyk (1966). Die Presse der deutschen Sozialdemokratie. sn. p. 92.
  5. Jörg Riecke; Britt-Marie Schuster (2005). Deutschsprachige Zeitungen in Mittel- und Osteuropa: Sprachliche Gestalt, historische Einbettung und kulturelle Traditionen. Weidler Buchverlag. p. 161. ISBN 978-3-89693-419-2.
  6. Bogusław Leśnodorski (1956). Konferencja pomorska, 1954. Państwowe Wydawn. Naukowe. p. 207.
  7. Werner Röder; Herbert A. Strauss (1 January 1980). Politik, Wirtschaft, Öffentliches Leben. Walter de Gruyter. p. 118. ISBN 978-3-11-097028-9.
  8. Hermann Molkenbuhr (2000). Arbeiterführer, Parlamentarier, Parteiveteran: die Tagebücher des Sozialdemokraten Hermann Molkenbuhr 1905 bis 1927. Oldenbourg Verlag. p. 341. ISBN 978-3-486-56424-2.
  9. Södertörns högskola. Centre for Baltic and East European Studies (2006). Borderland identities: territory and belonging in Central, North and East Europe. Förlags ab Gondolin. p. 382. ISBN 978-91-88821-99-7.
  10. Frank H. Lancaster; Ernest F. Birmingham (1917). Fourth Estate: A Weekly Newspaper for Publishers, Advertisers, Advertising Agents and Allied Interests. Fourth Estate Publishing Company. p. 26.
  11. Die deutschsprachige Presse: Ein biographisch-bibliographisches Handbuch. Walter de Gruyter. 1 January 2005. p. 321. ISBN 978-3-11-096157-7.
  12. "Reichstags Abgeordnetendatenbank" (in German).
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