The Collector’s Encyclopaedia · Documents · Propaganda

Völkischer Beobachter and Period Newspapers: History, Contents and Collector’s Guide

Völkischer Beobachter Party paper of the NSDAP from December 1920; daily from 8 February 1923
Circulation (DHM) About 8,000 (1921); 120,000 (1931); 336,500 (1934); 1.7 million (1944)
Last issue Late April 1945
Collecting interest Front pages reporting key events; regional editions
In the collection See current pieces in the collection

Period newspapers record how events were presented to the public on the day. The Völkischer Beobachter, the Nazi Party’s own paper, is the most collected German title of the period, and its front pages are primary sources for the history of propaganda.

What Was the Völkischer Beobachter?

According to the Deutsches Historisches Museum, the party paper grew out of the Munich Münchener Beobachter, which passed to the Thule Society in 1918. On Dietrich Eckart’s urging the NSDAP acquired it, and from December 1920 it was the party’s weekly. It became a daily on 8 February 1923; Eckart and later Alfred Rosenberg were its chief editors. Banned after the Hitler putsch, it reappeared when the party was refounded in 1925, gained a national edition in 1927 and reached about 1.7 million copies in 1944. It ceased publication in late April 1945.

Who Issued It, and Who Signed It?

Newspapers were not signed documents. Their value lies in date, edition, headline and condition. See Alfred Rosenberg and Joseph Goebbels.

What Should Collectors Watch For?

  • Reprints of famous front pages exist, some made for commemorative or educational use.
  • Paper: wartime newsprint yellows and becomes brittle; describe condition honestly.
  • Display of front pages with Nazi symbols is legally restricted in some countries.

Collector’s Note

A front page is propaganda as it reached people’s breakfast tables. I describe it as a source, never as a souvenir.

Related Entries and Pieces

Pieces in the Collection

Browse current pieces related to Völkischer Beobachter and Period Newspapers in the Autographs & Militaria collection.

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Frequently Asked Questions

When did the Völkischer Beobachter become a daily?

On 8 February 1923.

What was its circulation in 1944?

About 1.7 million, according to the Deutsches Historisches Museum.

Are Völkischer Beobachter issues reprinted?

Yes; reprints of famous front pages exist and must be distinguished from originals.

Historical Responsibility Notice: this entry documents historical figures and artefacts of the National Socialist period for collecting, preservation, education and research. It does not endorse or glorify any ideology, and it is written in memory of the victims of the regime.

References & Further Reading