Sources
Engelman, Ralph Max: Dietrich Eckart and the genesis of Nazism, St. Louis 1971.
Plewnia, Margarete: Auf dem Weg zu Hitler. Der „völkische“ Publizist Dietrich Eckart, Bremen 1970.
<i>Auf gut deutsch</i> (magazine, 1918-1921)
National anti-semitic magazine published in the early phase of the Weimar Republic
Antisemitische Karikaturen der ‚Novemberverbrecher‘ in der Wochenzeitschrift ‚Auf gut deutsch‘, 1920 | Bibliothek der Monacensia
Having previously tried his hand as a playwright with varying degrees of success, Dietrich Eckart decided to enter politics in the wake of the Bavarian revolution of 1918/19. After unsuccessful efforts to gain funding from the Thule Society to produce a magazine, he then received money from Hans Buchner, publishing director of the Munich-based newspaper Münchener Zeitung. Its main aim was to disseminate anti-semitic propaganda.
Planned as a weekly, the first issue of his magazine Auf gut deutsch was published on December 7, 1918 by Hoheneichen Verlag, a publishing company founded by Eckart himself. Regular publication soon failed due to a lack of money and Eckart’s inability to work in a regular, disciplined manner.
For a while he was able to gain the services of Count Karl Bothmer, who was against socialism and in favor of a Central Europe dominated by Germany. A rift arose when Bothmer approached Georg Heim, who was suspected of separatism. Gottfried Feder wrote articles in two issues on his theory of exploitative financial capital and productive industrial capital. The only permanent author was Alfred Rosenberg, who consistently railed against the Jews and Freemasons.
Eckart believed firmly in the existence of a Jewish world conspiracy behind Allied policy, reflected in the Treaty of Versailles. He also claimed that Jews had masterminded the revolution in Russia , and he eagerly propagated the ‘stab-in-the-back’ legend. In addition, he was fundamentally opposed to parliamentarianism. Unusually for a Bavarian, he had a positive attitude towards Prussia. Nevertheless, he welcomed the founding of the Bavarian People’s Party (BVP), though he criticized its Catholic orientation and lack of an uncompromising anti-semitic stance. The magazine also contained anti-semitic drawings, particularly by Otto von Kursell. Eckart praised Hitler and the Nazi Party for the first time in 1921.
The last of a total of 556 issues was published on May 17, 1921. Lacking the energy and means to continue his magazine, Eckart intended to take up employment with the Völkischer Beobachter.