NAROD I RAD: PRILOG PROUČAVANjU NACIFIKACIJE NEMACA U MEĐURATNOJ JUGOSLAVIJI

Abstract

In mid-1930’s, previously united leadership of the German minority in Kingdom of Yugoslavia became torn apart by the fallout between two mutually opposed and irreconcilable fractions. Group of older and conservative but democratic politicians, with political experience gained already in pre-1918 Austria-Hungary was still in charge of affairs, holding key positions within Schwäbisch-deutsche Kulturbund, the umbrella Volksdeutsche organization in Yugoslavia; however, they were challenged by the so-called Renewalists – younger, energetic politicians who were educated in Germany where they embraced national-socialism and brought it home with them afterwards. Second half of 1930’s oversaw bitter and merciless struggle for power between these two parties that was eventually resolved in mid-1939 by complete victory for Nazis. This paper provides the analysis of the annual publication titled Volk und Arbeit (engl. People and Work), edited by leading Renewalists such as Jakob Awender, Sepp Janko, Gustav Halwax, Fritz Metzger, Heinrich Reister etc. In total of 3 issues available today, stemming from 1937 to 1939, this magazine (”calendar”) published cca. 60 various texts on subject of history, literature, physical education, racial hygiene (eugenics), music, political situation in regard of German minorities in Southeast-European countries etc. Accompanied with powerful and suggestive imagery, these written contributions openly disseminated Nazi ”blood and soil” propaganda among Yugoslav Volksdeutsche readership. However, the impact of Volk und Arbeit remains unclear, as there are no data regarding this matter – no surveys or statistic were made whatsoever. Nevertheless, views and ideas promoted through this magazine clearly indicate which way to look in order to find culprits for tragic events that occured not only during the war, but also in its close and immediate aftermath.