The Fatherland

The Fatherland was a World War I era weekly periodical published by poet, writer, and noted propagandist George Sylvester Viereck (1884-1962). Having been born in Munich, Germany, and moved to New York City in 1896, Viereck graduated from the College of the City of New York and directly entered the world of publishing.

Viereck outspokenly supported the German cause at the outset of World War I, and his poetry reflected his pro-German zeal. Drawing on experience gained while working on his father's German-language monthly, "Der deutsche Vorkämpfer" (The German Pioneer), later called "Rundschau Zweier Welten" (Review of Two Worlds), the younger Viereck now channeled his German sympathies into his own publication. He founded "The Fatherland" in August 1914, a weekly publication in English that reached a circulation of 75,000, by some estimates, [Doenecke, Justus D. "Viereck, George Sylvester." American National Biography Online Feb. 2000. http://www.anb.org/articles/06/06-00673.html ] and 100,000 by others, [Keller, Phyllis. “George Sylvester Viereck: The Psychology of a German-American Militant.” Journal of Interdisciplinary History 2:1 (Summer 1971). 59-108. JSTOR http://links.jstor.org/sici?sici=0022-1953%28197122%292%3A1%3C59%3AGSVTPO%3E2.0.CO%3B2-0 ] to promote American neutrality in the war and give voice to German support. [Johnson, Niel M. “George Sylvester Viereck: Poet and Propagandist.” Books at Iowa 9 (November 1968). University of Iowa Library Online. http://www.lib.uiowa.edu/spec-coll/Bai/johnson2.htm ] "The Fatherland " was advertised on the cover of its first issues as a magazine devoted to “Fair Play for Germany and Austria-Hungary.” [Viereck, George Sylvester, ed. The Fatherland 1:1. August 10, 1914. Villanova University Digital Library. Joseph McGarrity Collection. http://digital.library.villanova.edu/Joseph%20McGarrity%20Collection/Joseph%20McGarrity%20Newspapers/The%20Fatherland/?page=1 ]

Three German-American banker friends helped Viereck with the fifty dollars needed to start up "The Fatherland". The first edition of ten thousand copies sold out quickly in New York. The publication grew to thirty employees almost immediately and “took upon itself the task of exposing the malfeasance of the Allied countries, of revealing the prejudices and distortions of the American press, and of rallying German-Americans in their own defense.” The weekly received part of its funding from a German propaganda cabinet set up in New York Society, with which Viereck worked closely. [Keller, Phyllis. “George Sylvester Viereck: The Psychology of a German-American Militant.”Journal of Interdisciplinary History 2:1 (Summer 1971). 59-108. JSTOR http://links.jstor.org/sici?sici=0022-1953%28197122%292%3A1%3C59%3AGSVTPO%3E2.0.CO%3B2-0 ]

One of the contributors to "The Fatherland" was Aleister Crowley. [ [http://digital.library.villanova.edu/files/JosephMcGarrityCollection/JosephMcGarrityNewspapers/TheFatherland/00024/medium/00010.jpg] ] [ [http://digital.library.villanova.edu/files/JosephMcGarrityCollection/JosephMcGarrityNewspapers/TheFatherland/00025/medium/00004.jpg] ] Viereck was accused by the "New York World" of receiving German subsidies for propaganda purposes, but the Department of Justice was unable to prosecute. Still, Viereck faced social censure, being driven from his house by a lynch mob and expelled from the Authors League as well as the Poetry Society of America. [Doenecke, Justus D. "Viereck, George Sylvester." American National Biography Online Feb. 2000. http://www.anb.org/articles/06/06-00673.html]

Surely, Viereck’s personal circumstances affected the publication life and reception of "The Fatherland". He continued the publication’s German bias until 1927. However, after America entered the war, he subdued the publication’s tone of German sympathy and changed its title. [Johnson, Niel M. “George Sylvester Viereck: Poet and Propagandist.” "Books at Iowa" 9 (November 1968). University of Iowa Library Online. http://www.lib.uiowa.edu/spec-coll/Bai/johnson2.htm ] It was "New World" and "" in February 1917, "Viereck’s American Monthly" in August 1918, and "American Monthly" in October 1920. [Doenecke, Justus D. "Viereck, George Sylvester." American National Biography Online Feb. 2000. http://www.anb.org/articles/06/06-00673.html ]

The Joseph McGarrity Collection of Villanova University’s Special Collections and Digital Library contains issues of "The Fatherland" from volume 1:1 (August 1914) to 6:2 (February 1917).

References

External links

* [http://digital.library.villanova.edu/Joseph%20McGarrity%20Collection/Joseph%20McGarrity%20Newspapers/The%20Fatherland/ The complete run of "The Fatherland" in the Joseph McGarrity Collection at Villanova University]