The Great War and Military Occupation: Rumänien im Wort und Bild—A German soldiers’ propaganda magazine (1917)

Abstract

The German press in Romania during the Occupation, only occasionally found its way into historical research. About Rumänien in Wort und Bild, very little has been written. What is known is that, shortly after Bucharest was occupied, the German Headquarters worked to reorganise its propaganda. One of the military occupation newspapers was Rumänien im Wort und Bild, a weekly magazine used intensively as an information instrument. The first issue of the magazine (12 May 1917) stated that the publication aimed to serve the German officers and the soldiers of the allied armies as a would‑be guide to the conquered territory. Meanwhile, it targeted the local German inhabitants and the subjects of the allied powers, who were offered the opportunity to recount to the “German fatherland” their experiences in a country that the “victorious campaign” hoped to make rich and fertile again. To the Romanians, the magazine would show how compassionate the Germans, the exponents of a foreign culture, had been in their dealings with the locals. This study analyses the main topics of the publication, attempting to place it in the Romanian context of the occupation press and of the frontline newspapers.

Keywords

• First World War
• Occupation press
• propaganda
• Roumania
• Rumänien im Wort und Bild