Freies Deutschland (1941-1946) and its reporting on World War II
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.34096/hyg.n9.17279Keywords:
German exile, Freies Deutschland, Antifascism, World War IIAbstract
With the rise of National Socialism, numerous writers and intellectuals were forced to leave Europe. A significant portion of the German exiles who arrived in the Americas settled in the United States; however, those affiliated with the KPD (Communist Party of Germany) faced restrictions that prevented them from remaining in that country. Due to geographic proximity and the asylum policies promoted by the governments of Lázaro Cárdenas and Manuel Ávila Camacho, Mexico became one of the most viable options for their exile.
In Mexico, the Bewegung Freies Deutschland (Free Germany Movement) and the Heinrich Heine Club brought together prominent German-speaking exiles known for their prolific output. Among their members were key contributors to the magazine Freies Deutschland (1941-1946), published in German and marked by a strong political and literary character. The communist affiliation of most of its contributors decisively shaped their interpretation of the war and reinforced their emphasis on antifascist unity among exiles. The texts published in Freies Deutschland covered a broad thematic spectrum, with contributions from German-speaking exiles residing not only in Mexico but also in countries such as the United States and what is now Russia. In addition, the magazine included input from Spanish exiles and prominent Mexican cultural and political figures.
This study focuses on the articles that addressed aspects of the Second World War, in order to analyze how the conflict was interpreted from the perspective of German-speaking exile. The selected texts include political analyses, diary excerpts, reviews of works published by the El Libro Libre press, and poetry, thus reflecting a wide range of literary and political expression.
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References
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