Max Amann

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
For the German water polo player, see Max Amann (water polo).
Max Amann
Bundesarchiv Bild 119-2186, Max Amann.jpg
Amann as an SS-Gruppenführer
Reich Press Chamber President
In office
15 November 1933 – 8 May 1945
Reichsleiter für die Presse
In office
2 June 1933 – 8 May 1945
Personal details
Born(1891-11-24)24 November 1891
Munich, Kingdom of Bavaria, German Empire
Died30 March 1957(1957-03-30) (aged 65)
Munich, Bavaria, West Germany
NationalityGerman
Political partyNazi Party (NSDAP)
OccupationBusiness manager
Publisher
Military service
Allegiance German Empire
Branch/service Imperial German Army
RankFeldwebel
UnitRoyal Bavarian 16th Infantry Regiment
Battles/warsWorld War I
AwardsIron Cross 2nd Class

Max Amann (24 November 1891 – 30 March 1957) was a German politician, businessman and a high-ranking member of the Nazi Party. He was the first business manager of the Nazi Party and later became the head of Eher Verlag (Eher Publishing), the official Nazi Party publishing house. After the war ended, Amann was arrested by Allied troops. Amann was deemed a Hauptschuldiger (Prominent Guilty Party) and sentenced to ten years in a labour camp. He was released in 1953. Amann died in poverty in Munich.

Biography[]

Amann was born in Munich on 24 November 1891. During the First World War he obtained the rank of Feldwebel (equivalent to the US Army staff sergeant) in the Royal Bavarian 16th Infantry Regiment. Amann was Adolf Hitler's company sergeant, and was thus an early acquaintance of Hitler long before his rise to prominence in German politics. He was awarded the Iron Cross second class during the war.[1]

Ernst Schmidt, Max Amann, and Adolf Hitler (all wearing Iron Cross 2nd Class medal ribbons) with Fuchsl.

Amann joined the Nazi Party (NSDAP) in October 1921, as the Party's business manager, and held NSDAP membership number 3.[2] After 1922, he also led the Nazis' publishing house, Eher Verlag.[1] Eher Verlag published, among other imprints, the SS magazine Das Schwarze Korps ("The Black Corps"). In 1924 he was elected as a NSDAP candidate to the Munich city council and in 1933 became a Nazi member of the Reichstag for the electoral district of Upper Bavaria/Swabia. Amann's most notable contribution was persuading Hitler to retitle his first book from Viereinhalb Jahre (des Kampfes) gegen Lüge, Dummheit und Feigheit, ("Four and a Half Years (of Struggle) Against Lies, Stupidity and Cowardice") to Mein Kampf, ("My Struggle") which he also published. The book became a major source of Eher-Verlag's income and Amann oversaw the book through many editions. He helped Hitler become a wealthy man. Amann also enriched himself through many Nazi publications.[1] Amann published the daily Volkischer Beobachter, the weekly Illustrierter Beobachter and the Nationalsozialistische Monatshefte.[1]

On 2 June 1933 Hitler appointed him a Reichsleiter, the second highest political rank in the Nazi Party.[3] On 15 November 1933, Hitler named Amann the president of the Reich Press Chamber (Reichspressekammer) and Reich Press Leader.[1] He pursued a dual-pronged strategy to establish Nazi control over the industry. In his official role as president of the Press Chamber, Amann had the power to seize or close down any newspapers that either ran counter to the Nazis' wishes or did not fully support the Nazi regime. Then, as head of the Eher-Verlag, he bought them at a substantial discount–often at "auctions" at which the Eher-Verlag was the sole bidder.[4] By 1942, Amann controlled 80% of all German newspapers through his publishing empire.[5] Combined with the proceeds from Mein Kampf, this made the Eher-Verlag the largest newspaper and publishing company in Germany, and one of the largest in the world. His income increased from 108,000 RM in 1934 to 3,800,000 RM in 1944.[4]

He rose to the rank of SS-Obergruppenführer in 1936.[6] However, as a party official Amann lacked talent, being a poor speaker and debater. In addition, his handwriting was illegible, thus his Chief of Staff and deputy, Rolf Rienhardt, performed these duties for him. Poor handwriting can be attributed in part to the loss of his left arm in an accident with a firearm while hunting with Franz Ritter von Epp on 4 September 1931.[7]

Arrested by Allied troops after the war ended, Amann was deemed a Hauptschuldiger (Prominent Guilty Party) and sentenced to ten years in a labour camp on 8 September 1948.[6] He was released in 1953, but was stripped of his property, pension rights and practically all of his fortune. Amann died on 30 March 1957, in Munich.[6]

References[]

  1. ^ Jump up to: a b c d e Snyder 1994, p. 6.
  2. ^ Zentner & Bedürftig 1997, p. 21.
  3. ^ Dietrich Orlow: The History of the Nazi Party: 1933-1945 (University of Pittsburgh Press), 1973, Pages 74. ISBN 0-822-93253-9.
  4. ^ Jump up to: a b Shirer, William L. (1960). The Rise And Fall Of The Third Reich: A History Of Nazi Germany. New York: Simon & Schuster. ISBN 978-0-671-62420-0.
  5. ^ Zentner & Bedürftig 1997, pp. 21, 22.
  6. ^ Jump up to: a b c Zentner & Bedürftig 1997, p. 22.
  7. ^ Hale, p. 28

Sources[]

  • Hale, Oron. J, The Captive Press in the Third Reich, Princeton, 1964
  • Snyder, Louis (1994) [1976]. Encyclopedia of the Third Reich. Da Capo Press. ISBN 978-1-56924-917-8.
  • Zentner, Christian; Bedürftig, Friedemann (1997) [1991]. The Encyclopedia of the Third Reich. New York: Da Capo Press. ISBN 978-0-3068079-3-0.

External links[]

Retrieved from ""