Schlesische Arbeiter-Zeitung ('Silesian Workers Newspaper') was a left-wing German language newspaper published from Breslau, Province of Lower Silesia, Weimar Germany (present-day Wrocław in Poland) between 1919 and 1933.[1][2]
The publication was founded by Bernhard Schottländer.[3][4] The first issue was published on 1 April 1919.[5]
Schlesische Arbeiter-Zeitung was an organ of the Independent Social Democratic Party of Germany (USPD).[6] It had limited circulation.[5] The newspaper had a supplement, Die Räte-Republik ('The Soviet Republic').[3]
In January 1920 Schlesische Arbeiter-Zeitung began a series of attacks on Otto Hörsing, the SPD leader and State Commissar (who now wielded military force against the labour movement).[7] In March 1920, during the Kapp Putsch, the Freikorps and the Navy seized control of Breslau. During this period Schottländer, the young editor of Schlesische Arbeiter-Zeitung, was brutally murdered.[6][8][9]
The newspaper became the regional organ of the Communist Party of Germany in Silesia.[2] In March 1921 Erich Gentsch became editor of Schlesische Arbeiter-Zeitung.[10]
In 1926 the name of the newspaper was changed to Arbeiter-Zeitung für Schlesien und Oberschlesien ('Workers Newspaper for Silesia and Upper Silesia').[11][12][13] During the latter period of the newspaper, the newspaper functioned as a local edition for the Berlin-based Die Rote Fahne.[14] Around this period, it had a circulation of around 42,000.[15] Stefan Heymann (formerly an editor of Die Rote Fahne) was appointed editor-in-chief of Arbeiter-Zeitung.[16]