The National Socialist German Worker’s Party (Nationalsozialistische Deutsche Arbeiterpartei), commonly known as the Nazi Party succeed the German Workers’ Party. The original German Workers’ Party was founded by Anton Drexler (the picture above is him) in 1919. Drexler was encouraged to found the party by his mentor whose wish for the party was both in touch with the masses and nationalist whom he felt was unlike the middle class parties of the time. The initial membership for the DAP (the German abbreviation for the party name, Deutsche Arbeiterpartei) was only about forty people and was mostly composed of Drexler’s colleagues. Later that same year Adolf Hitler at the time a corporal for the German army went to spy on the DAP and while he was there he got into an argument with a guest and following the incident Drexler, impressed with Hitler’s oratory skills, he invited him to join the party. Hitler would go on to accept the party invitation and would quickly rise through the party ranks to become a leading figure for the party. The name would soon be changed to what now known as the Nazi party in 1920. The Nazi party would go on to stress the failure of democracy and capitalism and that Germany needed to be racially pure which did not include the Jewish, Roma, homosexuals, disabled and those who simply did not agree with the Nazi ideology.
Following my research I was surprised by the somewhat humble start of the Nazi party, yet the fact that Drexler would notice Hitler’s oratory skills which would later propel him and his goal of the Final Solution. It will be interesting to see the development of the Nazi party up until the present and I look forward to finding out more information and then sharing it with you.
Sources:
Answers.com @ http://www.answers.com/topic/nazi-party-2, accessed 4-15-09
I did not know that. That is interesting information.
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