While millions of Germans continue to search through mountains of names about the personal history of their families, a question comes to the minds of those who found the name of their grandfather or grandmother in the records of this party about the reasons for his or her joining a Nazi party. Were people forced at the time, especially young people, to join this party, or was the decision taken out of a premeditated conviction or to meet a personal interest?
University professor specializing in the Nazi movement, Jürgen Walter, answers the question regarding the reasons for joining by saying in an interview with the weekly magazine (Der Spiegel) that he “discovered in this archive an uncle named Willi who joined the Nazi Party on his 18th birthday, that is, just before the high school exam, because he wanted to become a teacher in the high school level – adds Walter – and membership would have helped him to become a government employee. Perhaps he was also under the influence of his classmates or acted out of conviction.”
Read also
list of 2 itemsend of list
But does someone joining a Nazi party mean that he holds Nazi ideas and joined out of conviction? Walter responds that “it is not necessary because the membership card does not mean ideological conviction” in this party, adding that the timing of joining “gives the best indications” of the reasons.
Whoever joined before 1933, or even before the party’s first major electoral success in 1930, can be assumed to have joined “out of conviction,” because the veterans were between 25 and 28 years old and were primarily of the World War I generation. In their teens, they lived through the military defeat of Germany, the revolution, financial inflation, and waves of unemployment at the end of the Weimar Republic, which shook their confidence in the ruling and democratic parties in a very profound way.
According to Walter, who is considered one of the most prominent German researchers in the history of Nazism, the party began “young and energetic,” and more importantly, it presented to the youth a “collective and popular vision” that transcended class divisions. During the global economic crisis, it promoted a program that pledged to provide job opportunities, specifically for young people who were drawn to it from various social circles. In 1933, about 1.7 million people joined it almost all at once.
Jurgen Walter: Anyone who joined the Nazi Party before 1933 or even before the party’s first major electoral success in 1930 can be assumed to have joined “out of conviction” because the veterans were between 25 and 28 years old and were primarily generation World War I.
Force or choice?
How true are some historical sources that talk about forcing people to join the party? Walter asserts that citizens, specifically young people, were not forced to join, but at the same time he says that there was social pressure associated with getting a job – like his Uncle Willy – or suitable housing, noting that there are reports documenting the motivation of trainees in the educational sector, for example, to join the party by saying, “Do you want to become government employees? Then join the party.”
Some historical sources indicate that there is evidence of mass joining waves in what is known as the “Hitler Youth” or the “German Girls” organization, which the researcher denies by saying, “No one became a member of the party without knowing it.”
And about the story of some celebrities, such as the famous writers and novelists Martin Walser and Siegfried Lenz, who said that they did not know of their membership in the Nazi Party? Walter denies this, saying, “No one became a member of the party unless he personally received a membership card in one of the party’s branches. These cards were not sent by mail, and these justifications sometimes occur when their owner wants to suppress them or forget them.”
Women or men?
Der Spiegel asks the writer: “According to the generally accepted narrative among historians of the Nazi era, women’s interest in joining the party witnessed an increasing growth in 1944. What are the reasons for this?” He answers: “Because men were at the front during this period and because women began to assume administrative tasks and play social roles, which made them more active and independent in making such an important decision.”
As for the regions, the researcher says that rural residents were voting for the party and joining it at higher rates compared to cities, but this phenomenon only applies to areas where most of the population are followers of the Evangelical Church (Protestants).
As for the followers of the Catholic Church, Walter adds, their membership in the party in rural areas was at the lowest levels, to the point that it can be said that even after the Nazis came to power, Catholics continued to feel alienated from them.
The current debate in Germany is accompanied by criticism of attempts to dig up history based on the lack of benefit in doing so at the present time, which researcher Walter comments on by saying: “It is about being ashamed of family history, but we have to know that even those who did not believe in the Nazi idea and joined the party out of opportunism or interest contributed, willingly or not, to granting this party legitimacy, and this is a truly terrifying thing.”
Easy withdrawal?
But suppose that one of those who joined this party discovered his mistake and decided to withdraw from it. Was the process of withdrawing as easy as joining?
The weekly newspaper Die Zeit, which analyzed about 10 million party memberships, says withdrawal “was legally possible but not easy for reasons of social and professional standing.”
The newspaper adds that there were no laws prohibiting leaving the party, and the state did not officially punish those who tried to withdraw, but there were unofficial consequences, such as causing professional or economic harm to this person or exposing him to social pressure.
In terms of timing, the newspaper adds that leaving the party at the beginning of its founding, that is, roughly between 1925 and 1930, was easy, but after Adolf Hitler came to power and Germany turned into a pure dictatorship, withdrawal became more difficult from a practical standpoint. In fact, the social and economic price of leaving was high.
Regarding the reasons for withdrawal, Die Zeit adds that disappointment with the party’s policy, its internal problems, high subscription costs, and social pressure were the main reasons for leaving the party.
The newspaper details by saying that withdrawal from the party in a Nazi society or environment usually led to social isolation, loss of privileges, and professional and economic harm to those who wished to leave, which contributed to many remaining in the party even though they were not completely convinced of its ideology. This leads to saying that people were not besieged by laws prohibiting them from leaving, but they were besieged by social standards and economic and professional obstacles.
