LEADER 03671cam a2200409Ia 4500001 65470 005 20240621172142.0 008 010919s1999 xx rb 000 0 eng d 035 (OCoLC)ocm47994312 035 65470 049 LHMA 040 LHM |beng |erda |cLHM 090 DD256.5 |b.N58 1999 100 1 Nitz, Theodore Allen, |d1946- 245 10 "Alte Kämpfer" : |bassociation, myth, and ritual in the rise of National Socialism in Volksstaat Hessen, 1920-1928 / |cby Theodore Allen Nitz. 264 1 [Place of publication not identified] : |b[publisher not identified], |c1999. 300 xvii, 363 pages 336 text |btxt |2rdacontent 337 unmediated |bn |2rdamedia 338 volume |bnc |2rdacarrier 502 Thesis (Ph. D.)--Washington State University, 1999. 504 Includes bibliographical references (pages 347-363). 520 Much of the scholarly investigation into the membership of the Nazi Party (NSDAP) in the last two decades has concentrated on social status and class. Such research has provided a clearer picture of who the Nazis were as a group, but has revealed little about the motivations of those members, what their everyday life in the party was like, or how they became involved in the National Socialist movement. This dissertation attempts to answer such questions by studying the reminiscences written in 1936-1937 by 225 Nazi "old fighters"-men and women holding membership numbers below 100 000-who lived in the Weimar-era state of Volksstaat Hessen. These accounts of the NSDAP's years of struggle (the Kampfzeit ) open a window on the party's rank-and-file membership, and describe a movement composed of people who differed little from their fellow Hessians. The Nazis derived the form of their meetings and ceremonies from the traditional rituals common to the many associations which spanned the breadth of Weimar-era German society. The Nazi organization, like similar organizations in Germany and elsewhere, attracted its membership through existing associational networks, especially those of its members-their friends, family, and acquaintances. In contrast to the mythic image of the NSDAP as an organization of uniformed members marching in lock-step with the party's national leadership, the Volksstaat Hessian Nazis describe a party which was focused on its local organization and leaders. The Hessian National Socialist organization in 1928 consisted of small local associations, usually begun at local initiative and with leaders drawn from the community. The Hessian NSDAP of the Kampfzeit (at least through the end of 1928) was by and large created, led, and maintained by these Nazi "old fighters" and others like them. Thus, while paying allegiance to Hitler and his central organization, the branches of the party in Hessen maintained a strong local identity in these formative years. 530 Electronic version(s) |bavailable internally at USHMM. 533 Photocopy. |bAnn Arbor, Mich. : |cUMI Dissertation Services, |d2001. |e22 cm. 590 Dissertations and Theses 591 Record updated by Marcive processing 21 June 2024 650 0 National socialism. 610 20 Nationalsozialistische Deutsche Arbeiter-Partei. 651 0 Hesse (Germany) |xHistory. 856 41 |uhttp://proquest.umi.com/pqdweb?did=730227441&sid=18&Fmt=6&clientId=54617&RQT=309&VName=PQD |zElectronic version from ProQuest 956 41 |u http://dc.ushmm.org/library/bib65470/9949935.pdf |z Hosted by USHMM. 994 E0 |bLHM 852 0 |bstacks |hDD256.5 |i.N58 1999 852 |bwww 852 0 |bscstacks |hDD256.5 |i.N58 1999 |tc.2 852 |bebook