German Workers' Party

The German Workers 'Party ( DAP) was 1919/20, a short-lived small German party and the forerunner of the National Socialist German Workers' Party ( NSDAP).

History of establishment

The DAP was on January 5, 1919 ( a week before the state elections in Bavaria 1919) in Munich in Prince Hof ( Fürstenfelderstraße 14) founded by the tool locksmith Anton Drexler and Karl Harrer sports journalists and 22 other attendees. She went from the Munich Free Workers Committee produced a good peace which had also been founded in 1918 by Drexler. As chairman of the new party Drexler was selected. Among the first members of the DAP included almost exclusively Drexler's work colleagues from the Munich railway stations. Other early members were the Wirtschaftsideologe Gottfried Feder and the Baltic German refugee Alfred Rosenberg. The first caucus of the DAP took place in Munich in back rooms of small pubs. The uninspiring speaker Drexler held mostly little motivational speeches, often drowned in the noise of the restaurant. In October 1919 we set up in a side room of the Sterneckerbräus in the valley, the first branch of a DAP. In January 1920, the party headquarters was moved to the guest house Cornelius Cornelius Straße 12.

Adolf Hitler's accession

Adolf Hitler came for the first time on 12 September 1919 in contact with the DAP. He had to as V - man of the Reichswehr, visit the job, a meeting of the new party, which belonged to the nationalist movement in Sterneckerbrau and gather information. Gottfried Feder spoke in Leiber room on the topic: "How and by what means we eliminated capitalism? ". As at the end of the discussion, a participant pointed out that Bavaria should separate from the Reich, Hitler intervened. That same evening Drexler offered him to join the party. A few days later, he joined the party and soon gained quite in her leadership. Contrary to the previously rather sectarian orientation of the splinter party, Hitler continued to activation of the masses and entered from November 1919 according to a speaker in appearance.

From the DAP to NSDAP

Hitler acted in the coming months and years as a propaganda officer of the party, however, was not represented on the board. Nevertheless, he soon received growing importance for the party, even by he tore important decisions arbitrarily se. So he wrote, for example, the lease for the first permanent branch of the party on behalf of the party chairman. He was also responsible for the organization of all events and for public relations of the party. However, he felt the Democratic Party building as stressful. It had a leader with dictatorial powers forth. From this position he lay down with the entire leadership of the DAP, but especially with Drexler and Harrer, at.

In addition, he spent his time with rallies and gatherings of any kind, which attracted slowly but steadily increasing Munich audience. Thus, money came into the coffers of the party ( membership fees, donations and entrance fees).

For the February 24, 1920, Hitler against concerns of Drexler 's first " mass meeting " of the DAP under the motto " What we do need! " To. When announcing means red posters were glued to provoke the workers left parties. Event was held at the Banquet Hall of the Hofbräuhaus on the Platz. On said evening then published in 2000 people. In addition to the speakers Hitler they experienced for the first time a completely new way of gathering. It was necessary to maintain strict discipline, the processes were clearly mapped out and protected for the first time young party members and sympathizers the hall from interference. For this Saalschutz should indicate the SA soon afterwards.

That evening, the name of Hitler's NSDAP was established ( "NS" the abbreviation should emphasize the special nature of the party and was introduced by Hitler, Eckart, Esser, Hess, Rohm and spring on the party leadership over). The official change of registration in the NSDAP was been executed on 20 February 1920.