Saturday, October 26, 2024

Nazi Party, 1920 Party Platform

(I wrote this originally in 2018, and edited it again for another viewing)

There are various stages of the Nazi Party, and I picked up last week.....this 1920 version of their party platform.  It's an interesting piece and you have to remember.....it is before the Wall Street Crash, and before Hitler writes his book.  Published in Feb of 1920, it's the first real step to identify the party to the general public.

So, the 25 points:

1.  First, to demand by public means, a unification of all German people into a greater Germany, with the people's right for self-determination.  

I think part of this agenda included the idea that Austria, and Hungary were seen in this 'greater' Germany.

2.  Dismantling of the peace treaties of Versailles and St. Germain. 

In this respect, they are appealing to the frustrated German vets and the anger over the 'loss' of Germany.

3.  They demanded land/colonies....for the purpose of colonization, to support the 'surplus' population.  

It's an odd demand because so many German men didn't return from the war.  Where would the land or colonies come from?  Unknown.

4.  Only a German, can be a German citizen.  There's no obvious migrant issue existing in Germany in 1920, except for Jews (at least that's the discussion by the Nazis).  In this wording....they suggest that Jews can't be Germans.  The fact that they'd been around for 1,500 years?  Well....it's a tribal thing.  So already by 1920, they were laying down the anti-Jew card.

5.  If you aren't a citizen of Germany, then you can only be here as a 'guest', and you'd have to be authorized this situation.

6.  Every public office....has to be filled by Germans.  This probably hints that Jews are in government positions, and they'd have to be removed.

7.  The state is to be the one responsible for providing job opportunities for a livelihood.  Yes, it's a pretty heavy socialist platform piece.  Then they inserted the language here....if the state can't provide for the people, then non-citizens need to be kicked out as a priority to reset the economy.

8. Any foreigner who entered after the start of WW I....has to leave. 

9.  All citizens must have equal rights and obligations. 

10.  Your obligations as a citizen?  To work in a productive way.....mentally or physically.

11.  End of all non-income work.  There was this belief that Germans (in some numbers) were just working for food and board.  This idea was to prevent that.  Attached to this, the end of debt-slavery. This meant that if you went and borrowed money....failing on your obligation....the court could no longer seize you and force you to work off the debt.

12.  The end of war profits.  There was the belief that various people made a profit during WW I.  There's never been true research to say yes or no on this topic.  But in the minds of the Nazis.....someone had to make profits, and they wanted to take the profits.  If you examine this and think about future wars....then as a company providing products (tanks, fighters).....you'd be frustrated with producing anything for the government because there had to be a profit coming out of the deal.

13.  Nationalization of all industry, period.

14.  If any industry made real profits beyond taxation.....then they needed to share those extra profits with the government.     

15.  A demand for Social Security to exist.

16.  A demand for a 'healthy' middle class, with a community type 'warehouse' (for fruits, vegetables, etc) to be sold/discounted, to the general public. They didn't say a controlled-price system, but you get the idea that this had to be connected.

17.    Land reform.  Dumping of taxation on property.  Forbidden land speculation. 

18.   Criminal reform.  Basically common thugs, criminals, profiteers....were to be put to death.

19.  There was a belief that Roman law still existed in Germany at the time, so they wanted to bring more German common law into being.  There's not a lot of explanation over this but there was apparently some belief that Roman effect was still common upon the German people.

20.  The national school system was run at that time by the various states.  With this demand, the Nazis wanted the national program to run everything involving education program.

21.  Child-labor was to be outlawed.

22.  A national army was to be reformed.

23.  A demand stop 'fake news'.  So part of this was to require that all writers and employees of the newspapers were supposed to be German.  Part of this also involved that non-German newspapers which existed....had to have the state permission to be published.

24.  Freedom of religion needed to be emphasized.

25.  All central power needed to flow back to Berlin, (not driven by states themselves) and obviously....to the Nazi Party.

It's an interesting platform.  Probably one-third of it.....is simply pure socialism.  Some of it probably was needed (like child-labor reform). 

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