German Workers' Party
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German Workers' Party
Deutsche Arbeiterpartei |
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|---|---|
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| Party Chairman | Anton Drexler |
| Founded | January 5, 1919 |
| Dissolved | February 24, 1920 |
| Preceded by |
None (de jure) German Fatherland Party (de facto) |
| Succeeded by | National Socialist German Workers' Party |
| Headquarters | Munich, Germany |
| Ideology |
German nationalism Pan-Germanism Anti-capitalism Anti-communism Anti-Semitism |
| Political position | Far-right |
The German Workers' Party (German: Deutsche Arbeiterpartei, DAP) was a short-lived political party and the precursor of the National Socialist German Workers' Party (German: Nationalsozialistische Deutsche Arbeiterpartei, NSDAP); commonly referred to in English as the Nazi Party. The DAP only lasted from January 1919 until February 1920.
The DAP was founded in Munich in the hotel "Fürstenfelder Hof" on January 5, 1919 by Anton Drexler. It developed out of the Freier Arbeiterausschuss für einen guten Frieden (Free Workers' Committee for a Good Peace) league, a branch of which Drexler had founded in 1918. Thereafter in 1918, Karl Harrer (a journalist and member of the Thule Society), convinced Drexler and several others to form the Politischer Arbeiterzirkel (Political Workers' Circle). The members met periodically for discussions with themes of nationalism and antisemitism directed against the Jews. Drexler was encouraged to form the DAP in December 1918 by his mentor, Dr. Paul Tafel. Tafel was a leader of the Alldeutscher Verband (Pan-Germanist Union), a director of the Maschinenfabrik Augsburg-Nürnberg, and a member of the Thule Society. Drexler's wish was for a political party which was both in touch with the masses and nationalist. In January 1919 with the DAP founding, Drexler was elected chairman and Harrer was made "Reich Chairman", an honorary title. On May 17, only ten members were present at the meeting; a later meeting in August only noted 38 members attending.
After World War I ended, Adolf Hitler returned to Munich. Having no formal education or career prospects, he tried to remain in the army for as long as possible. In July 1919 he was appointed Verbindungsmann (intelligence agent) of an Aufklärungskommando (reconnaissance commando) of the Reichswehr, to influence other soldiers and to infiltrate the German Workers' Party (DAP). While monitoring the activities of the DAP, Hitler became attracted to founder Anton Drexler's anti-Semitic, nationalist, anti-capitalist, and anti-Marxist ideas. While attending a party meeting at the Sterneckerbräu beer hall on September 12, 1919, Hitler became involved in a heated political argument with a visitor, a Professor Baumann, who questioned the soundness of Gottfried Feder's arguments against capitalism and proposed that Bavaria should break away from Prussia and found a new South German nation with Austria. In vehemently attacking the man's arguments he made an impression on the other party members with his oratory skills and, according to Hitler, the "professor" left the hall acknowledging unequivocal defeat. Impressed with Hitler, Drexler invited him to join the DAP. Hitler accepted on September 12, 1919, becoming the party's 55th member.
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