In 1934 Theodore Abel went to Germany and offered a prize, under the auspices of Columbia University, for autobiographies of members of the National Socialist movement. The six hundred essays he received constitute the single best source on grassroots opinion within the Nazi Party, and they form the empirical foundation for Abel’s fascinating yet curiously neglected 1938 book. Although a number of scholars have drawn on these reports, Abel’s own treatment has never been surpassed. Of particular value is his presentation of the life histories of a worker, a soldier, an anti-Semite, a middle-class youth, a farmer, and a bank clerk, all of whom explain in their own words why they joined the NSDAP. In the vast literature on National Socialism, no more useful or revealing testimony exists.

In a new Foreword, Thomas Childers discusses how the past half-century of research and writing on Nazi Germany has upheld Abel’s original insights into the broad appeal of the National Socialist movement, thereby reaffirming this work’s enduring value for students of the topic.

• Contents 
• Foreword, 1986
• Childers, Thomas
• I. 
• Introduction
• 1. 
• Who Wrote the Life Histories?
• 2. 
• General Comments
• Part One 
• HISTORICAL
• II. 
• The Background of the Hitler Movement
• 1. 
• The Revolution of 1918
• 2. 
• Reaction to the Revolution
• 3. 
• The Versailles Treaty
• 4. 
• War Prisoners and Occupation
• 5. 
• Counter-Revolution
• a. 
• Military organizations
• b. 
• Semi-military organizations
• c. 
• Political groups
• III. 
• The First Period: 1919–1923
• 1. 
• Origin of the Movement
• 2. 
• Hitler Becomes the Leader
• 3. 
• The Hitler Putsch
• IV. 
• The Second Period: 1924–1929
• 1. 
• After the Putsch
• 2. 
• Organization
• a. 
• Significance of the local group
• b. 
• Propaganda
• c. 
• Finances
• V. 
• The Third Period: 1930–1933
• 1. 
• Opposition
• 2. 
• Conflict
• 3. 
• Victory
• Part Two 
• ANALYTICAL
• VI. 
• Discontent As a Factor
• 1. 
• The Drawing Power of National Socialist Meetings
• 2. 
• The Basis of Discontent
• 3. 
• Opposition to Other Parties
• VII. 
• Ideology As a Factor
• 1. 
• The Idea of Gemeinschaft
• 2. 
• National Socialism
• 3. 
• The Principle of Leadership
• 4. 
• Anti-Semitism
• VIII. 
• The Why of the Hitler Movement
• 1. 
• The Function of Discontent
• 2. 
• The Functions of Ideology
• 3. 
• The Function of Tactics and Strategy
• 4. 
• The Function of Charismatic Leadership
• 5. 
• Conclusion
• 6. 
• Critique of Other Interpretations
• a. 
• The psychoanalytical interpretation
• b. 
• The Marxist interpretation
• Part Three 
• SELECTED LIFE HISTORIES
• IX. 
• Six Life Histories
• Introduction
• 1. 
• The Story of a Worker
• 2. 
• The Story of an Anti-Semite
• 3. 
• The Story of a Soldier
• 4. 
• The Story of a Middle-Class Youth
• 5. 
• The Story of a Bank Clerk
• 6. 
• The Story of a Farmer
• APPENDICES
• Appendix I: 
• Chronology of the Hitler Movement
• Appendix II: 
• Statistics
• A. 
• The Growth of the Movement
• 1. 
• Number of members in the National Socialist party
• 2. 
• Number of supporters in elections
• B. 
• General Statistical Data
• 1. 
• Geographical distribution
• 2. 
• Education
• 3. 
• Religion and marital status
• 4. 
• History of employment (1919–32)
• 5. 
• Military activities
• 6. 
• Membership in organizations before joining the National Socialist party
• 7. 
• Miscellaneous data
• Index