Nazi Party membership book Oswin Baer, 40 pp., 10.5 x 13.4 cm. Date of item: 1932. Condition: excellent.
An early Nazi Party membership book for one Oswin Baer. It is dated to 1932 and signed in April 1933, shortly after Hitler was appointed Reich Chanchellor and his party seized control of Germany. The book is printed in Fraktur letters, also known as Gothic or German letters. Page 1: states the contact information of the Nazi Party, as well as the means to purchase their party newspaper, the “Völkischer Beobachter” (People’s Observer). Page 2: has a short statement by Hitler, complete with his facsimile, saying that every party member should buy and advertise the Vökischer Beobachter, as well as fight the enemies of the people. Page 3-5: An introduction by Hitler, addressing his party members, from 1927. In this, Hitler outlines how a Nazi should act: with honour, as a leader towards a common goal, not as a slave master towards his subordinates, working hard, showing no weakness, which includes never getting drunk, and first and foremost to do everything to serve the German nation. Page 6: An honour table for those who died during the Beer Hall Putsch in Munich in 1923, a failed coup attempt to put Hitler in power, which ended with him being imprisoned for high treason for five years of which he only had to serve about one year before being released. Page 7: Information about how to maintain the membership book to keep it valid. Page 8-9: Information about the book’s owner, Oswin Baer. He was born on Oct 10th, 1884 in Berlin, and joined the Nazi Party on Aug 1st, 1930. He is a worker and lives in Cuxhafen near Hamburg. Page 9 features a picture of Baer. Page 10-11: state when the book is no longer valid. Page 12-15: should be used to indicate changes of residence. Page 16-21: are used to put stickers in for every month that the member has paid his membership fee, as well as any further donations. Baer paid his fees in all of 1932 and up until Oct 1933, with one further donation. Page 12-21 also feature ironic and sarcastic comments on how to help the party and the German people, clearly stating the exact opposite of what is expected from a member, like: Always expect from others what you yourself will never do. Drink heavily, so you don’t have to see the plight of the people. Save the money you should spend on your party, and give it to the Jews instead. Page 22-23: for official notes. The pages are empty. Page 25-32: An excerpt from the constitution of the Nazi Party. Page 33-38: An excerpt from the Party program. Page 39: is titled “the intellectual weapons of National Socialism” and lists those books that propagate the Nazi idea, starting with Hitler’s “Mein Kampf”. Page 40: advertises the “Illustrierter Beobachter” (Illustrated Observer), the picture newspaper of the Nazi Party.