The Nazi Party: A Social Profile of Members and Leaders, 1919-1945

Who filled the ranks of the most infamous political party in history? This book is an in-depth study of the various groups that made up the membership and the leadership of the Nazi party in Germany from its beginnings to its destruction. First published in 1983 it was the first full-scale description of who the Nazis were, their history, and their categories of age, social class, occupation, sex, and locality. Using data from the party’s membership cards alongside local and regional party member lists, Kater has developed an image of the people behind the infamous name. Kater also examines the leadership cadres and depicts the mentality that characterized their actions, linking it ultimately with the outcome of the Third Reich. Kater reveals a good deal about the general structure of German society in the first half of the twentieth century and the relationship that society bears to the phenomenon of Nazism. Its sophisticated methodology, a model of its kind, will interest those who champion the integration of quantification and literary archival scholarship. Praise for Michael H Kater “This thoughtful work, which combines statistical with traditional methodology on a subject of the greatest importance and difficulty, is likely to be the standard book on the composition and leadership of the Nazi party for years to come. It is filled with new information and new insights.” – Gerhard L Weinberg, University of North Carolina “This is the first really complete and accurate picture of the composition of the Nazi movement … In scope, method, and basis, Kater’s work is unique. It will be the definitive study, superseding all others, and a major contribution to scholarship.” – William Sheridan Allen, State University of New York Michael H Kater (b.1937) is Professor of History, York University, Toronto. He is one of the world’s most respected researchers of the Nazis. Born in Germany, Kater was raised in Canada. He studied at universities in both countries.