Nazi Party/Foreign Organization facts for kids
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Nationalsozialistische Deutsche Arbeiterpartei/Auslands-Organisation
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Parteiadler
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| Abbreviation | NSDAP/AO |
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| Formation | 1 May 1931 |
| Dissolved | 8 May 1945 |
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Leader
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Hans Nieland (until 1933) Ernst Wilhelm Bohle (from 1933) |
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Parent organization
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Nazi Party |
The Nazi Party/Foreign Organization was a special part of the Nazi Party. It was like a "region" for party members who lived outside of Germany. In German, it was called NSDAP/AO. "AO" stood for Auslands-Organisation, which means "Foreign Organization".
This group was for Nazi Party members who lived in other countries. It was started on May 1, 1931. Hans Nieland was its first leader. He left in 1933 and Ernst Wilhelm Bohle took over. Only people who were actual citizens of Germany with a German passport could join. People of German background who had citizenship in other countries were not allowed to join.
Contents
How the Foreign Organization Started
In 1928, Nazi Party members in Paraguay and Brazil formed groups. Similar groups started in Switzerland and the United States in 1930. The main Nazi Party officially recognized these groups after the Auslands-Organisation was created.
For example, the group in Buenos Aires, Argentina, was accepted on August 7, 1931. A group in Paraguay was accepted on August 20, 1931. A group in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, joined on October 5, 1931.
From 1932 to 1934, a group in the Union of South Africa was very popular. It had many offices, especially in what is now Namibia.
Small local groups, called Ortsgruppen, needed at least 25 members. Even smaller groups, called Stützpunkte (meaning "support points"), needed five or more members. Large local groups could also be split into "Blocs."
What the Foreign Organization Did
The main jobs of the NSDAP/AO were to teach Nazi ideas and make sure members supported Germany's goals. It wanted to connect all Nazi Party members living abroad. It also aimed to teach them about the Nazi Party's beliefs and plans for Germany.
The AO was not meant to be a secret spy group trying to overthrow other governments. It had ten main rules. Some of these rules included:
- "Obey the laws of the country where you are a guest."
- "Let the citizens handle their own country's politics; do not get involved."
- "Always show everyone that you are an NSDAP party member."
- "Always speak and act for the NSDAP movement, honoring the new Germany. Be honest, honorable, fearless, and loyal."
- "Look out for all your fellow Germans. Help them, no matter their social class. We are all building our people."
These rules were meant to make Germans and Germany look good. They also tried to convince people that the Nazi Party was the best choice for Germany and the world.
Where the Foreign Organization Was Active
Costa Rica
The local NSDAP/AO group in Costa Rica was active in the 1930s and 1940s. It had 66 members. They tried to support Germany during World War II. Their leaders included Max Effinger, Herbert Knöhr, and Karl Bayer. They met at the German Club in San José.
Records show that leaders in Berlin tried to spread Nazi ideas among Germans living in Costa Rica and other parts of Latin America. Not all German-Costa Ricans supported Nazism. Older generations were often doubtful, and many were against it. But it had support from younger people or those born in Germany. A branch of the Hitler Youth was started, but it faced challenges because members often questioned it.
One leader, Max Effinger, became an immigration advisor in the government from 1936 to 1940. He used this power to stop many Polish Jews from entering Costa Rica when they were fleeing Germany.
Dominican Republic
By the early 1940s, the NSDAP/AO had about 50 active members in the Dominican Republic. This was a lot, considering there were only about 150 German-born people and 300 people of German descent in the country. The Party had groups in five Dominican cities: Santo Domingo, Puerto Plata, Montecristi, Cibao Valley, and San Pedro de Macorís.
Finland
The Auslands-Organisation der NSDAP Landeskreis Finnland was the local Finnish group of the German Nazi party. It started in 1932 when German citizens in Helsinki formed a local Nazi party group. This group got help from the main Nazi Party, the German embassy, and the German school in Helsinki.
By the mid-1930s, the Finnish district of the NSDAP was set up. It included groups in Helsinki, Turku, and Tampere. Herbert Howaldt was the leader until about 1937, when Wilhelm Jahre took over. The party group had its own court to settle arguments between members.
Ireland
Ireland was neutral during World War II. Several Germans and Austrians there were active in the NSDAP/AO. Adolf Mahr, who was the director of the National Museum of Ireland, was also a local Nazi party leader until 1939. He was followed by Heinz Mecking. The musician Fritz Brase was also a member.
The AO in Ireland watched Germans in the country. They sent reports about events in Ireland back to Berlin. They also tried to make sure the Nazi Party's ideas were more important than those of other German government groups abroad. The Irish AO had its own Hitler Youth branch. Ireland's intelligence agency, G2, kept an eye on the NSDAP/AO's activities there.
Sweden
The NSDAP/AO had a group in Sweden called Landesgruppe Schweden. During the early years of World War II, W. Stengel led it. Later, the German diplomat Heinz Gossmann took over. There were several local groups in different parts of Sweden, like Gothenburg and Borås.
See also
- German-American Bund
- Nazi Party (NSDAP)
- NSDAP/AO (1972)
- Germanic SS
- The Swastika Outside Germany
