Membership Question
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- Joined: 30 May 2018, 10:56
- Location: America
Membership Question
Was it a requirement to be a member of the party to join the SS? If so, did this requirement continue throughout the entire war, before the war, Etc. Any help is appreciated.
Re: Membership Question
In a word: NO. Membership in any of the many organizations which served the NSDAP was not required...but it was certainly encouraged! Each of the organizations had its own membership structure and its own dues, so anyone who joined the Party itself had to pay dues and if he/she joined any of the organizations, that person had to pay that organization's dues in addition to the Party's dues. It was also possible for a person to join one or more of the Party's organizations without also joining the Party itself, thus saving having to pay another set of dues. In the early days, before Hitler was appointed Chancellor, the SA was by far the largest of the political organizations of the Party, and since many SA members were young and unemployed (or underemployed) due to the currency collapse and post-WWI recession, they often refrained from joining the NSDAP, at least until their financial situations improved.
Br. James
Br. James