The Twenty-Five Points Of The National Socialist German Workers' Party, 1920
The program of the National Socialist German Workers' Party is limited as to period. The leaders have no intention, once the aims announced in it have been achieved, of setting up fresh ones, merely in order to increase the discontent of the masses artificially, and so ensure the continued existence of the Party.
Would that all political parties had such an objective.1) We demand the union of all Germans to form a Greater Germany on the basis of the right of self-determination enjoyed by nations.
The return of the parts of Germany given to other countries such as Poland. Note that it was in defense of that give away the England declared war on Germany.2) We demand equality of rights for the German people in its dealings with other nations, and abolition of the peace treaties of Versailles and Saint-Germain.
This is a just objective regardless of the means of abolition.3) We demand land and territory (colonies) for the nourishment of our people and for settling our excess population.
The major powers had colonies. Germany had African colonies prior to the war. It was the norm at the time.4) None but members of the nation may be citizens of the state. None but those of German blood, whatever their creed, may be members of the nation. No Jew, therefore, may be a member of the nation.
Here we get to the racial basis for citizenship. It was perhaps somewhat extreme for the times but not remarkably so in comparison to other countries. For example, Hitler remained a soldier for ten years as he, an Austrian, could not gain German citizenship until after those ten years of residency.5) Anyone who is not a citizen of the state may live in Germany only as a guest and must be regarded as being subject to foreign laws.
This is why Hitler lived in German Army barracks for those ten years. It was not something all that new.6) The right of voting on the leadership and legislation is to be enjoyed by the state alone. We demand therefore that all official appointments, of whatever kind, whether in the Reich, in the country, or in the smaller localities, shall be granted to citizens of the state alone. We oppose the corrupting custom of Parliament of filling posts merely with a view to party considerations, and without reference to character or capacity.
The first item is generally the rule in every country today, citizenship is a requirement of government employment. The last sentence is again something that all political parties should consider as an objective.7) We demand that the state shall make it its first duty to promote the industry and livelihood of citizens of the state. If it is not possible to nourish the entire population of the state, foreign nationals (non-citizens of the state) must be excluded from the Reich.
Which of course is perfectly reasonable, that the state exists for its citizens rather than for non-citizens.8) All non-German immigration must be prevented....
Nothing onerous here, simply a matter of national immigration policy which is the right of every country.9) All citizens of the state shall be equal as regards rights and duties.
Perfectly normal.10) It must be the first duty of each citizen of the state to work with his mind or with his body. The activities of the individual may not clash with the interests of the whole, but must proceed within the frame of the community and be for the general good.
A fine statement of principle but it is open to abuse in that it puts the government in arbitrary control over individual actions and obviously it is the only basis upon which a dictatorship can legally exist.WE DEMAND THEREFORE: 11) Abolition of incomes not earned by work.
A clearly communist plank as it prevents income from rents and investments.12) In view of the enormous sacrifice of life and property demanded of a nation by every war, personal enrichment because of a war must regarded as a crime against the nation. We demand therefore ruthless confiscation of all war gains.
War profiteering is a crime in every country. In this case it was extended to cover the post war investments with foreign currency during post war hyperinflationary times. In other words, the purchases were retroactively abolished. It is a coin toss as to whether this is reasonable but it is certainly open to abuse.13) We demand nationalization of all businesses (trusts)....
Another Marxist concept.14) We demand that the profits from wholesale trade shall be shared.
Again, a Marxist idea, giving the government control of all import and export business.15) We demand extensive development of provision for old age.
Ah, yes, social securtiy. Their system was the model for the US system down to the means of paying for it and the retriement age. Just how evil were these folks?16) We demand creation and maintenance of a healthy middle class, immediate communalization of wholesale business premises, and their lease at a cheap rate to small traders, and that extreme consideration shall be shown to all small purveyors to the state, district authorities, and smaller localities.
While giving the government control of the wholesale business, it promotes the small businessman. As Hitler noted he considered himself a practical implementer of marxism. It would appear he realized that control of ten of thousands of small businesses would be too hard. The US exempts small businesses from it regulations also. Rather enlighted that.17) We demand land reform suitable to our national requirements....
Clearly Marxist agrarian reform.18) We demand ruthless prosecution of those whose activities are injurious to the common interest. Sordid criminals against the nation, usurers, profiteers, etc., must be punished by death, whatever their creed or race.
This sounds a touch similar to the FDR's National Recovery Act although the punishment was not so extreme.19) We demand that the Roman Law, which serves the materialistic world order, shall be replaced by a legal system for all Germany.
Revamping the legal system was long overdue.20) With the aim of opening to every capable and industrious German the possibility of higher education and of thus obtaining advancement, the state must consider a thorough reconstruction of our national system of education....
Universal higher education. Nothing very insidious there.21) The state must see to raising the standard of health in the nation by protecting mothers and infants, prohibiting child labor, increasing bodily efficiency by obligatory gymnastics and sports laid down by law, and by extensive support of clubs engaged in the bodily development of the young.
Although the gynamstics appear a bit arcane, the rest could be right from Hillary Cliton, free maternity care and the end of child labor.22) We demand abolition of a paid army and formation of a national army.
That sounds like the Founding Fathers of the US and their abhorrance of standing armies. They got the abhorance from England.23) We demand legal warfare against conscious political lying and its dissemination in the press. In order to facilitate creation of a German national press. In order to facilitate creation of a German national press we demand:
a) that all editors of newspapers and their assistants, employing the German language, must be members of the nation;
This is a requirement in the US and most countries in the west.
b) that special permission from the state shall be necessary before non-German newspapers may appears. These are not necessarily printed in the German language;
c) that non-Germans shall be prohibited by law from participation financially in or influencing German newspapers....
It must be forbidden to publish papers which do not conduce to the national welfare. We demand legal prosecution of all tendencies in art and literature of a kind likely to disintegrate our life as a nation, and the suppression of institutions which militate against the requirements above-mentioned.
Of course this lead to government censorship of the news. But prohibiting foreign ownership ... Rupert Murdoch had to become a US citizen in order to grow his broadcasting empire. It is unclear what might be wrong with the principle.24) We demand liberty for all religious denominations in the state, so far as they are not a danger to it and do not militate against the moral feelings of the German race. The Party, as such, stand for positive Christianity, but does not bind itself in the matter of creed to any particular confession. It combats the Jewish-materialist spirit within us and without us....
So here we have the first clear statement that is against jews in some manner. However, even today Germany collects taxes to support the Lutheran Church, something that would have been prohibited by the general policy of supporting any particular religion.25) That all foregoing may be realized we demand the creation of a strong central power of the state.
And of course the worst of all, the basis for a dictatorship. On the other hand, the Weimar Republic was so weak as to ineffective that the call for strong has to be compared to what existed at the time.Unquestioned authority of the politically centralized Parliament over the entire Reich and its organizations; and the formation of chambers for classes and occupations for the purpose of carrying out the general laws promulgated by the Reich in the various states of the confederation.
Note that in comparison to the Weimar Republic, this can be construed as being no more than a call for a strong Federal government as in the US even though it did go much further than that.The leaders of the Party swear to go straight forward - if necessary to sacrifice their lives - in securing fulfillment of the foregoing points.
Our lives, our fortunes and our sacred honors.