German Workers' Party

On 8 May 1945, Germany capitulated, marking the end of World War II in Europe. The NSDAP was subsequently banned, and its leadership held accountable for crimes against humanity. The dissolution of the Nazi regime closed the political lineage that began with the German Workers’ Party in 1919.

On 23 March 1933, the Reichstag passed the Enabling Act, granting Adolf Hitler’s cabinet full legislative powers for four years, effectively sidelining the Reichstag and establishing a legal dictatorship. Although this occurred under the NSDAP, it signified the culmination of the party’s rise that began with the DAP foundation.

On 30 January 1933, Adolf Hitler, as leader of the NSDAP, was appointed Chancellor of Germany by President Paul von Hindenburg. This marked the first time the party entered national government, signaling its transition from fringe movement to state power and paving the way for the dictatorship of the Third Reich.

On 28 July 1921, Adolf Hitler assumed leadership as chairman (Führer) of the NSDAP, succeeding Anton Drexler. His charismatic authority and organizational skill rapidly consolidated his control, transforming the party into a centralized movement under his direction and setting the stage for its national prominence.

In August 1920, following the renaming to NSDAP, the party officially adopted the swastika as its emblem. Drawing on völkisch and nationalist imagery, the symbol became central to the party’s identity and propaganda, representing its fusion of nationalist and pseudo‑socialist aesthetics and solidifying its visual branding.

On 24 February 1920, at a mass meeting in the Staatliches Hofbräuhaus in Munich attended by about 2,000 people, Adolf Hitler presented the party’s 25‑point program. Simultaneously, the German Workers’ Party changed its name to the National Socialist German Workers’ Party (NSDAP), broadening its ideological appeal by combining nationalist and socialist elements, and marking a definitive organizational re‑branding.

In January 1920, the DAP issued its first official membership cards and numbers in alphabetical order. Adolf Hitler received membership number 555, though in reality he was the 55th member; the numbering began at 501 to give the impression of a larger party.

On 16 October 1919, Adolf Hitler delivered his first speech for the DAP at the Hofbräukeller in Munich. His powerful rhetoric rapidly drew attention, and soon he became the primary public voice of the party, with crowds flocking to hear him, marking a shift from an obscure debating society into a nascent political movement.

On 12 September 1919, Adolf Hitler attended a meeting of the DAP at the Sterneckerbräu beer hall. Impressed by his oratory during a heated political debate, founder Anton Drexler encouraged him to join the party. Hitler, still in the army, received permission to stay employed and officially joined soon after, beginning his rapid rise within the party’s ranks.

On 5 January 1919, the German Workers' Party (Deutsche Arbeiterpartei, DAP) was founded in Munich at the Fürstenfelder Hof by Anton Drexler along with Dietrich Eckart, Gottfried Feder, and Karl Harrer. It emerged from the Free Workers’ Committee for a Good Peace, evolving into a nationalist, anti‑Marxist, völkisch group aimed at attracting working‑class support in post‑World War I Germany, laying the groundwork for its later transformation into the NSDAP.