''Alter Kämpfer'' (
German
German(s) may refer to:
* Germany, the country of the Germans and German things
**Germania (Roman era)
* Germans, citizens of Germany, people of German ancestry, or native speakers of the German language
** For citizenship in Germany, see also Ge ...
for "Old Fighter", ; plural: ''Alte Kämpfer'') is a term referring to the earliest members of the
Nazi Party
The Nazi Party, officially the National Socialist German Workers' Party ( or NSDAP), was a far-right politics, far-right political party in Germany active between 1920 and 1945 that created and supported the ideology of Nazism. Its precursor ...
, those who joined it before the
1930 German federal election
A federal election was held in Germany on 14 September 1930 to elect the fifth Reichstag of the Weimar Republic. Despite losing ten seats, the Social Democratic Party of Germany (SPD) remained the largest party in the Reichstag, winning 143 of ...
, with many belonging to the party as early as its first foundation in 1919–1923. Those who joined the party after the electoral breakthrough of September 1930 were known to the ''Alte Kämpfer'' as Septemberlings, and those who joined the party after the assumption of power on 30 January 1933 were known as the ''
Märzveilchen''. As the party's "Old Guard" and of proven dedication to the movement during its so-called "Period of Struggle" (''Kampfzeit'') in 1925–1933, they were distinguished from the flood of new members who joined in 1933 and later for opportunistic reasons. A number of special awards/insignia were instituted for that purpose:
* the
Honour Chevron for the Old Guard
The Honour Chevron for the Old Guard () was a Nazi Party decoration worn by members of the SS. The silver chevron, which was worn on the upper sleeve on the right arm, was authorised by Adolf Hitler in February 1934. All members of the SS who h ...
, awarded to those who had joined the party or its affiliated organisations before 30 January 1933;
* the
Golden Party Badge
__NOTOC__
The Golden Party Badge () was an award authorised by Adolf Hitler in a decree in October 1933. It was a special award given to all Nazi Party members who had, as of 9 November 1933, registered numbers from 1 to 100,000 (issued on 1 Oc ...
, awarded to the first 100,000 members of the party;
* the oldest members, those who had participated in the abortive 1923
Beer Hall Putsch
The Beer Hall Putsch, also known as the Munich Putsch,Dan Moorhouse, ed schoolshistory.org.uk, accessed 2008-05-31.Known in German as the or was a failed coup d'état by Nazi Party leader Adolf Hitler, Erich Ludendorff and other leaders i ...
, were further decorated with the
Blood Order
The Blood Order (), officially known as the Decoration in Memory of 9 November 1923 (), was one of the most prestigious decorations in the Nazi Party (NSDAP). During March 1934, Hitler authorized the Blood Order to commemorate the 9 November 1 ...
.
The ''Alte Kämpfer'' also enjoyed more tangible benefits of their status. Once the Nazis took power, they received preference in employment and promotion. Many were given prestigious jobs in the opera houses, government buildings and universities of the
Third Reich
Nazi Germany, officially known as the German Reich and later the Greater German Reich, was the German state between 1933 and 1945, when Adolf Hitler and the Nazi Party controlled the country, transforming it into a totalitarian dictat ...
. Many achieved high status, such as
Christian Weber, a former bouncer who was made an
SS general.
Nazi propaganda glorified them as a small handful of fighters against almost impossible odds.
A Nazi Speaker: 1926-38
See also
* Old Bolshevik
The Old Bolsheviks (), also called the Old Bolshevik Guard or Old Party Guard, were members of the Bolshevik faction of the Russian Social Democratic Labour Party prior to the Russian Revolution of 1917. Many Old Bolsheviks became leading politi ...
References
Nazi terminology
Nazi Party members
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