1st Edition
The Rise of National Socialism in the Bavarian Highlands A Microhistory of Murnau, 1919-1933
The Rise of National Socialism in the Bavarian Highlands offers a microhistory of the town of Murnau between 1919 and 1933, a period which witnessed the rise of national socialism in Germany.
National socialism had its roots in Bavaria, where the Weimar Republic found it difficult to secure popular support amongst the rural population. It was in this region that economic hardship and effective national socialist propaganda furthered the erosion of democracy. Focusing on Murnau, this book examines the political and economic state of the town, as well as the mentality and social composition of its inhabitants. It also looks at the development of tourism in the interwar period, a topic which has received little scholarly attention. Although the study limits itself to one town, the reactions of its inhabitants reflect a common attitude of nostalgia for a seemingly better past and a rejection of the ‘excessive’ demands of modernity that the Weimar Republic exacted on them.
This book will appeal to scholars and students of national socialism, as well as those interested in the Weimer Republic, Nazi Germany, microhistory, and the history of tourism.
List of Figures
Acknowledgements
Abbreviations
Introduction
Chapter 1: Murnau at the Beginning of the Twentieth Century
Life in Murnau
Population
Clubs and societies
Tourism
Chapter 2: Murnau During the Early Years of Crisis (1918/19-1923)
Bavaria after 1918: politics in a state of emergency
Revolution and demobilization
Parties and elections on local, regional and national levels
The citizens' militia
Economic crisis, plight and inflation
Local protagonists and völkisch propaganda
Agitation against the Allies and reparations
The Oberland League
Andreas Hofer League
The founding of the National Socialist local branch in Murnau
Membership in the NSDAP local branch
Campaigning for the NSDAP
Hitler's visit to Murnau
Murnau citizens participating in the Hitler Putsch
War legacy
Returning soldiers and death cult
James Loeb and the controversy about ‘Jewish’ money
Sports and politics
Winter Sports Club
Aviation as rearmament effort
‘Schützenvereine’: marksmen’s clubs
Warriors’ and Veterans’ Association and League of Front Fighters
Tourism and xenophobia
Shrovetide
Cultural self-assertion
Chapter 3: Murnau during the Roaring Twenties (1924-1928)
Tourism and politics
Politics
The Association for Germandom Abroad
Imposters and the bankruptcy and closure of businesses
Mass entertainment under völkisch rumbling
Retail’s struggle against consumer cooperatives
Infrastructure and welfare
Chapter 4: Murnau and the Slide into Dictatorship (1929-1932)
Propaganda
Communal, Landtag and Reichstag elections
Mastering crisis
The Year 1930
The year 1931
The Murnau hospital. A perfect solution?
Excursus: The trace of money
The year 1932
Conclusion
Unpublished Sources
Archives
Periodicals
Published Sources
Primary sources
Secondary sources
Index
Biography
Edith Raim is Lecturer of Contemporary History at the University of Augsburg, Germany. She has previously worked at the University of Durham, the Haus der Geschichte in Bonn, and the Institute for Contemporary History in Munich.
