NAZI Nuremberg 1935 Party Congress: The Rally of Freedom


Figure 1.--Hitler Youth boys provided an importnt part of the pagentry for the annual NAZI Party Rallies, including the 1935 NAZI Party Rally pictured here.

Geman Führer Adolf Hitler commonly used the annual Nuremberg NAZI Party Rallies (Reichsparteitag) to make important announcements. The Party Rallies are sometimes call conventions or congresses, but this seems a misnomer as the assembled party members did not debate policy, but were there to hear what the leadership told them about Party policy which in 1933 becanme government policy. The 1935 Party Congress was particularly important. Hitler had already taken major steps earlier in the year. after making Germany's secret armament program public and reinstituting conscription (a major violation of the Versailles Treaty). The 1935 Party Rally was called the Rally for Freedom (Reichsparteitag der Freiheit). Here 'Freedom' refered to the reintroduced of conscription (compulsory military service) and German 'liberation' from the restrictions of the Treaty of Versailles. Hitler also used the Rally to put the new Wehrmacht on display to the public. He also announced three new laws (September 15). Leni Riefenstahl used the occassion to shot one of her films at the rally, "Tag der Freiheit: Unsere Wehrmacht". Hitler then announced three new laws which he decreed. The first was the Flag Law which replaced the Weimar red, black, and yellow banner with the red flag containing a white circle and black swastica device. Hitler also announced two other new laws that were to be the cornerstones of German racist policies that came to define the Third Reich and layed the legal foundation for the supression of Jews and other non-Aryans . These decrees became known as the Nuremberg Race Laws. Such decrees in NAZI Germany had the force of law. In this case they were passed by the NAZI rubber stamp Reichstag.

NAZI Party Rallies

Geman Führer Adolf Hitler commonly used the annual Nuremberg NAZI Party Rallies (Reichsparteitag) to make important announcements. The Party Rallies are sometimes called conventions or congresses, but this seems a misnomer as the assembled party members did not debate policy, but were there to hear what the leadership told them about Party policy which in 1933 becanme government policy. The The Nuremberg Rallies was the annual rally of the NAZI Party. The first rally was held in 1923, the year Hitler staged the Beer Hall Putch in Munich. They were not at first held annually. It was not until 3 years later thst the second Rally was held (1926). The first Rallies were relatively modest affairs, but became much more important as the NAZIs became a major political party (1930) and especially after the seizure of power (1933). With the resources of the Führer state, Reichsparteitag became an annual national celebration. The Reichsparteitag were staged annually at the NAZI party rally grounds in Nuremberg (1933-38). The Hitler Youth and other NAZI units olayed a major role in the pgentry. The best known Reichsparteitag is probably the 6th Reichsparteitag (1935). Leni Riefenstahl used the event to film 'Triumph des Willens' widely regarded as the most powerful propagnda film ever made. It was also the platform for issuing the Nuremberg Race Laws. Rhe Rallies were held through 1938 when Hitler used the Rally as the final statement of his commitment to seize the Sudentenland, leadsing to the Munich Crisis. The 1938 Rally would prove to be the last one. The 1939 Rally was cancelled when Hilter launched World War II by unvading Poland (September 1939).

German Militarization

The 1935 Party Congress was particularly important. Hitler had already taken major steps earlier in the year. After making Germany's secret armament program public and reinstituting conscription (a major violation of the Versailles Treaty).

Freedom Rally (Reichsparteitag der Freiheit)

The NAZIs gave each of their Party rallies a name which set the theme. The 1935 Party Rally was called the Rally for Freedom (Reichsparteitag der Freiheit). Here 'Freedom' refered to the reintroduced of conscription (compulsory military service) and German 'liberation' from the restrictions of the Treaty of Versailles.

The Wehrmact on View

Hitler also used the Rally to put the new Wehrmacht on display to the public. There were overflights by the Luftwaffe. He also announced three new laws (September 15). Leni Riefenstahl used the occassion to shot one of her films at the rally, "Tag der Freiheit: Unsere Wehrmacht".

Nuremberg Race Laws

Hitler then announced three new laws which he decreeded. The first was the Flag Law which replaced the Weimar red, black, and yellow banner with the red flag containing a white circle and black swastica device. This essentially symbolically eliminated the difference betwwen the Party and Government. Hitler also announced two other new laws that were to be the cornerstones of German racist policies that came to define the Third Reich and layed the legal foundation for the supression of Jews and other non-Aryans . These decrees became known as the Nuremberg Race Laws. Such decrees in NAZI Germany had the force of law. Hitler notably used the term 'Final Solution' (endgültige Lösung) in presenting the Laws to the Reichstag that had convened in Nuremberg.

Triumph of the Will

Leni Riefenstahl used the Reichsparteitag to film 'Triumph des Willens' widely regarded as the most powerful propagnda film ever made. It was the most famous film made in the NAZI era. It is one of thge most poweful and influential films ever made. It was a brilliant piece of propaganda film making. This documentary depicts the Sixth Nazi Party Congress at Nuremberg in 1935. It helped fuel the power of the NAZI state and to make a needed statement of discipline and order that was needed by the NAZIs in their early years. This powerful film had a tremendous impact on Germans, especially young Germans. Its sweeping style was later used by American director Frank Capra for his war documentaries. The director was. It may well be the classic propaganda film of all time. The power of the film probably was a factor in the Allied decision to hold the war crimes trials in Nuremburg--the ideological seat of NAZI power.






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Created: 7:05 AM 8/8/2011
Last updated: 7:21 AM 9/20/2011