Adolf Hitler Fund of German Trade and Industry
The Adolf Hitler Fund of German Trade and Industry ("Adolf-Hitler-Spende der deutschen Wirtschaft") was a donation from the German employers' association and the "Reichsverband" of German industry, which was established on June 1, 1933, to support the NSDAP. It was named after the Führer of the NSDAP Adolf Hitler and was meant for the "national reconstruction" ("nationaler Wiederaufbau").
The inspiration to this project came from Gustav Krupp von Bohlen und Halbach, the chairman of the Reichsverband der deutschen Industrie, and Martin Bormann.
According to Speer, entrepreneurs were requested to contribute in appreciation for their profits from the economic boom. Bormann then distributed some of the donations to various party leaders on behalf of Hitler.[1]
At first it was a voluntary donation, but during the following years it became more and more a forced contribution for some concerns. Till 1945 the NSDAP collected about 700 million ℛ︁ℳ︁ (equivalent to €3 billion 2021).
References
- Speer, Albert (1995). Inside the Third Reich. London: Weidenfeld & Nicolson. pp. 137–138. ISBN 9781842127353.
External links
- Documents and clippings about Adolf Hitler Fund of German Trade and Industry in the 20th Century Press Archives of the ZBW