New online database lets Germans discover their family's Nazi past
What's the story
An online database launched by German newspaper Die Zeit has revealed the Nazi Party membership of many Germans, including their ancestors. The tool allows users to search through the extensive archives of the National Socialist German Workers's Party (NSDAP). The database has been accessed "millions of times" and shared widely, with over 1,000 comments from readers.
Family revelations
Millions of hits on the database
The database has sparked intense interest among Germans to unearth long-buried family secrets. Christian Staas, Die Zeit's history editor, said the tool has been accessed "millions of times" and shared "by the thousands." It comes as many Germans are now more willing to confront their family's involvement in the Nazi regime. The tool's launch comes at a time when many witnesses from that era are passing away.
Family history
A father-son revelation
One such story is that of Olaf Kondgen, a 64-year-old German citizen and human rights expert. He discovered through the database that his father, Ernst, was a member of the Nazi Party. Ernst joined on September 1, 1939—the day World War II started. This revelation has changed Kondgen's understanding of his father's motivations and character.
Membership statistics
Women in Nazi Germany
The database has also revealed that between 1925 and 1945, around 10.2 million Germans were members of the NSDAP. Notably, women were a minority in the party but their numbers grew sharply after World War II began in 1939. The reasons for joining varied from ideological conviction to opportunism for career advancement. However, there is no historical evidence of Germans being forced to join or signing up without knowledge, as many insisted after the war.
Historical records
How did the database come into existence?
The NSDAP kept precise records of its members. Just before the war ended, they removed an estimated 50 tons of paper from their headquarters in Munich to a paper mill. The mill's manager saved the index cards from destruction and later American forces brought them to the Berlin document center for postwar denazification efforts. In the 1990s, these records were entrusted to German federal archives and microfilm copies were made available online by the US National Archives in late February.
Cultural reckoning
Reckoning with the past
The revelations from the database have prompted a reassessment of Germany's Erinnerungskultur, or culture of reckoning with its Nazi past. Susanne Beyer, a senior editor at Spiegel magazine, noted that most Germans harbor illusions about their own families' involvement in the regime. Louis Lewitan, a psychologist who studied the long-term effects of the Holocaust on survivors and their descendants, said these secrets can leave invisible scars.