1939 Nazi rally at Madison Square Garden
Probably many people saw one short movie from Nazi rally in the 1930's Germany. Today, I will talk about one such event that did not happen in Germany, not even in Europe, but in the United States of America in 1939 on the eve of the Second World War.
But, to understand what happened then, we need to know who was involved in this event. In 1933, when Adolf Hitler became the Chancellor of Germany, Heinz Spanknobel formed the Friends of New Germany, a pro-Nazi organization in the USA. Its ideology was the same as his European counterpart:
- anti-Semitism
- Pan-Germanism
- Nazism
- Isolationism
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| Flag of the German-American Bund |
Through rallies, distributing literature and establishing youth camps where Nazi principles were taught, the organization managed to gain support, especially among German-Americans. Among its ranks, a key figure would in the person of Fritz Julius Kuhn. Born in Munich, in 1896, he was a German veteran of First World War. He joined the Nazi Party, but he was expelled shortly after. In 1927, Kuhn emigrated to the United States and became a US citizen in 1934. He settled in Detroit area and began working as an industrial engineer. It was here where he joined the German-American Bund.
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| Fritz Julius Kuhn (1896-1951) |
Possessing charisma and organizational skills contributed to his ascent within the Bund, and he became the leader of the organization. On February 20, 1939, the Bund rallied its supporters in Madison Square Garden. It is estimated that 20,000 people attended the event where Nazi symbols were featured and the speakers delivered anti-Semitic and pro-Nazi speeches.
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| Photograph from the event |
The rally had some sort of support but it was nevertheless highly criticized by the majority of the Americans disagreed with the movement, including several Jewish organizations and anti-fascists activists. Moreover, the Bund was heavily scrutinized by the US government and law enforcement. Eventually, Fritz Julius Kuhn was arrested for embezzlement and, as a result, the Bund's influence waned and dissolved in December 1941. As for Kuhn, he was released from prison in 1943 and deported to Germany. He would struggle financially until his death in 1951 in Munich.
