31st Annual Student Research Conference
The Rise and Fall of the German-American Bund
Scott K. McEachern♦
Dr. Steven Reschly, Faculty Mentor
Massive banners with swastikas. Enormous crowds pledging allegiance to brutal authoritarians. Open debate over the merits of democracy and republicanism vs. fascism. Calls for expulsion of ‘undesirable’ members of society. These phrases may bring to mind images of far-off nations but they also refer to a specific time in American history. In the 1930’s, the German-American Bund promoted a fascist alternative to American society combined with allegiance towards Hitler’s Germany. The Bund achieved great, if short-lived, success but the question remains, why? This presentation will analyze the rhetoric used by the Bund at their largest events to examine how the Bund presented themselves to Americans and why many were receptive to the message at all.
Keywords: American History, Great Depression, World War II, Nazism, German-American History
Topic(s):History
History Senior Seminar
Presentation Type: Oral Paper
Session: 307-3
Location: MG 2090
Time: 1:30