25 Points of the NSDAP

The 25-Point Program (German: 25-Punkte-Programm) was the foundational political program of the National Socialist German Workers' Party (NSDAP), officially proclaimed on February 24, 1920, at the Hofbräuhaus in Munich before an audience of approximately 2,000 people. At the time of its announcement, the party changed its name from the German Workers' Party (Deutsche Arbeiterpartei, DAP) to the National Socialist German Workers' Party (NSDAP). The program would remain the official statement of party principles throughout the party's existence, with party leadership declaring it "unalterable" and "immutable."

Gottfried Feder, German economist and key intellectual influence behind the 25-Point Program

Historical Context

The program emerged during a period of significant political and economic instability in post-World War I Germany. The Weimar Republic faced challenges including hyperinflation, political violence, and widespread dissatisfaction with the terms of the Treaty of Versailles. Various nationalist, socialist, and völkisch movements competed for support among disaffected segments of German society, including war veterans, the middle class, and workers.

The NSDAP sought to distinguish itself by combining elements that appealed to multiple constituencies: nationalist demands for territorial revision and German unity, racial and antisemitic policies, and populist economic measures that addressed concerns about capitalism and social inequality.

Authorship and Origins

The exact authorship of individual points within the program remains a subject of historical discussion. The primary author is generally considered to be Anton Drexler, the party's co-founder and original leader. Gottfried Feder, an economist and early party member, contributed significantly to the economic sections, particularly those dealing with interest rates, capital, and the concept of "breaking the shackles of interest slavery" (Brechung der Zinsknechtschaft). Feder had published a pamphlet titled "Manifesto for Breaking the Interest Slavery of Money" in 1919, which influenced several economic points in the program.

Adolf Hitler participated in the drafting process, though his role appears to have been more editorial and organizational rather than as the primary author of the content. Hitler would later emphasize the program's importance and declare it unchangeable, using it as a symbol of party continuity and commitment to its original principles. Dietrich Eckart, a journalist and early mentor to Hitler, also contributed to the program's development.

In 1926, during internal party debates about potential program revisions, Hitler reaffirmed at the Bamberg Conference that the 25 points were to remain unchanged, solidifying their status as the party's permanent platform.

Overview

The 25-Point Program can be broadly categorized into several thematic areas:

• Nationalist and territorial demands: Calls for the unification of all Germans, rejection of the Versailles and Saint-Germain treaties, and demands for territory and colonies to support the German population.

• Racial and citizenship policies: Definition of citizenship based on "German blood," explicit exclusion of Jews from citizenship and public life, and establishment of different legal statuses for citizens and non-citizens.

• Economic and social policies: Demands for nationalization of trusts, profit-sharing, land reform, expansion of social welfare, protection of the middle class, and measures against "unearned income" and interest.

• State structure and authority: Calls for a strong centralized government, elimination of federal state autonomy, control of the press and media, and state-directed education.

The program was designed to appeal to a broad coalition of interests, combining nationalist sentiment, antisemitic prejudice, and populist economic rhetoric that addressed concerns about both capitalism and Marxism.

The 25 Points

The following is the complete list of the 25 points as proclaimed in 1920:

1. We demand the unification of all Germans in the Greater Germany on the basis of the right of self-determination of peoples.
2. We demand equality of rights for the German people in respect to the other nations; abrogation of the peace treaties of Versailles and St. Germain.
3. We demand land and territory (colonies) for the sustenance of our people, and colonization for our surplus population.
4. Only a member of the race can be a citizen. A member of the race can only be one who is of German blood, without consideration of creed. Consequently no Jew can be a member of the race.
5. Whoever has no citizenship is to be able to live in Germany only as a guest, and must be under the authority of legislation for foreigners.
6. The right to determine matters concerning the law and the administration of the State is to be enjoyed by the citizen alone. Therefore we demand that every public office, of any sort whatsoever, whether in the Reich, the county or municipality, be filled only by citizens.
7. We demand that the State be charged first with providing the opportunity for a livelihood and way of life for the citizens. If it is impossible to sustain the total population of the State, then the members of foreign nations (non-citizens) are to be expelled from the Reich.
8. Any further immigration of non-citizens is to be prevented. We demand that all non-Germans, who have immigrated to Germany since the 2 August 1914, be forced immediately to leave the Reich.
9. All citizens must have equal rights and obligations.
10. The first obligation of every citizen must be to work productively, mentally or physically. The activity of individuals is not to counteract the interests of the universality, but must have its result within the framework of the whole for the benefit of all. Consequently we demand:
11. The abolition of incomes unearned by work.
12. In consideration of the monstrous sacrifice in property and blood that each war demands of the people, personal enrichment through a war must be designated as a crime against the people. Therefore we demand the total confiscation of all war profits.
13. We demand the nationalization of all (previous) associated industries (trusts).
14. We demand a division of profits of all heavy industries.
15. We demand an expansion on a large scale of old age welfare.
16. We demand the creation of a healthy middle class and its conservation, immediate communalization of the great department stores and their being leased at low cost to small firms, and utmost consideration of all small firms in contracts with the State, county or municipality.
17. We demand a land reform suitable to our needs, provision of a law for the free expropriation of land for the purposes of public utility, abolition of taxes on land and prevention of all speculation in land.
18. We demand struggle without consideration against those whose activity is injurious to the general interest. Common national criminals, usurers, profiteers and so forth are to be punished with death, without consideration of confession or race.
19. We demand substitution of a German common law in place of the Roman Law serving a materialistic world-order.
20. The State is to be responsible for a fundamental reconstruction of our whole national education program, to enable every capable and industrious German to obtain higher education and subsequently introduction into leading positions. The plans of instruction of all educational institutions are to be adjusted to meet the requirements of practical life. The comprehension of the concept of the State must be striven for by the school (Staatsbürgerkunde) as early as the beginning of understanding. We demand the education of gifted children of poor parents, whatever their class or occupation, at the expense of the State.
21. The State is to care for the elevating national health by protecting the mother and child, by outlawing child labor, by the encouragement of physical fitness, by means of the legal establishment of a gymnastic and sport obligation, by the utmost support of all organizations concerned with the physical instruction of the young.
22. We demand abolition of the mercenary troops and formation of a national army.
23. We demand the legal opposition to known lies and their promulgation through the press. In order to enable the provision of a German press, we demand that: - All writers and employees of the newspapers appearing in the German language be members of the race; - Non-German newspapers be required to have the express permission of the State to be published. They may not be printed in the German language; - Non-Germans are forbidden by law any financial interest in or influence upon German newspapers, and that the penalty for violating the law will be the closing of any such newspaper as well as the immediate expulsion from the Reich of the non-German concerned in the violation. - Newspapers which are counter to the general good are to be forbidden. We demand legal prosecution of all tendencies in art and literature of a kind likely to disintegrate our life as a nation, and the suppression of institutions which militate against the requirements above-mentioned.
24. We demand freedom of religion for all religious denominations within the state so long as they do not endanger its existence or oppose the moral senses of the Germanic race. The Party as such advocates the standpoint of a positive Christianity without binding itself confessionally to any one denomination. It combats the Jewish-materialistic spirit within and around us, and is convinced that a lasting recovery of our nation can only succeed from within on the framework: common utility before individual utility.
25. For the execution of all of this we demand the formation of a strong central power in the Reich. Unlimited authority of the central parliament over the whole Reich and its organizations in general. The forming of state and occupation chambers for the execution of the laws made by the Reich within the various states of the federation. The leaders of the Party promise, if necessary by sacrificing their own lives, to support by force the execution of the points set forth above.

Implementation During the Third Reich

Following the NSDAP's assumption of power in 1933, various points of the program were implemented to differing degrees. Some were fully enacted into law, others were partially realized, and some were largely abandoned or significantly modified.

Fully or Substantially Implemented

Points 4, 5, and 6 (Racial and Citizenship Policies): The racial definition of citizenship and exclusion of Jews from public life were implemented through several key pieces of legislation. The Law for the Restoration of the Professional Civil Service (April 7, 1933) removed Jews and political opponents from government positions. The Nuremberg Laws of 1935, particularly the Reich Citizenship Law, codified the racial definition of citizenship, effectively making Jews non-citizens under the law. The Law for the Protection of German Blood and German Honor prohibited marriage and sexual relations between Jews and Germans.

Point 25 (Centralization of Power): The demand for a strong central government was implemented through several laws that eliminated the autonomy of German states. The Law on the Reconstruction of the Reich (January 30, 1934) abolished state parliaments and transferred state sovereignty to the Reich government. The Reich Governors Law of 1935 further centralized administrative control.

Point 22 (Press Control): Control of the press was established through the Editors' Law (October 4, 1933), which required all journalists to be of "Aryan" descent and made editors responsible for content that could harm the state. Jewish journalists were excluded from the profession, and foreign newspapers were subject to strict censorship.

Point 1 (Unification of Germans): The demand for unification was partially realized through the annexation of Austria (Anschluss) in March 1938, the incorporation of the Sudetenland in October 1938, and the occupation of the Memel Territory in March 1939.

Point 2 (Rejection of Versailles Treaty): The regime systematically violated and eventually repudiated key provisions of the Versailles Treaty, including rearmament, remilitarization of the Rhineland, and expansion of the military beyond treaty limits.

Point 20 (Education): State control of education was implemented through the coordination (Gleichschaltung) of schools and universities, with curricula adjusted to emphasize National Socialist ideology, physical fitness, and racial concepts.

Point 3 (Colonies): The regime pursued territorial expansion in Europe, particularly the concept of Lebensraum (living space) in Eastern Europe.

Partially Implemented

Points 11, 12, 13, 16 (Economic Nationalization and Profit-Sharing): While the regime did intervene significantly in the economy and took control of some industries, full nationalization of trusts was not implemented. Private ownership of major industries generally remained, though subject to state direction and control. Profit-sharing schemes were not widely implemented. The regime maintained relationships with major industrial concerns, which provided support in exchange for profitable government contracts and protection from labor unrest.

Point 17 (Land Reform): Some land redistribution occurred, particularly in eastern territories, but comprehensive expropriation without compensation was not systematically carried out. Large landowning interests were generally preserved.

Point 15 (Middle Class Protection): Measures were taken to support small businesses and restrict department stores, but these were limited. Large retail chains continued to operate, though some restrictions were imposed.

Point 14 (Old Age Welfare): Social welfare programs were expanded, including pensions and benefits for war veterans and party members, but universal expansion of old-age welfare was not fully realized.

Point 24 (Religion): The regime initially maintained a policy of Positive Christianity and did not immediately suppress churches, but churches deemed hostile to the interests of the nation were restricted. For instance, Jehovah's Witnesses were banned because the group upheld pacifist ideology, refused to perform the Nazi salute, and serve in the military. The regime sought to control and coordinate religious institutions, and hostility toward Judaism was official policy from the beginning.

Not Implemented or Abandoned

Point 11 (Abolition of Interest): Despite the emphasis on "breaking the shackles of interest slavery" in the program, the regime did not abolish interest or fundamentally restructure the financial system. Interest rates were managed but the banking system continued to function along traditional lines.

The program's more radical economic and socialist elements were largely set aside once the regime consolidated power and required the cooperation of industrial and financial interests. The racial, nationalist, and authoritarian aspects of the program received priority in implementation.

Historical Significance

The 25-Point Program served as the foundational ideological document of the NSDAP throughout its existence. While not all points were implemented, and some were significantly modified in practice, the program provided a framework for party ideology and was frequently referenced to demonstrate continuity between the party's early goals and its actions in power. The document reflects the diverse ideological currents that contributed to National Socialism, combining nationalist, racial, and populist economic elements in a program designed to appeal to multiple segments of German society during the Weimar period.