Swastika Nation: Fritz Kuhn and the Rise and Fall of the German-American Bund

There are several books about the 1930s politics and street warfare involving the American Nazi movement and this book fills in the story of Fritz Kuhn's American knockoff of the Nazi Party, at least to the U.S. entry into the war in December, 1941.The book lays out that the Bund was a kind of political movement, had a relatively small regular number of regular dues paying members (maybe in the 10,000-15,000 members' range at its peak, not including temporary membership with the cause), and Kuhn's organization was at best tolerated by the German Nazis, who had reservations that the American club would draw unwanted foreign policy attention to German war aims, interfering with the German attempt to keep the U.S out of a European war. Kuhn inflated his insider credentials and promoted his importance to the Nazi cause to increase his financial take and control of the Bund's organization for his personal benefit, which proved his undoing. The American Nazi era impacted social and political events of the 1930s and early 1940s but appears unconnected to American Industrial/financial class-Nazi interconnected war materiel trading that continued through third parties and off-shore American business subsidiaries with the Nazi regime to near the end of the war.The book cuts off at the dissolution of the Bund after the Bombing of Pearl Harbor and Germany's declaration of war against the United States. The aftermath section, however, glosses over what happened to something like 10,000 or more former members during the war, excepting for some preemptory few paragraphs of some of the principals in the book. Kuhn's legacy and stint in prison during and after the war are documented; however, the section glosses over the membership's 1942-45 activities, except to mention that some members (maybe 19 of them?) commited seditious acts attempting interfering with the draft. One wonders how many American Nazi's were in U.S. military uniform or worked in defense plants during the war?I would have preferred more information about the Bund's members' sedition issues both during and after the war, and connections to right wing politic agitation (like the anti-Communist hearings?) from 1946-1965.

Bernstein's entertaining narrative sheds light on a different America, an America that was more racist than we imagine, although the vast majority of Americans hooted, harrassed and attacked Kuhn and his comic Bund as anti-American, instinctively recoiling against the Bund's twisted notions. Some famous figures pop up from time to time. The Bund and its supporters were loathsome but their actions were more comic opera, Kuhn's grandiose ambitions are often fuel for laughter to the reader.A very well written and highly entertaining and informative book.

In the 1930s many organizations and ideologies enjoyed support in the aftermath of the Wall Street Crash. With the fundamental principals of free enterprise and democracy seemingly proven to be outmoded or failed ideas, communism, technocracy and fascism seemed to be viable ideas. And so enters Kuhn and his German-American Bund.Clearly inspired by Hitler's National Socialist Party, the Bund inherited the membership of several other pro-Nazi organizations and became the sole proprietor of Hitler's brand of totalitarianism... even though the German government denied any real link between the two. Bernstein does a good job of studying the Bund's organization, leadership and policies. The author's writing is good, although he does tend to go off on tangents. A good book on this topic that goes beyond the stock newsreel footage and photos of the Madison Square Garden rally.

Frightening.Good to read so as to not repeat history.

okay book but not as much detail as wanted

I thoroughly enjoyed reading this book. Not only was it an interesting read, but Arnie's description and background of the characters, all through the book, was fascinating to follow. So many well known people were involved in the take-down or support of the Bund. It was an aspect of pre-World War II history that has rarely been told. Well done, Arnie Bernstein.

I learned a lot about the Nazi organization before the WW II in the USA. I did not know about all the antisemitism here by famous and everyday Americans. The book is well written and informative.

A fairly pedestrian and superficial account of the German American Bund, but reasonably entertaining. My biggest criticism or the book is saved for the publisher. Apparently an editor never got near the book, leading to some sloppy bloopers throughout the book. Glad I got it for $3.99!

Very good and interesting book. It meets fully my expectations. There are a lot of faxts and Details and you get a good Feeling how the life in that time was.

Ver informative book.