From craftsmen to capitalists

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Politically adrift and alienated from Weimar society, the independent artisans of interwar Germany became a receptive audience for National Socialist ideology, drawn by the party's rejection of both capitalism and Bolshevism. As Hitler consolidated power, they emerged as a significant Nazi constituency. However, post-1945, the artisan class transformed into a pillar of stability, integrating into German society. This account explores their remarkable evolution, detailing how skilled tradesmen redefined their historical traditions and formed alliances with former adversaries to contribute to German democratization and recovery. Traditionally, historians have viewed German Handwerker primarily through the lens of their alleged Nazi sentiments or economic backwardness. This extensively researched volume challenges that perspective, demonstrating that these artisans were not solely reactionary in their politics nor merely sacrificed by the Nazis for the war economy. The study engages with important scholarly debates and reflects a deep sympathy for the challenges faced by tradespeople in a rapidly changing society, treating their history with the complexity it deserves rather than reducing them to simplistic caricatures.