Movement Development and Organizational Networks: The Role of 'Single Members' in the German Nazi Party, 1925-30

Abstract

Discusses the role of single members in the early formation of the National Socialist Party in Germany to illuminate the process of organizational development & consolidation in the sociology of social movements. Early Nazi activists' establishment of local chapters & the formation of networks between these chapters & mainstream civil society are explored. Linkages between the organizational foundations of the Nazi movement and diverse networks of constituencies were formed in a manner that surpassed narrow ideological constraints, & these relations were critical to the social movement's growth. The single members' creation of local party chapters, geographic distribution, & socioeconomic characteristics are analyzed for importance in the organization's development. 6 Tables, 4 Figures. L. Collins Leigh