The business leaders who funded Hitler’s election campaign

It has often been asserted that the Nazis were funded by big business, however this is nonsense - except for one occasion and that was the March 1933 elections. On 20 February 1933, Hitler and Goering met leaders of German industry in order to point out the dangers of Marxism and that there is no cash to fight the forthcoming elections. Of course this effected the other parties as well, but one thing that the Nazis were good at was public relations and they managed more rallies than any other party. A Nazi rally was not just a political event, they would also arrange some entertainment such as a band, a dance and some beer or food. Whereas the events were usually not free, they were not money spinners either. Today this is a normal part of electioneering, but then it was quite revolutionary. To ensure they got their point across, the Nazis brought in their big names to ensure a bigger crowd, something other parties did not do as a rule. In this photograph, for example, we can see WW1 hero General Li