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Ernst HanfshtanglFrom 1933 to 1937 he served as press secretary of the National Socialist Workers' Party - NSDAP.
Date of Birth: .
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Content:
- Early Life and Education
- Relationship with Hitler and the Nazi Party
- Conflict within the Nazi Party
- Forced Exile
- Post-War Era
Early Life and Education
Egon Hanfstaengl was born on February 23, 1902, in Munich, Germany. His father, Paul Hanfstaengl, was a wealthy book publisher, and his mother, Helen Sedgwick, was an American. Hanfstaengl attended Harvard University from 1905 to 1909 before returning to Germany to serve in the Bavarian Royal Infantry.
Relationship with Hitler and the Nazi Party
In 1921, Hanfstaengl met Adolf Hitler at a beer hall rally. He became a supporter of the Nazi Party and used his financial resources to help turn the party newspaper, the "Volkischer Beobachter," into a daily newspaper. Hanfstaengl played a key role in the Beer Hall Putsch of 1923 and served as Hitler's press representative.
After the failed putsch, Hanfstaengl was forced to flee to Austria. He returned to Germany after Hitler's release from prison in 1924 and became the party's press advisor. In 1933, he was officially appointed as the party's press secretary.
Conflict within the Nazi Party
Despite his loyalty to Hitler, Hanfstaengl faced hostility from many Nazi leaders. His bourgeois background and outspoken criticism of the regime's excesses drew the ire of Joseph Goebbels and Hermann Goering. He became an irritant to the Nazi hierarchy and was seen as a potential threat.
Forced Exile
In 1937, Hitler ordered Hanfstaengl to go on a secret mission to Spain, where he was supposed to be killed in an accident. However, Hanfstaengl escaped to Zurich. He then fled to London, where he lived in exile until the outbreak of World War II.
Post-War Era
Hanfstaengl was arrested as an enemy alien in 1939 and interned in Britain. He was released in 1942 and worked with the American government to create anti-Nazi propaganda. After World War II, he was extradited to Germany and interned for a time. In 1947, he returned to Munich, where he lived until his death in 1975.