Max Amann Nazi party leader Date of Birth: 24.11.1891 Country: Germany

1. Biography of Max Amann
2. Early Life and Military Service
3. Involvement in the NSDAP
4. Role in NSDAP and the Press
5. Relationship with Adolf Hitler
6. Post-War Years

Biography of Max Amann

Max Amann was a prominent figure in the National Socialist German Workers' Party (NSDAP) and a high-ranking member of the Schutzstaffel (SS). He was also the leader of the Third Reich's press organs, a Reichsleiter (senior party leader), and a deputy in the Reichstag.

Early Life and Military Service

Born in 1891, Max Amann received a trade and economics education in his youth, which proved useful in his later career. During World War I, he served as a Feldwebel (sergeant) and was a comrade and direct commander of Adolf Hitler. A close friendship developed between them, and Hitler had complete trust in Amann. In recognition of his bravery, Amann was awarded the Iron Cross in 1914. After demobilization, he worked in a bank in a high position for some time.

Involvement in the NSDAP

In 1921, Amann became a member of the NSDAP, and during the Beer Hall Putsch, he stood beside Hitler. For his participation in the failed coup, he was convicted and sentenced to 4.5 months of imprisonment. Critics described Max Amann as a dull and unprincipled executor. Politician, philosopher, and journalist Otto Strasser referred to Amann and other close associates of Hitler in his memoir "Hitler and I" using extremely harsh terms, calling them malicious and depraved beings, blind and vile instruments, and a gang of hardened fraudsters.

Role in NSDAP and the Press

In 1921, Max Amann became the business manager of the NSDAP and the financial director of the Nazi publication "Völkischer Beobachter" (People's Observer). In 1922, he took charge of the Central Publishing House of the Nazi Party, known as "Eher Verlag." This position involved overseeing all printing activities of the NSDAP and, after the Nazi's rise to power, all of Germany's printing activities. Amann implemented policies of political and racial purity in the publishing sector, resulting in the acquisition of competing press organs and publishing houses owned by Jews at bargain prices, which were then integrated into "Eher Verlag," thus eliminating opposition press.

Relationship with Adolf Hitler

Adolf Hitler held Max Amann in high regard, emphasizing his exceptional organizational abilities, commercial talent, diligence, and extreme conscientiousness. When Hitler initially titled his book "Four and a Half Years of Struggle against Lies, Stupidity, and Cowardice," Amann advised him to shorten and make it more appealing. He suggested the concise and impactful title "Mein Kampf" ("My Struggle").

Post-War Years

In 1945, Amann was arrested by the American authorities and sentenced to 10 years of forced labor in concentration camps. However, he was released in 1953. After his release, he lived and died in Munich.