It was the main political force in Nazi Germany from the fall of the Weimar Republic until the end of World War II in 1945, when it was declared illegal and its leaders were arrested and convicted of crimes against humanity at the Nuremberg trials.
The NSDAP was founded in 1919 by a Munich locksmith Anton Drexler. By 1932 it was widely supported throughout Germany and reached a total of 13,75 mio. votes becoming the largest voting bloc in the Reichstag? -- the German parliament. After ban or cancellation of all other parties (until 7.5.1933) and the ban of new parties (7.14.1933), it was the only remaining political party. This was part of the Gleichschaltung.
election results:
date | votes in mio. | share |
5-20-1928 | 0,81 | 2,6% |
9-14-1930 | 6,41 | 18,3% |
7-31-1932 | 13,75 | 37,3% |
11-6-1932 | 11,74 | 33,1% |
3-5-1933 | 17,28 | 43,9% |