Akten der Partei-Kanzlei der NSDAP

The Akten der Partei-Kanzlei der NSDAP [Records of the Party Chancellery of the National Socialist Party] offer extensive material on the decision-making in all areas of the Nazi regime, from the command system’s inner structure; to the history of legislative regulations in the “Third Reich,” and to state organized measures discriminating against and persecuting Jews, regime critics, and the church; as well as material on the history of one of the most important entities in the Nazi state. In addition, the records contain a variety of details on political personnel.

The written records of this important entity within the Nazi regime were almost completely destroyed at the end of the war. In over 20 years of work the records were reconstructed; it compromises 25,842 transactions with almost 200,000 pages. It contains written correspondence, reports, circulars, directives and decrees, guidelines, statements, letters, entries and other documents. The digitalized facsimiles have been summarized for the edition and provided with descriptive indexes.

Background
The Führer’s Deputy’s Staff (Stab des Stellvertreters des Führers – StdF), or the Party Chancellery of the NSDAP (Partei-Kanzlei der NSDAP) as it was known from May 1941, was considered to be the central organ of leadership and an important center of power in the NSDAP. The department was fundamentally involved in the decision-making processes within the NSDAP and sought to have a say in all aspects of the state: within the party it had far-reaching influence on the allocation of party political leadership posts such as Gauleiter, Kreisleiter and Ortsgruppenleiter. In state affairs it influenced the legislative process, was involved in the appointment of higher-ranking Reichsbeamte, had a decisive effect on the administration of the annexed territories (Austria, Sudetenland and the eastern territories) and carried out civilian war measures. The staff of the StdF and the Party Chancellery of the NSDAP were particularly prominent in the rigorous enforcement of the National Socialist race, Jewish and Polish policies and took a rigid stance against the church.

Reproduction of the documents in the database
Selecting the Akten der Partei-Kanzlei der NSDAP with the help of the Browse button opens a page with an overview of the individual parts of the database on the left: the source of the “Sachakten,” but also explanatory material and additional sources. The “Sachakten” can also be chosen with the search category “Type” in the dropdown.

Additional material (1): reference books

• Ämter, Abkürzungen, Aktionen des NS-Staates. Handbuch für die Benutzung von Quellen der nationalsozialistischen Zeit; Amtsbezeichnungen, Ränge und Verwaltungsgliederungen, Abkürzungen und nicht militärische Tarnbezeichnungen. Im Auftrag des Instituts für Zeitgeschichte bearbeitet von Heinz Boberach, Rolf Thommes und Hermann Weiss. München: K. G. Saur 1997. (Texte und Materialien zur Zeitgeschichte Bd. 5)
• Inventar archivalischer Quellen des NS-Staates. Die Überlieferung von Behörden und Einrichtungen des Reiches, der Länder und der NSDAP. Im Auftrag des Instituts für Zeitgeschichte bearbeitet von Heinz Boberach. 2 Bde. München [u. a.]: K. G. Saur 1991–1995. (Texte und Materialien zur Zeitgeschichte Bd. 3)

Additional material (2): reference books from the National Socialist era

• Führer durch die Behörden und Organisationen. 4. Auflage. Berlin: Duncker und Humblot 1939.
• Organisationsbuch der NSDAP. 7. Auflage. München: Eher 1943.
• Taschenbuch für Verwaltungsbeamte 1942. Berlin: Carl Heymanns 1942.

• A unique source for the study of the NS system
• The database contains nearly 200,000 pages of 25,842 transactions as digitalized facsimiles
• The database contains (among others historical) supplementary materials
• Non-restrictive DRM – allows for an unlimited number of simultaneous users campus- / institution-wide