cornerofmadness

The Nazi (NSDAP) party was founded in 1919 out of the DAP. Hitler had been ordered to infiltrate the DAP which preceded it, and that eventually grew into the Nazi party with him at the head.

November 8 of 1923 is when the Beer Hall Putsche occurred. This is when the early Nazi's (NSDAP) attempted to overthrow the existing German government in Munich, where Ed was. That event takes place in the story. Bear in mind that at that point, while the Nazi Party was strongly nationalist, and wanted a 'pure' Germany for Germans only, most of the members really felt that was an ideal, but were members more for the worker's union aspects at a time when Germany's economy was completely destroyed by the terms of the Treaty of Versailles. Most of them had no idea of what that party was to become in the following years leading up to World War Two.

Hitler was imprisoned for treason after the failed putsche, and that was when he wrote Mein Kampf which more specifically outlined his own views and his plan to purify Germany etc.

As far as Hughes being a Nazi, he was a police officer. Most of the men in his beat were party members because they wanted improvements in the economy, and better jobs, so it was reasonable at that point to expect that he would be a member too for those reasons, even if he didn't know of, or agree with the underlying ideology and intense nationalism and genetic isolationism that Hitler strengthened and expanded on once he entered DAP and it later headed NSDAP (Nazi party).

When you watch the movie, you don't get the sense of "These are Nazi's and they are evil and devious." It's not how they are presented at all. It's probably not how they were at that point in history either. They were fairly young men, pleasant and trying to work toward a better Germany. Mostly they had an understanding that the current government needed to go and a new system put into place. That was what the Putsche in 1923 was about.

In the movie, the ideology that was strongly central to the Nazi party and in German attitudes later as the economic disaster deepened was only touched on briefly as many people genuinely felt (as is often the case) that the bad times are because of XYZ group. Here in the US the Irish were treated horribly. We were accused of bringing down neighborhoods, taking all the jobs and being troublemakers.

Now don't get the idea that I'm defending the Nazi party, or Hitler in any way. I'm just pointing out that Germany was no stranger to segregationist and nationalist thinking at any point, but that their horrific economic condition following the trouncing they got in WWI, combined with charismatic leaders who really did think the problem was 'outsiders' who needed to be ejected (and not at that point destroyed. That thinking also came later as I understand it) from Germany so that Germans could have the jobs and the benefits. The Treaty of Versailles was really so harsh that it was a huge contributor to the rise of the Nazi party in Germany. After World War II, the Allies made sure that mistake wasn't made again, as great effort was put into the restoration, rather than leaving once again a completely devastated Germany with no resources to rebuild itself.

I liked CoS. I heard plenty of people who didn't like it talk about it, but I watched it and decided for myself. Bear in mind too, that it's an AU Germany. The concepts of parallel universes is mentioned by one of the important supporting characters. In such a universe people may be similar, but with situations that are not necessarily the same.

I'm no history expert. I did have to stop and look a few things up, but since I write CoS canon, I do know at least what Ed went through in Munich, and also, how I perceived Hughes part in the party, and the putsche. It definitely wasn't "I'm an evil Nazi that wants to kill everyone except Aryans" It was more quiet. Ed didn't even find out until the night of the uprising when he walks in to the beer hall and realises that something is up. It's at that point where Hughes points out his membership but his attitude is more like: "We're all members of this party, and we're going to overthrow the government for the good of Germany so we can all improve our lives." (no that's not a direct quote)

I hope it's helpful.

Ah, I see.