The Bund And Milwaukee
The German-American Bund had various posts throughout the United States and was nationally headed by Fritz Kuhn (Bernstein, 33). Kuhn’s exciting style of delivering his rhetoric gathered him a lot of support for the Bund which then encouraged a connection to Hitler’s Germany. Eventually, Hitler sought out the group and gave his approval as well as his encouragement while in a meeting with the mid-west leader, George Froboese, and the group leader, Fritz Kuhn (Bernstein, 63). In turn this pushed the Bund to actively seek more membership across the country and targeted those who agreed with the political ideology of the German Nazi Party. Southeastern Wisconsin, specifically the Milwaukee area, was an ideal location for the Bund to prosper due to its heavy German heritage and large number of German immigrants.
The Bund established a post in Milwaukee under the leadership of George Froboese, a like-minded German sympathizer who had belonged to the organization for a couple years (Bernstein, 62). Organizing in the Milwaukee area was found to be easier than in other urban centers across the nation. This was due to roughly 43% of the city’s population who were either first generation German Americans or immigrants born in Germany and now residing in the Milwaukee area. The group met frequently at various heritage events in Milwaukee at beer halls around the city or conference centers. In these meetings the group would discuss activities to increase awareness and membership of the organization.