‘Officially’ German
When Adolf Hitler and the “Nationalsozialistische Deutche Arbeiterpartei” came to power in 1933, they sought total control over all German citizens. They also realized Germans in the new Reich needed to be able to identify themselves as citizens in a country which hosted numerous foreigners from neighboring nations who routinely travelled across German territory. Though many members of the various organizations of the NSDAP were required to possess membership books and other forms of IDs, a basic national identification card was needed for all members of the Reich’s national community.
On July 22, 1938, a new country-wide “Kennkarte” (identification card) was introduced and issued to all Germans over the age of 18 (later
