| Sumario: | It is often argued that the middle class in Weimar Germany was the major class basis of Nazism. The present discussion will attempt to develop a Weberian framework for the analysis of the class relationships of the middle class in Weimar Germany. As a necessary element in understanding the relationship between class and party, it will consider the contributions by Lipset[1] and Geiger[2] on this topic and will present an application of the framework developed. <BR> However, the paper does not suggest that the middle class is the main factor to be considered when concerned with the rise of Nazism. Certainly the middle class vote did not bring Hitler to power unaided by substantial support from other quarters. It is a good idea to bear in mind Rosenberg's taunt: 'Amateur sociologists have generally concluded that the petit-bourgeoisie was that mysterious class with the aid of which Hitler and Mussolini won their victory. The greengrocer Fritz Schulze grew to demoniacal size. With one hand he holds down the proletariat and with the other capitalism. He incorporates the nation and dominates the new century.'[3].
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