Nazi assembly Munich Zirkus Krone 1923.

A photo of a Nazi rally at the Zirkus Krone in Munich from 1923 shows a large crowd in a cramped, semi-circular hall with wooden stands and a central stage. Most of those present belong to the middle class and are wearing civilian clothes – men in suits, coats and hats, some with serious or tense expressions.

The centre of the picture could be a speaker’s platform draped with swastika flags. The speaker – possibly Adolf Hitler or another NSDAP representative – is the centre of attention, while the audience listens attentively. The atmosphere of the picture conveys a mixture of expectation and nationalist pathos, typical of the early years of the Nazi movement when it was still courting political supporters.