Enjoy the first SEVEN MINUTES of this Third Episode of THE WIDE MASONIC WORLD - Join hosts Robert Cooper and Mark Tabbert for a captivating discussion with Prof. Christopher Thomas on German Freemasons and the Nazi Party, 1933-1945. Our discussion begins with with Prof. Thomas' paper: "Defining "Freemason": Compromise, Pragmatism, and German Lodge Members in the NSDAP (Nazi Party), published in "German Studies Review", V.35, N.3, (October 2012). Read by the MAGI Mark A. Tabbert.

ABSTRACT: The Nazi persecution of Freemasons presented a conundrum; Freemasonry

was condemned by party ideology, but individual Freemasons possessed skills as

professionals that were essential to the success of the regime. What would have

otherwise been a mutually beneficial relationship sought after by both parties was

prevented solely by the fact that these professionals were Freemasons. The process

of negotiation and accommodation as the party continually redefined what it

meant to be a Freemason, in an attempt to find a way to balance ideological purity

and practical necessity, reveals the ad hoc nature of the Nazi government.

Dr. Christopher Thomas graduated from Arizona State University before earning his Master’s and doctorate in history from Texas A& M University in College Station. He currently is a professor at Reynolds Community College in Richmond, Virginia. Although not a Freemason, Prof. Thomas began researching the fraternity in the Third Reich while researching his Master’s thesis. This work, in turn, led to his 2011 dissertation titled: Compass, Square, and Swastika: Freemasonry in the Third Reich. For the last 15 years he has published several articles and book chapters on American and European history and has taught for numerous colleges and universities in Texas and Virginia.