After the Nazis came to power in Germany, people of “German origin” living abroad were encouraged by the Nazi government to found civic groups in order to spread “German virtues” and become politically active for the Third Reich. On March 19, 1936, one of the best-known organizations of this kind was founded in the USA, the ‘Amerikadeutsche Volksbund’ (German American Bund) – an ‘association of patriotic Americans of German descent.