Werner Pusch was a member of the Social Democratic Party of Germany

Social Democratic Party of Germany

The Social Democratic Party of Germany is a social-democratic political party in Germany...

 during the years of the Weimar Republic

Weimar Republic

The Weimar Republic is the name given by historians to the parliamentary republic established in 1919 in Germany to replace the imperial form of government...

 and witnessed first hand the coming to power of Adolf Hitler

Adolf Hitler

Adolf Hitler was an Austrian-born German politician and the leader of the National Socialist German Workers Party , commonly referred to as the Nazi Party). He was Chancellor of Germany from 1933 to 1945, and head of state from 1934 to 1945...

 and the rise of Nazi Germany

Nazi Germany

Nazi Germany , also known as the Third Reich , but officially called German Reich from 1933 to 1943 and Greater German Reich from 26 June 1943 onward, is the name commonly used to refer to the state of Germany from 1933 to 1945, when it was a totalitarian dictatorship ruled by...

. A student in 1933, Pusch attended several early Nazi Party rallies, prior to 1933 at a time when Hitler was considered "just another politician".

After seeing the rapid and fearful suppression of democracy by the Nazis, Pusch decided that, as a Social Democrat, the best way to survive the new era was to work from within in order to resist the Nazi state. To this end, Pusch joined the SS and at one point was an SS guard at several rallies where Hitler attended.

Pusch was interviewed in The World at War mini-series where he recounted his experiences.