Ulrich Graf
Shortly after the First World War, Graf became a member of the German Workers' Party (DAP). Later, the DAP was renamed the National Socialist German Workers' Party (NSDAP; Nazi Party) and taken over by Adolf Hitler. Founded in 1920, the "Sturmabteilung" (SA) was the first of many paramilitary protection squads that worked to protect Nazi officials. These storm troopers, outfitted in brown uniforms, were initially charged with the duty of keeping order at Nazi Party meetings. They soon expanded their role to include disruption of rival political party's functions. Graf was an early member of the SA. In 1921, he became member number 2882 of the Nazi Party.
Nazism in Brazil
In 1928, the Brazilian section of the Nazi Party was founded in Timbó, Santa Catarina. About 100 thousand born Germans and about one million descendants lived in Brazil at that time. Most of them lived in isolated communities in southern Brazil that preserved German language and culture. With Adolf Hitler's rise to the Chancellor's office in Germany, German-Brazilians began to be besieged by propaganda by Nazism to attract followers abroad.