This examination of Hitler's stormtroopers provides vital insights into the collapse of the Weimar Republic and the establishment of the Nazi state. Drawing on a wide range of archival sources and extensive biographical material left by the stormtroopers themselves, the author challenges the belief that Hitler's SA was predominantly lower-middle class. This revealing study of street politics during an era of economic and political dislocation and is an important contribution to the history of inter-war Germany which will appeal to the advanced undergraduate and postgraduate reader alike.