The Weimar Republic was in existence for thirteen years. In that time, some 40 parties were represented in the Reichstag. This fragmentation of political power was in part due to the peculiar parliamentary system of the Weimar Republic, and in part due to the many challenges facing German democracy in this period.
Weimar Political Parties
- Bayerische Volkspartei (BVP) — Bavarian People's Party, a Catholic and conservative party
- Christlich-soziale Partei — The Christian Social Party was founded by Stoecher in 1878. It sought to lead the lower social classes away from Marxian socialism and toward a conservative-Christian authoritarian state. It had an anti-semitic message which had more success amongst the middle class.
- Christian National Peasants' and Rural Peoples Party (splinter party)
- Deutsche anti-semitische Vereinigung — German Anti-Semitic League (splinter party)
- Deutsche Arbeiterpartei (DAP) — The German Workers' Party was formed in 1919, by Anton Dexler with Gottfried Feder, Dietrich Eckart and Karl Harrer. This party added the adjective "National Socialist" in its name and became the "National Socialist German Workers' Party".
- German Conservative Party renamed itself the German National People's Party (DNVP), a nationalist party.
- Deutsche Demokratische Partei (DDP) — German Democratic Party. A left-wing social-liberal party. Their party newspapers were the Vossische Zeitung and the Volkswacht.
- Deutsche Rechtspartei (DRP) — a splinter party.
- Deutsche Reformpartei —, a splinter party.
- Deutsche Reichspartei (DRP) —
- Deutschvölkische Freiheitspartei (DVFP) — German Ethnic Freedom Party; This was the party of General Ludendorff. It campaigned for an authoritarian regime that would be very nationalistic and promoting socioeconomic questions. It also sought to close the stock exchanges and nationalize the banks. In May 1924, it obtained 6.4 percent to the vote but fell to 3 percent in the next election. This caused it to later merge with the Nazi Party (NDSAP).
- Deutsche Volkspartei (DVP) — German People's Party. It was a right-wing liberal party. Gustav Stresemann was its chairman.
- Deutschnationale Volkspartei (DNVP) — German National People's Party It presented itself as a Volksgemeinschaft or non-class party. It included remnants from the German Conservative Party, the Free Conservative Party, the Völkische movement, the Christian Social movement and the Pan-German Association and some National Liberals. It established two labor unions; one for the blue collar worker (the DNAB) and one for the white-collar worker (DNAgB), which had been politically unimportant.
- Organized the National Opposition in 1929, together with leaders of the Stahlhelm, Dr. Schacht, the president of the central bank and Hitler's Nazi Party, to oppose Chancellor Hermann Müller?s Grand Coalition.
- Deutsches Landvolk. Cover name for the Christian National Peasant/Rural Party in the 1930 Reichstag elections.
- Deutschsozialistische Partei (DSP) — The so-called "German-Socialist" Party. It was headed by Julius Streicher, and it was also highly organized, despite having a rather small size. In a controversial move, it dissolved itself in 1922 and many of its members entered the (then very young) Nazi Party.
- The German State Party (DStP) — Formed in 1930 by the DDP, the People's National Reich Association and remains of the Christian Trade Unionists. It was composed of the DVP and DDP. In 1930, it published a "Manifesto of the German State Party".
- Mehrheitssozialdemokratische Partei (MSPD) — Majority Social Democrats (later (and before 1918) the Sozialdemokratische Partei Deutschlands - Social Democratic Party (SPD)); they supported the parliamentary system of democracy, and extensive social programs in the economy.
- Soziale Reichspartei — Social Reich Party
- Volksnationale Reichsvereinigung (People's National Reich Association.)
- Wirtschaftspartei. (Economic Party.)
- Zentrumspartei — Center Party was the traditional Catholic party. Their party newspaper was the Germania.
Other Political Organizations
- Agarian League of Farmers League. It took the name Reichslandbund (RLB) after 1920.
- Allgemeiner Deutscher Beamtenbund (ADB) a civil servant?s league started by the SPD.
- Bauernbund (Peasant League) operated throughout Germany but especially in its stronghold of Bavaria. It had democratic, anticlerical leanings and subscribed to a narrow Bavarian particularism
- Bauernvereine. Farmers' associations associated with the Center Party and were located in the Catholic west and south.
- Bauernverein. Peasant association located in Schleswig-Holstein. Without religious ties, it initially supported a liberal economic and political policy.
- Christian Social Movement
- Deutsche Landwirtschafsrat (German Agricultural Council)
- Federation of German Retail Business
- Green Front. An umbrella group which consisted of the Landbund (RLB), the Deutsche Bauernshaft (formerly Bauernbund), the Association of Christian-German Peasant Unions, and the German Agricultural Council. It too heavily promoted the Junkers interest and drove many farmers out.
- Landvolkbewegung (Landvolk) A movement of Schleswig-Holstein formed by farmers in the aftermath of the January 1928 demonstration.
- Reichsbund der Deserteure — National Association of Deserters; led by Karl Liebknecht; formed before the breakup from the Independent Socialists.
- Reichslandbund — Natural Rural League
- Spartakusbund (Spartacist League) — (1918-1919) left wing of the USPD led by Rosa Luxemburg and Karl Liebknecht, became the German Communist Party.
Unions
- Allgemeiner Deutscher Gewerkschaftsbund (ADGB)
- Allgemeiner freier Angestelltenbund (AfA) white-collar employee union affliated with the SPD-dominated free trade unions.
- Deutscher Landarbeiterverband (German Agricultural Labor Union). SPD organized.
- Deutschnationaler Handlungsgehilfenverband (DHV) (National Association of Commercial Employees.) — the conservative white collar worker union. The DHV leadership did not fully support the NSDAP because it didn't recognize the independence of unions.
- Gesamtverband Deutscher Beamtengewerkschaften (GDB) was a conservative civil service union.
- Gewerkschaftsbund der Angestellten (GdA) was a Hirsch-Duncker union.
- Gewerkschaftsbund deutscher AngestelltenverBände (Gedag) Conservative white-collar union
- Reichsbund Deutscher Angestellten-Berufsverbände Conservative white-collar union.
- Vereinigung der chrislichen-deutschen Bauernvereine (Association of Christian-German Peasant Unions).
- Zentralverband der Angestellten (ZdA), an association of white-collar unions started by the SPD.
Other Organizations
- Alldeutscher Verband (Pan-German Association)
- Katholische Burschenvereine. Catholic youth associations that the Catholic Church started in southern Germany to provide Catholic youth with numerous activities.
- Deutsches Handwerk. German crafts organization headed by Zeleny. Zeleny advocated positions that would improve conditions for the old middle class. It would later back the NSDAP.
- Tatkreis movement
- Völkisch movement
Secret Societies
- Organization Consul (OC) — In July 1921, Captain Ehrhardt and several members of his brigade formed this organization to commit political assassinations.(2)
- Feme — an irregular tribunal based on ones from medieval Germany that at the time would administer justice when the government was too weak to maintain order. (Both of these organizations overlapped.)(2)
List by Abbreviation
- ADB — Allgemeiner Deutscher Beamtenbund
- AfA — Allgemeiner Freier Angestelltenbund
- BVP — Bavarian Peoples Party
- Center — Catholic Center Party
- DAF — German Labor Front
- DAP — German Workers Party
- DBB — German Civil Servant’s League
- DDP — German Democratic Party
- DHV — Deutschnatinaler Handlungsgehilfenverband (National Association of Commercial Employees).
- DNAP — Deutschnational Arbeiterband
- DNAgB — Deutschnationaler Angestelltenbund
- DNVP — German National People’s Party
- DSP — German Socialist Party
- DStP — German State Party
- DVFP — German Ethnic Freedom Party
- DVP — German People’s Party
- GdA — Gewerkschaftsbund der Angestellten
- GDB — Gesamtverband Deutscher Beamtengewerkschaften
- Gedag — Gewerkschaftsbund deutscher Angestelltenverbände
- KPD — Communist Party of Germany
- NSDAP — National Socialist German Workers Party
- NSFP — National Socialist Freedom Party
- NSV — National Socialist People’s Welfare
- OC *mdash; Organization Counsul
- RDA — Reichsbund Deutscher Angestellten-Berufsverbände
- RLB — Reichslandbund
- SPD — Social Democrat Party of Germany
- ZdA — Zentralverband der Angestellten
See also
Reference
- The Logic of Evil, The Social Origins of the Nazi Party, 1925-1933, William Brustein, Yale University Press, New Haven, CN, 1996.
- Why Hitler, The Genesis of the Nazi Reich, Samuel W. Mitcham, Jr., Praeger, Westport, CT, 1996. pg 72.
