Democratic Union (Germany)
Encyclopedia
The Democratic Union was a German political party in the German Empire
.
The Union was founded in 1908 by former members of the Freeminded Union (Freisinnigen Vereinigung). The party demanded full equal voting rights for all, and a strict separation of Church and State. It was not principled, or "revolutionary" against Wilhelmine Germany though.
Important party members were Theodor Barth
, Rudolf Breitscheid
(first chairman) and Hellmut von Gerlach
. Carl von Ossietzky
joined the party in 1908, and from 1911 onwards published the party's weekly Das freie Volk.
The First World War brought an end to the party. Hellmut von Gerlach
, and some of his followers, helped found the German Democratic Party in 1918.
German Empire
The German Empire refers to Germany during the "Second Reich" period from the unification of Germany and proclamation of Wilhelm I as German Emperor on 18 January 1871, to 1918, when it became a federal republic after defeat in World War I and the abdication of the Emperor, Wilhelm II.The German...
.
The Union was founded in 1908 by former members of the Freeminded Union (Freisinnigen Vereinigung). The party demanded full equal voting rights for all, and a strict separation of Church and State. It was not principled, or "revolutionary" against Wilhelmine Germany though.
Important party members were Theodor Barth
Theodor Barth
Theodor Barth was a German liberal politician and publicist. He was a member of the Reichstag between 1881 and 1884, between 1885 and 1898, and between 1901 and 1903.-Career:...
, Rudolf Breitscheid
Rudolf Breitscheid
Rudolf Breitscheid, was a leading member of the Social Democratic Party and a delegate to the Reichstag during the era of the Weimar Republic in Germany....
(first chairman) and Hellmut von Gerlach
Hellmut von Gerlach
Hellmut Georg von Gerlach was a German journalist and politician.-Life:Hellmut von Gerlach, the son of landowner Max von Gerlach, was born in Mönchmotschelnitz in Silesia. He studied law at the universities of Gent, Strasbourg, Leipzig, and Berlin, and was a member of the Verein Deutscher Studenten...
. Carl von Ossietzky
Carl von Ossietzky
Carl von Ossietzky was a German pacifist and the recipient of the 1935 Nobel Peace Prize. He was convicted of high treason and espionage in 1931 after publishing details of Germany's alleged violation of the Treaty of Versailles by rebuilding an air force, the predecessor of the Luftwaffe, and...
joined the party in 1908, and from 1911 onwards published the party's weekly Das freie Volk.
The First World War brought an end to the party. Hellmut von Gerlach
Hellmut von Gerlach
Hellmut Georg von Gerlach was a German journalist and politician.-Life:Hellmut von Gerlach, the son of landowner Max von Gerlach, was born in Mönchmotschelnitz in Silesia. He studied law at the universities of Gent, Strasbourg, Leipzig, and Berlin, and was a member of the Verein Deutscher Studenten...
, and some of his followers, helped found the German Democratic Party in 1918.