Deutschvölkischer Schutz und Trutzbund
Encyclopedia
The Deutschvölkischer Schutz und Trutzbund (English: German Nationalist Protection and Defiance Federation) was the largest, most active, and most influential anti-Semitic federation in Germany after the first World War, and one of the largest and most important organization of the German völkisch movement
during the Weimar Republic
, whose democratic-parliamentary system it unilaterally rejected. Its publishing arm put out some of the books that greatly influenced the opinions of those who later organized the Nazi Party, such as Heinrich Himmler
, and after it folded many of its members eventually joined the Nazis. The bund's symbols were a blue cornflower and a swastika, and its motto was "Wir sind die Herren der Welt!" ("We are the masters of the world!").
for the purpose of "fighting" Judaism
, during a meeting of the Alldeutscher Verband ("All-German League"). The director of Deutschen Schutz und Trutzbund was Alfred Roth
, and its secret chairman was Konstantin von Gebsattel, appointed on October 1, 1919, by Ernst von Hertzberg Lottin. Their Advisory Board included, among others, Ernst Anton Franz von Bodelschwingh, August Gebhard, Paul Lucius, Ferdinand Werner, Julius Friedrich Lehmann, and Georg von Stössel. Their meeting place was originally in Duisburg
, at Alfred Roth's house, but was later moved to Hamburg
where it joined the amalgamation of several such other organizations. It merged with the Reichshammerbund
, and then, about one month later, merged with the Deutschvölkischen Bund, the organization that succeeded the Deutschvölkische Party.
publisher, helped promote their ideas, and in October 1918, Claß called for a coup d'etat
. The organization agitated against the Weimar Republic
; by 1923 it had just under 800,000 members.
Völkisch movement
The volkisch movement is the German interpretation of the populist movement, with a romantic focus on folklore and the "organic"...
during 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...
, whose democratic-parliamentary system it unilaterally rejected. Its publishing arm put out some of the books that greatly influenced the opinions of those who later organized the Nazi Party, such as Heinrich Himmler
Heinrich Himmler
Heinrich Luitpold Himmler was Reichsführer of the SS, a military commander, and a leading member of the Nazi Party. As Chief of the German Police and the Minister of the Interior from 1943, Himmler oversaw all internal and external police and security forces, including the Gestapo...
, and after it folded many of its members eventually joined the Nazis. The bund's symbols were a blue cornflower and a swastika, and its motto was "Wir sind die Herren der Welt!" ("We are the masters of the world!").
Origin
The Deutschvölkischer Schutz und Trutzbund was originally called the Deutschen Schutz und Trutzbund when it was founded in February 1919 in BambergBamberg
Bamberg is a city in Bavaria, Germany. It is located in Upper Franconia on the river Regnitz, close to its confluence with the river Main. Bamberg is one of the few cities in Germany that was not destroyed by World War II bombings because of a nearby Artillery Factory that prevented planes from...
for the purpose of "fighting" Judaism
Judaism
Judaism ) is the "religion, philosophy, and way of life" of the Jewish people...
, during a meeting of the Alldeutscher Verband ("All-German League"). The director of Deutschen Schutz und Trutzbund was Alfred Roth
Alfred Roth
Alfred Roth was a German politician and writer noted for his anti-Semitism. He was sometimes known by his pseudonym Otto Arnim...
, and its secret chairman was Konstantin von Gebsattel, appointed on October 1, 1919, by Ernst von Hertzberg Lottin. Their Advisory Board included, among others, Ernst Anton Franz von Bodelschwingh, August Gebhard, Paul Lucius, Ferdinand Werner, Julius Friedrich Lehmann, and Georg von Stössel. Their meeting place was originally in Duisburg
Duisburg
- History :A legend recorded by Johannes Aventinus holds that Duisburg, was built by the eponymous Tuisto, mythical progenitor of Germans, ca. 2395 BC...
, at Alfred Roth's house, but was later moved to Hamburg
Hamburg
-History:The first historic name for the city was, according to Claudius Ptolemy's reports, Treva.But the city takes its modern name, Hamburg, from the first permanent building on the site, a castle whose construction was ordered by the Emperor Charlemagne in AD 808...
where it joined the amalgamation of several such other organizations. It merged with the Reichshammerbund
Reichshammerbund
Reichshammerbund was a German anti-Semitic movement founded in 1912 by Theodor Fritsch.Based on The Hammer, a journal founded by Fritsch in 1902, the Bund argued that Jewish influences had contaminated Germany and attempted to argue that their racism had a basis in biology...
, and then, about one month later, merged with the Deutschvölkischen Bund, the organization that succeeded the Deutschvölkische Party.
Manifesto
The manifesto of the Deutschvölkischer Schutz und Trutzbund was Wenn ich der Kaiser wär, written by Heinrich Claß, in which he expressed racist, nationalist views. His slogan was: "Germany for the Germans." Julius Friedrich Lehmann, a MunichMunich
Munich The city's motto is "" . Before 2006, it was "Weltstadt mit Herz" . Its native name, , is derived from the Old High German Munichen, meaning "by the monks' place". The city's name derives from the monks of the Benedictine order who founded the city; hence the monk depicted on the city's coat...
publisher, helped promote their ideas, and in October 1918, Claß called for a coup d'etat
Coup d'état
A coup d'état state, literally: strike/blow of state)—also known as a coup, putsch, and overthrow—is the sudden, extrajudicial deposition of a government, usually by a small group of the existing state establishment—typically the military—to replace the deposed government with another body; either...
. The organization agitated against 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...
; by 1923 it had just under 800,000 members.
Constitution
An excerpt from the constitution of the Deutschvölkischer Schutz und Trutzbund:The Bund fights for the moral rebirth of the German people . . . It considers the pernicious and destructive influence of Jewry to be the main cause of the defeat and the removal of this influence to be necessary for the political and economic recovery of Germany, and for the salvation of German culture.
Notable members
- Reinhard HeydrichReinhard HeydrichReinhard Tristan Eugen Heydrich , also known as The Hangman, was a high-ranking German Nazi official.He was SS-Obergruppenführer and General der Polizei, chief of the Reich Main Security Office and Stellvertretender Reichsprotektor of Bohemia and Moravia...
, co-architect of the holocaust - Julius StreicherJulius StreicherJulius Streicher was a prominent Nazi prior to World War II. He was the founder and publisher of Der Stürmer newspaper, which became a central element of the Nazi propaganda machine...
- Dietrich EckartDietrich EckartDietrich Eckart was a German journalist and politician, together with Adolf Hitler one of the early key members of the Nazi Party and a participant of the 1923 Beer Hall Putsch.-Biography:...
- Franz Walter StahleckerFranz Walter StahleckerFranz Walter Stahlecker was Commander of the Sicherheitspolizei and the Sicherheitsdienst for the Reichskommissariat Ostland in 1941/42...