German Völkisch Freedom Party
Encyclopedia
The German Völkisch Freedom Party was a right-wing
and antisemitic political party
of Weimar Germany
that took its name from the Völkisch movement
, a populist movement focused on folklore and the German
Volk.
The DVFP was founded on December 16 1922 when Wilhelm Henning
, Reinhold Wulle
and Albrecht von Graefe
broke from the German National People's Party (DNVP)
. Leading right-wing figures such as Ernst Graf zu Reventlow
, Artur Dinter
and Theodor Fritsch
joined the party on its foundation. Many members of the Deutschvölkischer Schutz und Trutzbund
joined the DVFP after the former was banned.
After the Nazi Party was banned in 1924, the DVFP merged with many Nazis to form the National Socialist Freedom Movement
, a move endorsed by Erich Ludendorff
and encouraged by von Graefe, who hoped to gain control of the far right as a whole. However this alliance was not a success and thus von Graefe and Wulle reformed the DVFP as a rival to the Nazi Party in 1925.
Right-wing politics
In politics, Right, right-wing and rightist generally refer to support for a hierarchical society justified on the basis of an appeal to natural law or tradition. To varying degrees, the Right rejects the egalitarian objectives of left-wing politics, claiming that the imposition of equality is...
and antisemitic political party
Political party
A political party is a political organization that typically seeks to influence government policy, usually by nominating their own candidates and trying to seat them in political office. Parties participate in electoral campaigns, educational outreach or protest actions...
of Weimar Germany
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...
that took its name from the Völkisch movement
Völkisch movement
The volkisch movement is the German interpretation of the populist movement, with a romantic focus on folklore and the "organic"...
, a populist movement focused on folklore and the German
Germany
Germany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a federal parliamentary republic in Europe. The country consists of 16 states while the capital and largest city is Berlin. Germany covers an area of 357,021 km2 and has a largely temperate seasonal climate...
Volk.
The DVFP was founded on December 16 1922 when Wilhelm Henning
Wilhelm Henning
Wilhelm Henning was a German military officer and right-wing politician.-Military service:...
, Reinhold Wulle
Reinhold Wulle
Reinhold Wulle was a German Völkisch politician and publicist active during the Weimar Republic.-Völkisch politics:...
and Albrecht von Graefe
Albrecht von Graefe (politician)
Albrecht von Graefe was a German landowner and right-wing politician active both during the German Empire and the Weimar Republic...
broke from the German National People's Party (DNVP)
German National People's Party
The German National People's Party was a national conservative party in Germany during the time of the Weimar Republic. Before the rise of the NSDAP it was the main nationalist party in Weimar Germany composed of nationalists, reactionary monarchists, völkisch, and antisemitic elements, and...
. Leading right-wing figures such as Ernst Graf zu Reventlow
Ernst Graf zu Reventlow
Ernst, Count Reventlow was a German naval officer, journalist and Nazi politician.-Early life:Ernst Christian Einar Ludwig Detlev Graf zu Reventlow was born at Husum, Schleswig-Holstein, Germany, the son of Ludwig Reventlow, a Danish nobleman, and Emilie Julie Anna Louise Rantzau...
, Artur Dinter
Artur Dinter
Artur Dinter was a German writer and Nazi politician.- Biography :Dinter was born in Mulhouse, in Alsace-Lorraine, German Empire to Josef Dinter, a customs adviser, and his wife Berta, née Hoffmann, and he was baptized in the Catholic Church.After doing his school-leaving examination, Dinter...
and Theodor Fritsch
Theodor Fritsch
Theodor Fritsch, originally Emil Theodor Fritsche , was a German publisher and pundit. His anti-semitic writings did much to influence popular German opinion against Jews in the late 19th and early 20th centuries...
joined the party on its foundation. Many members of the Deutschvölkischer Schutz und Trutzbund
Deutschvölkischer Schutz und Trutzbund
The Deutschvölkischer Schutz und Trutzbund 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...
joined the DVFP after the former was banned.
After the Nazi Party was banned in 1924, the DVFP merged with many Nazis to form the National Socialist Freedom Movement
National Socialist Freedom Movement
The National Socialist Freedom Movement , or NSFB) or National Socialist Freedom Party was a German political party created in April 1924 in the aftermath of the Munich Putsch. Adolf Hitler and many Nazi Party leaders were jailed after the attempted coup and the Nazi party was outlawed in what...
, a move endorsed by Erich Ludendorff
Erich Ludendorff
Erich Friedrich Wilhelm Ludendorff was a German general, victor of Liège and of the Battle of Tannenberg...
and encouraged by von Graefe, who hoped to gain control of the far right as a whole. However this alliance was not a success and thus von Graefe and Wulle reformed the DVFP as a rival to the Nazi Party in 1925.