A Failed Nazism: the Rise and Fall of the Deutschvölkische Freiheitspartei, 1919-1928
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A FAILED NAZISM: THE RISE AND FALL OF THE DEUTSCHVÖLKISCHE FREIHEITSPARTEI, 1919-1928 A thesis submitted to Kent State University in partial Fulfillment of the requirements for the Degree of Master of Arts by Ilya Braverman May, 2012 Thesis written by Ilya Braverman B.A., University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee, 2010 M.A., Kent State University, 2012 Approved by _______________________________, Richard Steigmann-Gall, Advisor _______________________________, Kenneth J. Bindas, Chair, Department of History _______________________________, Timothy Moerland, Dean, College of Arts and Sciences ii TABLE OF CONTENTS ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS ...............................................................................................iv ABBREVIATIONS............................................................................................................vi INTRODUCTION...............................................................................................................1 CHAPTER I The Radicalization of the German Right and the Rise of the 'Nazistic' DVFP.................20 CHAPTER II The NSDAP, DVFP and Nazi Ideologies: A Comparative Examination..........................57 CHAPTER III An Organizational Examination of the DVFP-NSDAP Relationship, 1922- 1928..................................................................................................................................103 CONCLUSION................................................................................................................141 BIBLIOGRAPHY............................................................................................................148 iii ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS During what seems a short period of time that I have spent here at Kent State University, I have become indebted to a large collection of individuals, without whom this thesis would have been a far less enjoyable and fruitful experience. First, I would like to thank my committee members. I am grateful to my advisor, Dr. Richard Steigmann- Gall, Associate Professor of history at Kent State University, whose trust in this project and in my abilities was a constant source of motivation during the last year. The suggestion to write on the Deutschvölkische Freiheitspartei was his, and at every step after our initial discussion of the project he was there to help, guide and most importantly, listen. My advisor's unwavering trust in this work was matched by Dr. Shelley Baranowski, Distinguished Professor of history at the University of Akron, who agreed to serve on the committee without hesitation, and whose support and enthusiasm to help was felt immediately and throughout. I am indebted to Dr. Matthew Crawford, Assistant Professor of history at Kent State University, for taking on a project that was considerably outside his area of expertise, yet one which he has influenced immensely. Thank you for your patience, honesty, and conversation. Many others have been influential in the completion of this project during the last year. This thesis developed from a seminar paper I wrote in spring 2011 and I must thank Dr. Kenneth J. Bindas, Professor and Chair of the history department at Kent State iv University and the participants of his writing seminar for their constructive and honest feedback. I must also thank the staff of the Bundesarchiv Berlin Lichterfelde for helping a clueless American find pertinent material and navigate the complicated hurdles of doing research in a foreign country. I am indebted to Ms. Sarah Žabić, without whom this project would have doubtless turned out much poorer. Thank you for always being there when I needed a question answered or an idea further developed and for offering a critical reading at a moment's notice. Thank you to Emily Wicks for motivating me to stay on task in my coursework and with this project. To my colleagues in Bowman 205, thank you for your conversation, feedback, and support. The last two years would have been difficult without your friendship. On a more personal note, to my parents, thank you for your continuous trust and support. Finally, I am forever indebted to Kelsey Bayer for her endless support of this project and of my endeavors over the last two years. Thank you for making our time in Kent as enjoyable as it has been. v ABBREVIATIONS BAL Bundesarchiv Berlin-Lichterfelde DAP Deutsche Arbeiterpartei (German Workers' Party) DNVP Deutschnationale Volkspartei (German National People's Party) DVAG Deutschvölkische Arbeitsgemeinschaft (German National Workers' Group) DVFB Deutschvölkische Freiheitsbewegung (German National Freedom Movement) DVFP Deutschvölkische Freiheitspartei (German Volkisch Freedom Party) GVG Groβdeutsche Volkspartei (Greater German People's Party) NSDAP Nationalsozialistische Deutsche Arbeiterpartei (National Socialist German Workers' Party) VB Volkischer Beobachter (Völkisch Observer) VNS Verband der Nationalistischen Soldaten (Federation of Nationalist Soldiers) VSB Völkische Sozialer Block (Völkisch Social Bloc) vi INTRODUCTION “In all of Europe, only National Socialism has really taken seriously the idea of the folkish state” proclaimed Alfred Rosenberg in 1924.1 Rosenberg went on to claim that the Nationalsozialistische Deutsche Arbeiterpartei (NSDAP), was not one of many but rather the leading voice of the völkisch movement. Rosenberg's statements—though unmistakably intended as propaganda—masked the reality of the NSDAP's formative years. By the early 1920s, the politically mobilized völkisch movement—of which the NSDAP was a part—had in its ranks numerous political parties, organizations, and groups, sharing a nominally similar worldview. As merely one of a variety of parties, the Bavarian NSDAP sought to work in cooperation with its völkisch allies to fundamentally change the Weimar system, first through violent revolution and later through more traditional political means. The party's ideology, what has since become known as Nazism, similar to the party itself was not a unique formulation. Rather, the NSDAP subscribed to a political and social worldview that had its roots in the radicalization of the German right wing prior to the revolution of 1918, and was further radicalized by defeat in war and the implementation of a parliamentary democracy in 1919. Formed in 1922, the Berlin-based Deutschvölkische Freiheitspartei (DVFP) emerged as another voice 1 Barbara Miller Lane and Leila J. Rupp, eds., Nazi Ideology before 1933: A Documentation (Austin & London: University of Texas Press, 1978), 65. 1 2 within an expanding völkisch movement. The party subscribed to an ideology that was visibly similar to that of the NSDAP, a 'Nazistic' ideology that was rooted in German conservatism yet radicalized by a völkisch disposition. The rivalrous relationship between the northern DVFP and the southern NSDAP during the years 1922-1928, a story that has rarely been told, reflects the variety of Nazistic voices that existed during the Weimar period; more significantly this story reminds us that the rise of the NSDAP to power was far from a foregone conclusion during its formative years. This thesis explores the tension that existed within the German völkisch right wing after World War I, between the better-known NSDAP, and a frequently overlooked ideological and institutional rival, the DVFP. Out of the resultant political, social, and cultural chaos of the post-World War I era emerged a plethora of parties set on restoring Germany's honor after its humiliating defeat. These groups, among which was the DVFP, constituted the rise of a particular discourse centered on right-wing politics, hyper- nationalism, anti-Semitism, and racialism. Yet, the rise of the NSDAP as the voice of the völkisch movement out of this amalgam of parties was not a foregone conclusion. Moreover, what is referred to as a ‘Nazistic’ discourse was not devoid of variation. Indeed, political and ideological disparities existed between the parties, and came to the forefront especially as relationships between the parties grew stronger, and the Weimar government grew weaker. As ‘Nazistic’ parties, although connected by a familial thread of shared worldviews, the DVFP and NSDAP differed in their approach to the problems facing Germany, and presented disparate solutions to them. In this thesis, I demonstrate that the DVFP represented a singular strand within a spectrum of Nazism, and while it 3 fractured, and was coalesced by the NSDAP in 1928, it developed on a divergent path within a völkisch movement which did not logically lead to the creation of Hitler's Third Reich. I utilize the relationship between the DVFP and the NSDAP—growing from outright competition to cooperation—to showcase the plurality of 'Nazistic' movements and ideologies within the extreme right, as well as to examine the similarities and fault lines between the two parties. Constructing a model of a failed 'Nazistic' political group, one that stood as a fraternal rival to the NSDAP at the forefront of the extreme right, will help to elucidate the early path towards the successful establishment of Hitler's Third Reich. As an institutional and intellectual history, this thesis is framed theoretically by conceptions of ideology, fascism, and regionalism. I rely on Robert O. Paxton's definition and model of fascist movements to examine the DVFP as a 'fascistic' group, one that embodied a distinctly separate fascism from that of the NSDAP. Utilizing a perspective that emphasizes regional divisions to uncover political, confessional, and class-based particularities enables a more nuanced