Christian Social People's Service

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Christian Social People's Service
Christlich-Sozialer Volksdienst
Leader Wilhelm Simpfendörfer  [ de ] [1]
FoundedDecember 1929;94 years ago (December 1929)
Dissolved1933;91 years ago (1933) [2]
Split from German National People's Party
Ideology Christian democracy
Conservatism
Political Protestantism
Political position Centre-right to right-wing
Electoral alliance Christian-National Bloc (1933) [lower-alpha 1]
Colours  Blue   Grey
Most seats in the Reichstag (1930)
14 / 577
1932 election poster Csvd1932.jpg
1932 election poster

The Christian Social People's Service (German : Christlich-Sozialer Volksdienst, abbreviated CSVD) was a Protestant conservative political party in the Weimar Republic.

The party's genesis lay in Adolf Stoecker's Christian Social party, which joined the German National People's party in 1918, [3] and effectively functioned as the parties labor wing. [4] The Christian social Franz Behrens wrote a substantial amount of the DNVP's 1918 platform, however the Christian socials failed to get the DNVP to endorse trade unions over company unions. [5] The ideological differences over labor rights came to a head when Alfred Hugenberg became leader in 1929 and attacked the employment insurance scheme, which encouraged the Christian socials to consider leaving the party. [6] At the time, the Christian socials represented the moderate tendency within the DNVP, as opposed to the radical nationalist leadership of Alfred Hugenberg. [7] These Christian socials formed the Christliche-soziale Reichsvereinigung [Christian-social Imperial Association], and would actively oppose Hugenberg. [8] What eventuated was a combined expulsion and resignation of the Christian socials, [9] and other conservative elements within the party. [10]

The CSVD drew from other political movements, such as the Christlicher Volksdienst (CVD, Christian People's Service), which dated back to 1924, and drew from Pietists and Christian Trade unions. [11] [12] Another Protestant party was the EV (Evangelische Volksgemeinschaft), a Hessian party. Centrist party leaders urged the EV to join with the German-Hanoverian Party to found a Protestant peoples party that would form a vote sharing agreement with the Centre Party. [13] The EV would be absorbed by the CVD in 1929, [14] and the Christian Socials/Christian-social Imperial Association would join with the CVD to form the CSVD in December 1929. [9] [15]

The CSVD was mainly supported by middle-class elements, [16] however, it did support the Christian trade unions, and was significantly supported by the league of Christian unions. [17] As a result of the theocratic currents in the parties Calvinist regions, the party supported state welfare, trade unions and workers participation in management. [17] Like the Centre party, the CSVD opposed Materialism, Atheism, Liberalism and Marxism. The party would embrace co-operation with the Centre party. [16] The CSVD was a cabinet party in the second, third and fourth Brunings ministries. [18]

The CSVD portrayed itself as a Protestant version of the Catholic Centre and was mainly supported by middle-class elements. The CSVD contested the 1930 and 1932 parliamentary elections; the party CSVD formed a joint parliamentary group with the Christian-National Peasants' and Farmers' Party in the Reichstag. After the Nazi take-over in 1933, the CSVD was dissolved.

The President of the Federal Republic of Germany Gustav Heinemann (1969–74) was a member of CSVD during the Weimar Republic.

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References

  1. ↑ Fahlbusch, Methfessel: Christlich-Sozialer Volksdienst (CSVD) 1929–1933. In: Fricke u. a. (Hrsg.): Lexikon zur Parteiengeschichte. Band 1. 1983, S. 464–470, hier: S. 464.
  2. ↑ "Verhandlungen des Deutschen Reichstags". Reichstagsprotokolle. Bayerische Staatsbibliothek. 23 March 1933. Retrieved 7 January 2024. Der Volksdienst [...] ist zu seinem Teil zu der Mitarbeit, die der Herr Reichskanzler in so eindrucksvoller Weise gefordert hat, bereit und gibt deshalb dem Ermächtigungsgesetz seine Zustimmung.
  3. ↑ Patch 1985, p. 41.
  4. ↑ Patch 2018, p. 15.
  5. ↑ Patch 1985, p. 41-2.
  6. ↑ Jones 2009, p. 157-8.
  7. ↑ Bessel & Feuchtwanger 1981, p. 277.
  8. ↑ Ward 1979, p. 220.
  9. 1 2 Patch 1985, p. 152.
  10. ↑ Jones 2009, p. 170.
  11. ↑ Cary 1996, p. 126.
  12. ↑ Neuer 1996, p. 141.
  13. ↑ Cary 1996, p. 126-128.
  14. ↑ Cary 1996, p. 130.
  15. ↑ Bonhoeffer 2012, p. 145.
  16. 1 2 Mitchell 2012, p. 27.
  17. 1 2 Patch 1985, p. 166.
  18. ↑ Döring, Huber & Manow 2022.
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