German National Movement in Liechtenstein Volksdeutsche Bewegung in Liechtenstein | |
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![]() A Nazi swastika being hoisted in Vaduz, around 1938. | |
Abbreviation | VDBL |
Leader | Rudolf Schädler (1938) Theodor Schädler (1938–1940) Alfons Goop (1940–1943) Sepp Ritter (1943–1945) |
Founded | March 1938 |
Dissolved | May 1945 |
Newspaper | Der Umbruch |
Membership | 150–250 [1] |
Ideology | Nazism [2] |
Political position | Far-right |
Slogan | Liechtenstein den Liechtensteinern! ("Liechtenstein for Liechtensteiners!") |
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The German National Movement in Liechtenstein (German : Volksdeutsche Bewegung in Liechtenstein, VDBL) was a Nazi party in Liechtenstein that existed between 1938 and 1945. [1]
Nazi groups had existed in Liechtenstein since 1933, primarily because of the rise of Nazi Germany and the introduction of German anti-Jewish laws, after which Liechtenstein experienced a large rise in Jewish immigrants. [3] [4] Most notably, German writers and composers Fritz and Alfred Rotter with a Jewish background were naturalized in Liechtenstein in 1931. Following German press and demands for their extradition, local Liechtenstein Nazis attempted to kidnap the two men and forcefully return them to Nazi Germany in the Rotter kidnapping. However, this failed and as a result of a highly publicized trial it held back the formation of an organized Nazi party in Liechtenstein until 1938. [5]
The VDBL itself formed after the Anschluss of Austria in March 1938 under the leadership of Rudolf Schädler, advocating for the integration of Liechtenstein into the Greater German Reich. The organization disseminated its ideology through its newspaper, Der Umbruch . [6] [7] It was then taken over by Theodor Schädler in the same year. [7] A slogan associated with the party was Liechtenstein den Liechtensteinern! (Liechtenstein for the Liechtensteiners!). This implied a radical populism that would threaten the allegiance of the people of Liechtenstein to ruling Prince of Liechtenstein Franz Josef II. [7] The party offered Patriotic Union leader Otto Schaedler leadership of the party primarily due to his contacts with Nazi Germany, but he refused and distanced himself from the party. [8]
Shortly after the Anschluss of Austria, the Volksdeutsche Mittelstelle, in connection with the VBDL planned for the VBDL to be democratically elected into power via funding from Germany, then it would end the customs union with Switzerland and align towards Germany, leading to an eventual annexation of Liechtenstein into Germany. The plans were reportedly supported by Joseph Goebbels. [9] However, it was personally blocked by Adolf Hitler himself on 18 March 1938 as he did not want to complicate relations with Switzerland. [10]
In the wake of World War II, the governing Progressive Citizens' Party and opposition Patriotic Union formed a coalition, assigning a roughly equal number of seats each, in order to prevent the VDBL from acquiring any seats in the Landtag. [11] [12] [13]
In March 1939, the VDBL staged an amateurish coup attempt, first trying to provoke a German intervention by burning swastikas, followed by declaring an Anschluss with Germany. The leaders were almost immediately arrested and the hoped-for German invasion failed to materialise. [14] [15] The party was effectively defunct from this point until 1940. [14]
The Liechtenstein Loyalty Association was formed following the party's coup attempt in order to oppose Nazi activities in Liechtenstein, particularly that of the VDBL. The association launched a signature campaign to reaffirm Liechtenstein's independence in addition to a commitment to Franz Joseph II and the country's continued economic and political alignment towards Switzerland. [16] This campaign was signed by 2492 people in Liechtenstein. [17]
The inability of the party to participate in the 1939 elections (after a pact between the main parties to keep the election date a secret), combined with the drastic decrease in Nazi sympathies following the outbreak of World War II led to a temporary demise of the party. However, in June 1940 it was reconstituted under the leadership of Alfons Goop. During 1941 and 1942, the party was involved in vehement anti-Semitic agitation, urging a solution to the country's presumed "Jewish Question," accusing Jewish families in Liechtenstein of spying for the Allies. Until 1943, the party attempted to recruit Liechtensteiners into the Waffen-SS and gain public sympathy for the Nazi cause, which infuriated Switzerland. [7]
The German Ministry of Foreign Affairs in March 1943 forced the VDBL to hold talks with the Patriotic Union (VU) in Friedrichshafen, under the auspices of the Waffen-SS, in order to reach a fusion of both parties, which shared an anti-Bolshevik and anti-clerical programme. Severely disappointed, Goop resigned as party leader and it was taken over by Sepp Ritter. [7] In the end, the VU consented only to some "cultural cooperation." When Germany's war fortunes declined, in July 1943 Der Umbruch was forbidden by the authorities.
After World War II ended in 1945, twelve coup participants were put on trial on charges of high treason due to the 1939 coup attempt, of which seven were convicted in 1946. Alois Batliner, Franz Beck, and Josef Frick were each sentenced to five years in prison, while Egon Marxer was sentenced to 2.5 years in prison, and Alois Kindle, Hermann Marxer, and Josef Gassner each received suspended two-month sentences. During the war, Batliner had served in the Schutzpolizei, while Marxer had served in the Waffen-SS on the Eastern Front. [18]
Political identity came to the territory now occupied by the Principality of Liechtenstein in 814, with the formation of the subcountry of Lower Rhætia. Liechtenstein's borders have remained unchanged since 1434, when the Rhine established the border between the Holy Roman Empire and the Swiss cantons.
Operation Tannenbaum, known earlier as Operation Grün ("Green"), was a planned invasion of Switzerland and Liechtenstein by the Axis Powers during World War II.
Alexander Frick was a political figure from Liechtenstein who served as Prime Minister of Liechtenstein from 1945 to 1962.
Liechtensteiner Vaterland is the largest daily newspaper in Liechtenstein. Published by Vaduzer Medienhaus AG, it is the official newspaper of the Patriotic Union party.
Diplomatic and economic relations between Switzerland and Liechtenstein have been close, with Switzerland accepting the role of safeguarding the interests of its smaller neighbour, Liechtenstein. Liechtenstein has an embassy in Bern. Switzerland is accredited to Liechtenstein from its Federal Department of Foreign Affairs in Berne and maintains an honorary consulate in Vaduz.
Franz Josef Hoop was a diplomat and political figure from Liechtenstein who served as Prime Minister of Liechtenstein from 1928 to 1945. Hoop is best known for his efforts to retain Liechtenstein's neutrality and independence during World War II. Serving for seventeen years, he is the longest-serving prime minister in the country's history, ahead of his successor Alexander Frick by 79 days. He served under the reign of Prince of Liechtenstein Johann II, Franz I and Franz Joseph II, making him the only prime minister to serve under three Princes consecutively.
Alfons Goop was a Liechtensteiner politician during World War II. He was the leader of the German National Movement in Liechtenstein from 1940 to 1943, a Nazi Party that aimed to unify with Nazi Germany.
Germany–Liechtenstein relations are the diplomatic relations between Germany and Liechtenstein. Both states are members of the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE), the Council of Europe and the European Economic Area.
Otto Schaedler was a physician and political figure from Liechtenstein who served in the Landtag of Liechtenstein and was one of the founders of the Patriotic Union party.
Alois Ritter was a lawyer and political figure from Liechtenstein who was one of the founders of the Patriotic Union party and served as the President of the Landtag of Liechtenstein in 1954 and again in 1956.
Alois Vogt was an advocate and political figure from Liechtenstein who served as the Deputy Prime Minister of Liechtenstein from 1938 to 1945.
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Emil Batliner was an entrepreneur and political figure from Liechtenstein who served in the Landtag of Liechtenstein.
The 1939 Liechtenstein putsch, also known as the Annexation putsch was an unsuccessful coup d'état by the German National Movement in Liechtenstein on 24 March 1939 designed to provoke Liechtenstein's annexation by Nazi Germany.
The Liechtenstein Loyalty Association was a nonpartisan organisation designed to oppose the German National Movement in Liechtenstein (VBDL) and preserve Liechtenstein's independence during World War II.
Theodor Schädler was a politician from Liechtenstein. He was the leader of the German National Movement in Liechtenstein from 1938 to 1939, a Nazi Party that aimed to unify with Nazi Germany.
Albert Schädler was a physician, historian and politician from Liechtenstein who served as the President of the Landtag of Liechtenstein 1882 to 1885 and again from 1890 to 1918. A member of the prominent 19th-century Schädler family, he was well regarded as a physician and politician, and influenced the country's politics for decades.
Sepp Ritter was a veterinarian and politician from Liechtenstein. He was the leader of the German National Movement in Liechtenstein from 1943 to 1945, a Nazi Party that aimed to unify with Nazi Germany.
The Rotter kidnapping was a failed organized kidnapping in Liechtenstein of Fritz Rotter and Alfred Rotter, German film directors and theatre managers of Jewish background, by Liechtenstein citizens sympathetic to Nazi Germany. The attack was additionally supported by five German nationals within the country.
The military history of Liechtenstein originates back to its predecessors in the County of Vaduz and Lordship of Schellenberg. Liechtenstein disbanded its army in 1868, and has had no standing army since. However, under the constitution of Liechtenstein citizens are still obligated to defend the country in the event of an external threat, and the army may be reformed if deemed necessary.