National-Social Association

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The National-Social Association (German: Nationalsozialer Verein, NSV) was a German political party founded in 1896 by Friedrich Naumann in opposition to the Social Democratic Party of Germany.

In the second half of the 19th century Germany underwent a rapid industrialization, which was connected with rising social problems.

As a result of this the Social Democratic Party of Germany (SPD) was founded and soon outlawed under the first chancellor of the German empire Otto von Bismarck.

After the party was legalized again in 1890 (the year Bismarck resigned and Wilhelm II was appointed emperor), it enjoyed considerable success at elections. Since the SPD was Marxist, using Karl Marx's Das Kapital for their theoretical underpinnings the ruling classes considered it a threat.

In 1896, Friedrich Naumann, a Protestant parish priest, founded the National-Social Association as a social liberal alternative guided by Protestant principles, as against the atheism of the SPD.

In the elections of 1898 and 1903 the candidates of the association failed to gain seats and Naumann dissolved the party.

Publication of the party included Die Hilfe and Die Deutsche Volksstimme.

Despite its name, the NSA had no relation to NSDAP

[edit] Notable members

[edit] See also

[edit] Bibliography

  • Paul Gohre (1899). "The Social Objects of the National-Social Movement in Germany". American Journal of Sociology 4 (6): 765–773. doi:10.1086/210855. 
  • Inho Na (2003). Sozialreform oder Revolution: gesellschaftspolitische Zukunftsvorstellungen im Naumann-Kreis 1890-1903/04. Marburg: Tectum Verlag. ISBN 3-8288-8562-4. 
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