Barry A. Jackisch - The Pan-German League and Radical Nationalist Politics in Interwar Germany, 1918-39

THE PAN-GERMAN LEAGUE AND RADICAL NATIONALIST POLITICS IN INTERWAR GERMANY, 191839

BARRY A. JACKISCH
University of Saint Francis, USA

ASHGATE

Barry A. Jackisch 2012

All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording or otherwise without the prior permission of the publisher.

Barry A. Jackisch has asserted his right under the Copyright, Designs and Patents Act, 1988, to be identified as the author of this work.

Published by
Ashgate Publishing Limited
Wey Court East
Union Road
Farnham
Surrey, GU9 7PT
England

Ashgate Publishing Company
Suite 420
101 Cherry Street
Burlington
VT 05401-4405
USA

www.ashgate.com

British Library Cataloguing in Publication Data
Jackisch, Barry A.
The Pan-German League and radical nationalist politics in interwar Germany, 1918-39.
1. Alldeutscher Verband. 2. Deutschnationale Volkspartei. 3. Nationalism--Germany--History--20th century. 4. Right-wing extremists--Germany--History--20th century. 5. Germany--Politics and government--1918-1933.
I. Title
320.54094309042-dc23

Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data
Jackisch, Barry A.
The Pan-German League and radical nationalist politics in interwar Germany, 1918-39 / Barry A. Jackisch.
p. cm.
Includes bibliographical references and index.
ISBN 978-1-4094-2761-2 (hbk) -- ISBN 978-1-4094-2762-9
(ebook) 1. Germany-Politics and government--1918-1933. 2. Germany-Politics and government--1933-1945. 3. Alldeutscher Verband--History--20th century. 4. Pangermanism--History--20th century. 5. Radicalism--Germany--History--20th century. 6. Nationalism--Germany--History--20th century. 7. Right-wing extremists--Germany--History--20th century. 8. Nationalsozialistische Deutsche Arbeiter-Partei--History. 9. Politicians--Germany--History--20th century. 10. Politicians--Germany--Biography. I. Title.
DD240.J315 2012
320.54094309041--dc23

2012006248

ISBN 9781409427612 (hbk)
ISBN 9781409427629 (ebk-PDF)
ISBN 9781409461425 (ebk-ePUB)

Printed and bound in Great Britain by the MPG Books Group, UK.

Introduction:
The Pan-German League and the German Right

This book would never have been completed without the support and encouragement from a wide range of institutions and people.

First of all, I am deeply indebted to the mentors, colleagues, and friends who have helped to make this project possible. I would like to express my sincerest gratitude to the original members of my dissertation committee: William Sheridan Allen, Georg Iggers, and John Naylor; a PhD student simply could not have asked for a better group of advisors. As my outside reader, Larry Eugene Jones provided invaluable expertise and insight into all aspects of the world of Weimar-era party politics and I continue to benefit significantly from his ongoing advice and encouragement. I have received invaluable support from colleagues at my two fulltime university positions. At Gannon University: Timothy Downs and Mark Jubulis. In my current position at the University of Saint Francis: Phyllis Gernhardt, Monique Gregg, Jason Jividen, David Mullins, Thomas Schneider, and Matthew Smith. My work has also benefitted from constructive criticism and suggestions from colleagues in the field of German history including: Hermann Beck, Roger Chickering, Clifton Ganyard, Karl Meyer, Dietrich Orlow, William Patch, Jim Retallack, and Raffael Scheck. In particular, I want to thank Richard Frankel and Steven Pfaff for their friendship, expertise, advice, and support.

The research for this book was made possible by the generosity of the German Academic Exchange Council (DAAD) and funds from the State University of New York-Buffalo, Gannon University, and the University of Saint Francis. My thanks go to the German archivists whose expertise and professionalism helped make all aspects of my research productive and enjoyable. Thanks also to the interlibrary loan staff of the various American institutions listed above for their help.

I am grateful to the editors, staff, and anonymous readers at Ashgate Publishing for their expert work on this book. They have improved this project in many ways and have been a pleasure to work with throughout the publishing process.

Finally, I wish to thank those closest to me for their support over many years. My parents Frederick and Emilie Jackisch, my sister Rhonda, and my brother Paul instilled in me a life-long interest in learning and encouraged me in all of my endeavors. I will always be grateful for your support and the innumerable ways that you have strengthened and uplifted me throughout my life. I dedicate this book to my wife Ami. Your love, support, and friendship have helped me through many trying times and have given me the strength and clarity to see this project to its completion. You have made all the difference.

In early March 1939 Nazi Germanys secret state police, the Gestapo, launched coordinated raids to shut down the Pan-German Leagues national headquarters, as well as its numerous regional and local offices throughout Germany. Acting with Adolf Hitlers knowledge and approval, the Gestapo brought an abrupt end to the organizations nearly 50-year history.

These facts will likely surprise many readers unfamiliar with the Pan-German Leagues later history. It may seem odd that the League survived in any form after 1933 and, in fact, lasted until 1939. Stranger still might be the fact that Hitlers regime would move so swiftly and decisively to shut down the Pan-German League, a leading radical nationalist organization that seemed to share many of the regimes general goals. Yet, this is precisely what happened to one of Germanys oldest and best known right-wing organizations only months before the outbreak of World War II. Why this happened, and how the Pan-German League reached this point, is the focus of the following study.

that the Pan-German Leagues history during the Weimar Republic and the first years of the Nazi dictatorship offers important new insights into the political history of German radical nationalism and the transformation of the German Right in the Weimar era.

The Pan-German Leagues pre-1918 history is generally well known. Founded in 1891 as a political pressure group critical of the German governments foreign and domestic policy decisions, the Pan-Germans were an openly expansionist organization that called for German colonies and spheres of influence throughout the world and the creation of a strong navy to reinforce Germanys newly gained status abroad. In domestic politics, the League supported an authoritarian monarchy and opposed the growth of parliamentary democracy. The League also sought to combat what it regarded as the pernicious influence of a myriad of un-German elements, particularly Slavs, often Catholics, and ultimately, Jews.

Throughout its history, the Pan-German League drew the vast majority of its members from the social strata identified by the German terms Bildung und Besitz, or the propertied and educated middle class.Thus the Leagues membership counted social and political elites including nobles, industrialists, and high-ranking military officers as well as middle-class professionals like teachers, doctors, lawyers, civil servants, and small business owners.