Christian Social Party (Germany)
Encyclopedia
The Christian Social Party was a right-wing
political party
in the German Empire
, founded in 1878 by Adolf Stoecker
as the Christlichsoziale Arbeiterpartei (Christian Social Workers' Party). The party combined a strong Christian
and conservative
programme with progressive ideas on labour, and tried to provide an alternative for disillusioned Social Democrat
voters. It also focused on the "Jewish question
" with a distinct antisemitic attitude.
In December 1877 Stoecker, domestic chaplain
at the court of Emperor Wilhelm I and board member of the Evangelical Church of the Prussian Union
, together with the economist Adolph Wagner
had founded the Central Association for Social Reform (Zentralverein für Sozialreform), dealing with injustice and poverty
after the Industrial Revolution
. The organization was meant to counter the rise of the presumably revolution
ary Social Democratic Party and to answer the urging social question on the basis of Protestant
religion and monarchism
. It was constituted as a laborers' party on 1 February 1878.
The program of the CSP included:
In turn, Social Democrats like Johann Most
led a large conjugation in protesting against the party and its "christianity", while the reformist
approach repelled social conservative
voters. In the 1878 elections, the party obtained less than 1% of the vote, failing to enter the Reichstag
.
Upon their defeat, the CSP gave up its stance as a workers' party and concentrated on petit-bourgeois
sections of the electorate. Although antisemitism was only a minor theme in the early stages of the party, the antisemitic message was carried by the so-called Berlin Movement (Berliner Bewegung) of the 1880s, which gathered considerable support. The party linked anti-capitalism
with hatred toward Jews, denoting both big business
and social liberal
or socialist
movements as "judaized", fulfilling the plans of the "world Jewry" to exterminate the German people (which according to the CSP did not include Jews).
The party never gained mass support, but Adolf Stoecker was able to obtain a seat in the Reichstag after an electoral coalition with the Conservative Party
(DKP). In the parliament, he acted as a DKP "far–right", advocating the abolition of universal suffrage
and intriguing against the policies of Otto von Bismarck
until the chancellor's resignation in 1890. Stoecker even was able to include some antisemitic remarks in the DKP's 1892 party manifesto, however, when the Conservatives became worried with the over-tones in his messages (although they were more targeted at Reform Judaism than orthodox Judaism), the Christian Socialists were forced from the coalition in 1896. A left-wing group around Friedrich Naumann split off to found the National-Social Association
.
The final demise of the Christian Social Party came in the early 1900s. Adolf Stoecker died in 1909 and in November 1918, most members of the CSP, under lead of Reichstag member Reinhard Mumm (who succeeded Stoecker in representing the Arnsberg
constituency), stepped over to the German National People's Party
(Deutschnationale Volkspartei, DNVP) in 1918. The group separated itself again, emerging as the Christian Social People's Service
(Christlich-Soziale Volksdienst) in 1929 after the business magnate Alfred Hugenberg
had become DNVP chairman.
Right-wing politics
In politics, Right, right-wing and rightist generally refer to support for a hierarchical society justified on the basis of an appeal to natural law or tradition. To varying degrees, the Right rejects the egalitarian objectives of left-wing politics, claiming that the imposition of equality is...
political party
Political party
A political party is a political organization that typically seeks to influence government policy, usually by nominating their own candidates and trying to seat them in political office. Parties participate in electoral campaigns, educational outreach or protest actions...
in the German Empire
German Empire
The German Empire refers to Germany during the "Second Reich" period from the unification of Germany and proclamation of Wilhelm I as German Emperor on 18 January 1871, to 1918, when it became a federal republic after defeat in World War I and the abdication of the Emperor, Wilhelm II.The German...
, founded in 1878 by Adolf Stoecker
Adolf Stoecker
Adolf Stoecker was the court chaplain to Kaiser Wilhelm II, a politician, and a German Lutheran theologian who founded one of the first Christian Social Gospel political parties in Germany, the Christian Social Party.-Life:Stoecker was born in Halberstadt, Province of Saxony.A staunch Protestant,...
as the Christlichsoziale Arbeiterpartei (Christian Social Workers' Party). The party combined a strong Christian
Christian right
Christian right is a term used predominantly in the United States to describe "right-wing" Christian political groups that are characterized by their strong support of socially conservative policies...
and conservative
Conservatism
Conservatism is a political and social philosophy that promotes the maintenance of traditional institutions and supports, at the most, minimal and gradual change in society. Some conservatives seek to preserve things as they are, emphasizing stability and continuity, while others oppose modernism...
programme with progressive ideas on labour, and tried to provide an alternative for disillusioned Social Democrat
Social Democratic Party of Germany
The Social Democratic Party of Germany is a social-democratic political party in Germany...
voters. It also focused on the "Jewish question
Jewish Question
The Jewish question encompasses the issues and resolutions surrounding the historically unequal civil, legal and national statuses between minority Ashkenazi Jews and non-Jews, particularly in Europe. The first issues discussed and debated by societies, politicians and writers in western and...
" with a distinct antisemitic attitude.
In December 1877 Stoecker, domestic chaplain
Chaplain
Traditionally, a chaplain is a minister in a specialized setting such as a priest, pastor, rabbi, or imam or lay representative of a religion attached to a secular institution such as a hospital, prison, military unit, police department, university, or private chapel...
at the court of Emperor Wilhelm I and board member of the Evangelical Church of the Prussian Union
Prussian Union (Evangelical Christian Church)
The Prussian Union was the merger of the Lutheran Church and the Reformed Church in Prussia, by a series of decrees – among them the Unionsurkunde – by King Frederick William III...
, together with the economist Adolph Wagner
Adolph Wagner
Adolph Wagner was a German economist and politician, a leading Kathedersozialist and public finance scholar and advocate of Agrarianism...
had founded the Central Association for Social Reform (Zentralverein für Sozialreform), dealing with injustice and poverty
Poverty
Poverty is the lack of a certain amount of material possessions or money. Absolute poverty or destitution is inability to afford basic human needs, which commonly includes clean and fresh water, nutrition, health care, education, clothing and shelter. About 1.7 billion people are estimated to live...
after the Industrial Revolution
Industrial Revolution
The Industrial Revolution was a period from the 18th to the 19th century where major changes in agriculture, manufacturing, mining, transportation, and technology had a profound effect on the social, economic and cultural conditions of the times...
. The organization was meant to counter the rise of the presumably revolution
Revolution
A revolution is a fundamental change in power or organizational structures that takes place in a relatively short period of time.Aristotle described two types of political revolution:...
ary Social Democratic Party and to answer the urging social question on the basis of Protestant
Protestantism
Protestantism is one of the three major groupings within Christianity. It is a movement that began in Germany in the early 16th century as a reaction against medieval Roman Catholic doctrines and practices, especially in regards to salvation, justification, and ecclesiology.The doctrines of the...
religion and monarchism
Monarchism
Monarchism is the advocacy of the establishment, preservation, or restoration of a monarchy as a form of government in a nation. A monarchist is an individual who supports this form of government out of principle, independent from the person, the Monarch.In this system, the Monarch may be the...
. It was constituted as a laborers' party on 1 February 1878.
The program of the CSP included:
- Founding of mandatory specialized cooperativeCooperativeA cooperative is a business organization owned and operated by a group of individuals for their mutual benefit...
s - Settlement of the apprenticeshipApprenticeshipApprenticeship is a system of training a new generation of practitioners of a skill. Apprentices or protégés build their careers from apprenticeships...
system - Commercial arbitrationArbitrationArbitration, a form of alternative dispute resolution , is a legal technique for the resolution of disputes outside the courts, where the parties to a dispute refer it to one or more persons , by whose decision they agree to be bound...
- Social insuranceSocial insuranceSocial insurance is any government-sponsored program with the following four characteristics:* the benefits, eligibility requirements and other aspects of the program are defined by statute;...
: mandatory widows and orphans, disability and pension funds - Eight-hour dayEight-hour dayThe eight-hour day movement or 40-hour week movement, also known as the short-time movement, had its origins in the Industrial Revolution in Britain, where industrial production in large factories transformed working life and imposed long hours and poor working conditions. With working conditions...
- Factory ActsFactory ActsThe Factory Acts were a series of Acts passed by the Parliament of the United Kingdom to limit the number of hours worked by women and children first in the textile industry, then later in all industries....
- Restoring laws against usuryUsuryUsury Originally, when the charging of interest was still banned by Christian churches, usury simply meant the charging of interest at any rate . In countries where the charging of interest became acceptable, the term came to be used for interest above the rate allowed by law...
- ProgressiveProgressive taxA progressive tax is a tax by which the tax rate increases as the taxable base amount increases. "Progressive" describes a distribution effect on income or expenditure, referring to the way the rate progresses from low to high, where the average tax rate is less than the marginal tax rate...
income and inheritance taxes
In turn, Social Democrats like Johann Most
Johann Most
Johann Joseph Most was a German-American politician, newspaper editor, and orator. He is credited with popularizing the concept of "Propaganda of the deed". His grandson was Boston Celtics radio play-by-play man Johnny Most...
led a large conjugation in protesting against the party and its "christianity", while the reformist
Reformism
Reformism is the belief that gradual democratic changes in a society can ultimately change a society's fundamental economic relations and political structures...
approach repelled social conservative
Social conservatism
Social Conservatism is primarily a political, and usually morally influenced, ideology that focuses on the preservation of what are seen as traditional values. Social conservatism is a form of authoritarianism often associated with the position that the federal government should have a greater role...
voters. In the 1878 elections, the party obtained less than 1% of the vote, failing to enter the Reichstag
Reichstag (German Empire)
The Reichstag was the parliament of the North German Confederation , and of the German Reich ....
.
Upon their defeat, the CSP gave up its stance as a workers' party and concentrated on petit-bourgeois
Petite bourgeoisie
Petit-bourgeois or petty bourgeois is a term that originally referred to the members of the lower middle social classes in the 18th and early 19th centuries...
sections of the electorate. Although antisemitism was only a minor theme in the early stages of the party, the antisemitic message was carried by the so-called Berlin Movement (Berliner Bewegung) of the 1880s, which gathered considerable support. The party linked anti-capitalism
Anti-capitalism
Anti-capitalism describes a wide variety of movements, ideas, and attitudes which oppose capitalism. Anti-capitalists, in the strict sense of the word, are those who wish to completely replace capitalism with another system....
with hatred toward Jews, denoting both big business
Big Business
Big business is a term used to describe large corporations, in either an individual or collective sense. The term first came into use in a symbolic sense subsequent to the American Civil War, particularly after 1880, in connection with the combination movement that began in American business at...
and social liberal
Social liberalism
Social liberalism is the belief that liberalism should include social justice. It differs from classical liberalism in that it believes the legitimate role of the state includes addressing economic and social issues such as unemployment, health care, and education while simultaneously expanding...
or socialist
Socialism
Socialism is an economic system characterized by social ownership of the means of production and cooperative management of the economy; or a political philosophy advocating such a system. "Social ownership" may refer to any one of, or a combination of, the following: cooperative enterprises,...
movements as "judaized", fulfilling the plans of the "world Jewry" to exterminate the German people (which according to the CSP did not include Jews).
The party never gained mass support, but Adolf Stoecker was able to obtain a seat in the Reichstag after an electoral coalition with the Conservative Party
German Conservative Party
The German Conservative Party was a right-wing political party of the German Empire, founded in 1876.- Policies :It was generally seen as representing the interests of the German nobility, the East Elbian Junkers and the Evangelical Church of the Prussian Union, and had its political stronghold...
(DKP). In the parliament, he acted as a DKP "far–right", advocating the abolition of universal suffrage
Universal suffrage
Universal suffrage consists of the extension of the right to vote to adult citizens as a whole, though it may also mean extending said right to minors and non-citizens...
and intriguing against the policies of Otto von Bismarck
Otto von Bismarck
Otto Eduard Leopold, Prince of Bismarck, Duke of Lauenburg , simply known as Otto von Bismarck, was a Prussian-German statesman whose actions unified Germany, made it a major player in world affairs, and created a balance of power that kept Europe at peace after 1871.As Minister President of...
until the chancellor's resignation in 1890. Stoecker even was able to include some antisemitic remarks in the DKP's 1892 party manifesto, however, when the Conservatives became worried with the over-tones in his messages (although they were more targeted at Reform Judaism than orthodox Judaism), the Christian Socialists were forced from the coalition in 1896. A left-wing group around Friedrich Naumann split off to found the National-Social Association
National-Social Association
The National-Social Association was a political party in the German Empire, founded in 1896 by Friedrich Naumann.In the second half of the 19th century Germany underwent a rapid industrialization, which was connected with rising social problems...
.
The final demise of the Christian Social Party came in the early 1900s. Adolf Stoecker died in 1909 and in November 1918, most members of the CSP, under lead of Reichstag member Reinhard Mumm (who succeeded Stoecker in representing the Arnsberg
Arnsberg
Arnsberg is a town in the Hochsauerland district, in North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany. It is the location of the Regierungsbezirk Arnsberg's administration and one of the three local administration offices of the Hochsauerlandkreis.-Geography:...
constituency), stepped over to the German National People's Party
German National People's Party
The German National People's Party was a national conservative party in Germany during the time of the Weimar Republic. Before the rise of the NSDAP it was the main nationalist party in Weimar Germany composed of nationalists, reactionary monarchists, völkisch, and antisemitic elements, and...
(Deutschnationale Volkspartei, DNVP) in 1918. The group separated itself again, emerging as the Christian Social People's Service
Christian Social People's Service
The Christian Social People's Service was a Protestant conservative political party in the Weimar Republic....
(Christlich-Soziale Volksdienst) in 1929 after the business magnate Alfred Hugenberg
Alfred Hugenberg
Alfred Ernst Christian Alexander Hugenberg was an influential German businessman and politician. Hugenberg, a leading figure within nationalist politics in Germany for the first few decades of the twentieth century, became the country's leading media proprietor within the inter-war period...
had become DNVP chairman.