German Christian Social People's Party
Encyclopedia
German Christian Social People's Party was an ethnic German political party
in Czechoslovakia, formed as a continuation from the Austrian Christian Social Party. It was founded in November 1919 in Prague. The party had good relations with its Czechoslovak brother party.
In the summer of 1919, a programme for the party was drafted. On September 28, 1919, the programme was approved by a Bohemia
n party conference in Prague
. On November 2, 1919, the program was adopted at a national party conference with delegates from Bohemia, Moravia
and Silesia
.
The party had an agrarian front
, Reichbauernbund (a name retained from the Austrian period), and a trade union centre, Deutsch-Christlichen Gewerbe- und Handwekerbund.
In the 1920 election
, the party won ten seats (3.6% of the nationwide vote).
In the 1925 election
, DCVP won 13 parliamentary seats (4.3% of the vote). After the election, the party joined the Czechoslovak national government, and DCVP politician Robert Mayr-Harting
became Minister of Justice. In 1926 Gottlieb Pruscha succeeded Kirsch as general secretary of the party.
As of 1928, the party had around 38,000 members. Around 22,000 of them lived in Bohemia, 9,000 in Silesia and Northern Moravia and 7,000 in Central and Southern Moravia.
In the 1929 election
, the DCVP got 14 seats, having got 4.7% of the national vote. After the election, DCVP was excluded from the national government.
In the 1935 election
, DCVP gathered 2% of the national vote. The party got six parliamentary seats. After the election, the party supported the candidature of Edvard Beneš
for president of the republic. In 1936, DCVP was again included in the Czechoslovak government. DCVP member of parliament Erwin Zajicek became Minister without portfolio.
After the Anschluß of Austria
, the rightwing tendencies inside DCVP were emboldened and took charge of the party. The DCVP members of parliament joined the Sudeten German Party (SdP). DCVP wasn't formally dissolved, but declared that the activities of the party were suspended. The German Christian trade unions that had been tied to DCVP also aligned with SdP.
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 Czechoslovakia, formed as a continuation from the Austrian Christian Social Party. It was founded in November 1919 in Prague. The party had good relations with its Czechoslovak brother party.
In the summer of 1919, a programme for the party was drafted. On September 28, 1919, the programme was approved by a Bohemia
Bohemia
Bohemia is a historical region in central Europe, occupying the western two-thirds of the traditional Czech Lands. It is located in the contemporary Czech Republic with its capital in Prague...
n party conference in Prague
Prague
Prague is the capital and largest city of the Czech Republic. Situated in the north-west of the country on the Vltava river, the city is home to about 1.3 million people, while its metropolitan area is estimated to have a population of over 2.3 million...
. On November 2, 1919, the program was adopted at a national party conference with delegates from Bohemia, Moravia
Moravia
Moravia is a historical region in Central Europe in the east of the Czech Republic, and one of the former Czech lands, together with Bohemia and Silesia. It takes its name from the Morava River which rises in the northwest of the region...
and Silesia
Silesia
Silesia is a historical region of Central Europe located mostly in Poland, with smaller parts also in the Czech Republic, and Germany.Silesia is rich in mineral and natural resources, and includes several important industrial areas. Silesia's largest city and historical capital is Wrocław...
.
The party had an agrarian front
Front organization
A front organization is any entity set up by and controlled by another organization, such as intelligence agencies, organized crime groups, banned organizations, religious or political groups, advocacy groups, or corporations...
, Reichbauernbund (a name retained from the Austrian period), and a trade union centre, Deutsch-Christlichen Gewerbe- und Handwekerbund.
In the 1920 election
Czechoslovakian parliamentary election, 1920
Parliamentary elections were held in Czechoslovakia on 18 and 25 April 1920. The Chamber of Deputies was elected on 18 April and the Senate on 25 April. They were the first elections held under the Czechoslovak Constitution of 1920. The result was a victory for the Czechoslovak Social Democratic...
, the party won ten seats (3.6% of the nationwide vote).
In the 1925 election
Czechoslovakian parliamentary election, 1925
Parliamentary elections were held in Czechoslovakia on 15 November 1925. The result was a victory for the Republican Party of Agricultural and Smallholder People, which won 45 seats in the Chamber of Deputies and 23 seats in the Senate. Voter turnout was 90.1% in the Chamber election and 77.3% for...
, DCVP won 13 parliamentary seats (4.3% of the vote). After the election, the party joined the Czechoslovak national government, and DCVP politician Robert Mayr-Harting
Robert Mayr-Harting
Robert von Mayr-Harting was an Austrian-born Sudeten German politician....
became Minister of Justice. In 1926 Gottlieb Pruscha succeeded Kirsch as general secretary of the party.
As of 1928, the party had around 38,000 members. Around 22,000 of them lived in Bohemia, 9,000 in Silesia and Northern Moravia and 7,000 in Central and Southern Moravia.
In the 1929 election
Czechoslovakian parliamentary election, 1929
Parliamentary elections were held in Czechoslovakia on 27 October 1929. The result was a victory for the Republican Party of Agricultural and Smallholder People, which won 46 seats in the Chamber of Deputies and 24 seats in the Senate. Voter turnout was 90.2% in the Chamber election and 78.8% for...
, the DCVP got 14 seats, having got 4.7% of the national vote. After the election, DCVP was excluded from the national government.
In the 1935 election
Czechoslovakian parliamentary election, 1935
Parliamentary elections were held in Czechoslovakia on 19 May 1935. The result was a victory for the newly established Sudeten German Party, which won 44 seats in the Chamber and 23 in the Senate. Funded by the German Nazi Party, it won over two-third of the vote amongst Sudeten Germans...
, DCVP gathered 2% of the national vote. The party got six parliamentary seats. After the election, the party supported the candidature of Edvard Beneš
Edvard Beneš
Edvard Beneš was a leader of the Czechoslovak independence movement, Minister of Foreign Affairs and the second President of Czechoslovakia. He was known to be a skilled diplomat.- Youth :...
for president of the republic. In 1936, DCVP was again included in the Czechoslovak government. DCVP member of parliament Erwin Zajicek became Minister without portfolio.
After the Anschluß of Austria
Austria
Austria , officially the Republic of Austria , is a landlocked country of roughly 8.4 million people in Central Europe. It is bordered by the Czech Republic and Germany to the north, Slovakia and Hungary to the east, Slovenia and Italy to the south, and Switzerland and Liechtenstein to the...
, the rightwing tendencies inside DCVP were emboldened and took charge of the party. The DCVP members of parliament joined the Sudeten German Party (SdP). DCVP wasn't formally dissolved, but declared that the activities of the party were suspended. The German Christian trade unions that had been tied to DCVP also aligned with SdP.