National Movement of Switzerland
Encyclopedia
The National Movement of Switzerland ( or NBS) was a Nazi umbrella group formed in Switzerland
in 1940.
The NBS had its roots in the 1938 foundation of the Bund Treuer Eidgenossen Nationalsozialistischer Weltanschauung by Rolf Henne
after he was removed from the leadership of the National Front
by the more moderate Robert Tobler
. In 1940, this group absorbed a number of tiny Nazi supporting organisations to become the NSB under Henne and Dr. Max Leo Keller. Keller had worked with Heinrich Himmler
and brought with him Andreas von Sprecher, who was SS-trained, to run the new group's propaganda department.
Keller, Jakob Schaffner
and Ernst Hofmann, as representatives of the NBS, received an audience with President Marcel Pilet-Golaz
where they demanded much closer relations with Nazi Germany
, leading to eventual incorporation. This was followed by a Munich
conference in October 1940 in which Reinhard Heydrich
and Franz Riedweg invited the leaders of the NBS and other Swiss groups in order to increase cohesion. Ultimately the meeting strengthened the hand of the NBS as the remnants of the Bund Treuer Eidgenossen Nationalsozialistischer Weltanschauung as well as the Eidgenössische Soziale Arbeiter-Partei and Ernst Leonhardt
's Nationalsozialistische Schweizerische Arbeitspartei agreed to be absorbed into the movement.
Despite this strengthening the group was soon gone as the Swiss Federal Council
feared that annexation by Germany was just around the corner. In a series of moves against the most extreme groups, the NBS was closed down on November 19, 1940, by which time it had 160 cells and around 4000 members. The group continued to work underground for a time before a police crackdown which led to most of the leadership fleeing to Germany. Whilst in Germany Keller set up the Bund der Schweizer Nationalsozialisten as an émigré movement, although its influence was limited and he eventually returned to Switzerland in 1941. Meanwhile, various NBS units continued to be active secretly, mostly with help from the SS, until the end of the war.
Switzerland
Switzerland name of one of the Swiss cantons. ; ; ; or ), in its full name the Swiss Confederation , is a federal republic consisting of 26 cantons, with Bern as the seat of the federal authorities. The country is situated in Western Europe,Or Central Europe depending on the definition....
in 1940.
The NBS had its roots in the 1938 foundation of the Bund Treuer Eidgenossen Nationalsozialistischer Weltanschauung by Rolf Henne
Rolf Henne
Rolf Henne was a Swiss politician who supported a form of Nazism.Born in Schaffhausen, Henne was a distant relative of Carl Jung on his father's side. Educated at Zurich and Heidelberg, Henne worked as a lawyer. He joined the New Front in 1932, serving as Gaufuehrer for his hometown...
after he was removed from the leadership of the National Front
National Front (Switzerland)
The National Front was a far right political party in Switzerland that flourished during the 1930s.The party began life amongst a number of debating clubs at the University of Zurich, where anti-Semitism, Swiss nationalism and support for ideas similar to those later adopted in the racial policy of...
by the more moderate Robert Tobler
Robert Tobler
Robert Tobler was a Swiss far right politician.Born in Zürich, he followed his father by studying law at University of Zurich and working as a lawyer. Initially attracted to liberalism, he came into contact with Hans Oehler and soon helped to found the New Front in 1930...
. In 1940, this group absorbed a number of tiny Nazi supporting organisations to become the NSB under Henne and Dr. Max Leo Keller. Keller had worked with Heinrich Himmler
Heinrich Himmler
Heinrich Luitpold Himmler was Reichsführer of the SS, a military commander, and a leading member of the Nazi Party. As Chief of the German Police and the Minister of the Interior from 1943, Himmler oversaw all internal and external police and security forces, including the Gestapo...
and brought with him Andreas von Sprecher, who was SS-trained, to run the new group's propaganda department.
Keller, Jakob Schaffner
Jakob Schaffner
Jakob Schaffner was a leading Swiss novelist who became a supporter of Nazism.Born on 14 November 1875 in Basel, his father died at an early age before his mother emigrated to the United States, leaving him to be reared in an orphanage...
and Ernst Hofmann, as representatives of the NBS, received an audience with President Marcel Pilet-Golaz
Marcel Pilet-Golaz
Marcel Pilet-Golaz was a Swiss politician.He was elected to the Swiss Federal Council on December 13, 1928 and handed over office on December 31, 1944...
where they demanded much closer relations with Nazi Germany
Nazi Germany
Nazi Germany , also known as the Third Reich , but officially called German Reich from 1933 to 1943 and Greater German Reich from 26 June 1943 onward, is the name commonly used to refer to the state of Germany from 1933 to 1945, when it was a totalitarian dictatorship ruled by...
, leading to eventual incorporation. This was followed by a Munich
Munich
Munich The city's motto is "" . Before 2006, it was "Weltstadt mit Herz" . Its native name, , is derived from the Old High German Munichen, meaning "by the monks' place". The city's name derives from the monks of the Benedictine order who founded the city; hence the monk depicted on the city's coat...
conference in October 1940 in which Reinhard Heydrich
Reinhard Heydrich
Reinhard Tristan Eugen Heydrich , also known as The Hangman, was a high-ranking German Nazi official.He was SS-Obergruppenführer and General der Polizei, chief of the Reich Main Security Office and Stellvertretender Reichsprotektor of Bohemia and Moravia...
and Franz Riedweg invited the leaders of the NBS and other Swiss groups in order to increase cohesion. Ultimately the meeting strengthened the hand of the NBS as the remnants of the Bund Treuer Eidgenossen Nationalsozialistischer Weltanschauung as well as the Eidgenössische Soziale Arbeiter-Partei and Ernst Leonhardt
Ernst Leonhardt
Ernst Leonhardt was an American-born Swiss military figure and pro-Nazi Germany politician.- Biography :...
's Nationalsozialistische Schweizerische Arbeitspartei agreed to be absorbed into the movement.
Despite this strengthening the group was soon gone as the Swiss Federal Council
Swiss Federal Council
The Federal Council is the seven-member executive council which constitutes the federal government of Switzerland and serves as the Swiss collective head of state....
feared that annexation by Germany was just around the corner. In a series of moves against the most extreme groups, the NBS was closed down on November 19, 1940, by which time it had 160 cells and around 4000 members. The group continued to work underground for a time before a police crackdown which led to most of the leadership fleeing to Germany. Whilst in Germany Keller set up the Bund der Schweizer Nationalsozialisten as an émigré movement, although its influence was limited and he eventually returned to Switzerland in 1941. Meanwhile, various NBS units continued to be active secretly, mostly with help from the SS, until the end of the war.
External links
- A Survey of Nazi and Pro-Nazi Groups in Switzerland: 1930-1945 by Alan Morris Schom for the Simon Wiesenthal CenterSimon Wiesenthal CenterThe Simon Wiesenthal Center , with headquarters in Los Angeles, California, was established in 1977 and named for Simon Wiesenthal, the Nazi hunter. According to its mission statement, it is "an international Jewish human rights organization dedicated to repairing the world one step at a time...