Sudeten German National Socialist Party
Encyclopedia
The Sudeten German Party was created by Konrad Henlein
under the name Sudetendeutsche Heimatfront (in English: "Front of Sudeten German Homeland") on October 1, 1933, some months after the state of Czechoslovakia
had outlawed the German National Socialist Workers' Party
. In April 1935, the party was re-named Sudetendeutsche Partei following a mandatory demand of the Czechoslovak government. At the parliamentary election of May 1935, the SdP won about 80% of the German votes in Czechoslovakia, thus becoming the strongest of all parties in CSR (including the Czech parties).
In 1903, a group of Sudeten Germans created the German Workers Parties (DAP's) that developed under the old empire in Bohemia
and Moravia
, and it was they who originated and gave the impetus for Austrian National Socialism
. The history of this party is centered on the cities of Eger (which is German for Cheb
) and Aussig (which is German for Ústí nad Labem
). They formed the core of Austrian National Socialism before the dissolution of the Dual Monarchy. Hans Knirsch
was their leader from 1918 to 1933. At the end of World War I
, the Austro-Hungarian Empire broke up into its constituent nation states, and the new Czech-dominated government considered the Pan-German party to be offensive and dangerous for the unity of the country. In 1933 the party decided to dissolve to prevent the imminent ban by the Prague government.
However, the newly established SdP did not see itself as a successor of the DNSAP; in fact, SdP leader Henlein sharply rejected the idea. In his earlier speeches (up until 1937), Henlein stressed his distance from German National Socialism, affirming loyalty to the Czechoslovak state and stressing approval of the idea of individual freedom. In 1935 Karl Hermann Frank
became the deputy leader of the SdP. In 1938, the majority of the party advocated Anschluss
with Germany
.
From 1935 some groups within the party were financed from Germany. From November 1937 the leaders of SdP coordinated the policy with Nazi leaders in order to separate the Sudetenland from the Czechoslovak state and integrate the German speaking parts of Bohemia and Moravia into the German Empire. This policy took the form of so-called "Grundplanung OA" (Basic planning) from summer 1938 and later in the interior policy of the Protectorate of Bohemia and Moravia
.
The policy of SdP succeeded in September 1938 with the annexation of Sudetenland
by Nazi Germany
(see: Munich Agreement
). In late 1938 the party was officially disbanded and many of its members entered the Nazi Party.
Konrad Henlein
Konrad Ernst Eduard Henlein was a leading pro-Nazi ethnic German politician in Czechoslovakia and leader of Sudeten German separatists...
under the name Sudetendeutsche Heimatfront (in English: "Front of Sudeten German Homeland") on October 1, 1933, some months after the state of Czechoslovakia
Czechoslovakia
Czechoslovakia or Czecho-Slovakia was a sovereign state in Central Europe which existed from October 1918, when it declared its independence from the Austro-Hungarian Empire, until 1992...
had outlawed the German National Socialist Workers' Party
German National Socialist Workers' Party (Czechoslovakia)
The German National Socialist Workers' Party was a protofascist party of Germans in Czechoslovakia, successor of the German Workers' Party from Austria-Hungary. It was founded in November 1919 in Duchcov. Most important party activists were Hans Knirsch, Hans Krebs, Adam Fahrner, Rudolf Jung and...
. In April 1935, the party was re-named Sudetendeutsche Partei following a mandatory demand of the Czechoslovak government. At the parliamentary election of May 1935, the SdP won about 80% of the German votes in Czechoslovakia, thus becoming the strongest of all parties in CSR (including the Czech parties).
In 1903, a group of Sudeten Germans created the German Workers Parties (DAP's) that developed under the old empire in 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...
and 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 it was they who originated and gave the impetus for Austrian National Socialism
Austrian National Socialism
Austrian National Socialism was a Pan-German movement that was formed at the beginning of the 20th century. The movement took a concrete form on November 15, 1903 when the German Worker's Party was established in Austria with its secretariat stationed in the town of Aussig...
. The history of this party is centered on the cities of Eger (which is German for Cheb
Cheb
Cheb is a city in the Karlovy Vary Region of the Czech Republic, with about 33,000 inhabitants. It is situated on the river Ohře , at the foot of one of the spurs of the Smrčiny and near the border with Germany...
) and Aussig (which is German for Ústí nad Labem
Ústí nad Labem
Ústí nad Labem is a city of the Czech Republic, in the Ústí nad Labem Region. The city is the 7th-most populous in the country.Ústí is situated in a mountainous district at the confluence of the Bílina and the Elbe Rivers, and, besides being an active river port, is an important railway junction...
). They formed the core of Austrian National Socialism before the dissolution of the Dual Monarchy. Hans Knirsch
Hans Knirsch
Hans Knirsch was an Austro-German activist from Moravia for Austrian National Socialism. After the breakup of the Austro-Hungarian Empire, he led the original party in Bohemia, called the Sudeten German National Socialist Party...
was their leader from 1918 to 1933. At the end of World War I
World War I
World War I , which was predominantly called the World War or the Great War from its occurrence until 1939, and the First World War or World War I thereafter, was a major war centred in Europe that began on 28 July 1914 and lasted until 11 November 1918...
, the Austro-Hungarian Empire broke up into its constituent nation states, and the new Czech-dominated government considered the Pan-German party to be offensive and dangerous for the unity of the country. In 1933 the party decided to dissolve to prevent the imminent ban by the Prague government.
However, the newly established SdP did not see itself as a successor of the DNSAP; in fact, SdP leader Henlein sharply rejected the idea. In his earlier speeches (up until 1937), Henlein stressed his distance from German National Socialism, affirming loyalty to the Czechoslovak state and stressing approval of the idea of individual freedom. In 1935 Karl Hermann Frank
Karl Hermann Frank
Karl Hermann Frank was a prominent Sudeten German Nazi official in Czechoslovakia prior to and during World War II and an SS-Obergruppenführer...
became the deputy leader of the SdP. In 1938, the majority of the party advocated Anschluss
Anschluss
The Anschluss , also known as the ', was the occupation and annexation of Austria into Nazi Germany in 1938....
with Germany
Germany
Germany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a federal parliamentary republic in Europe. The country consists of 16 states while the capital and largest city is Berlin. Germany covers an area of 357,021 km2 and has a largely temperate seasonal climate...
.
From 1935 some groups within the party were financed from Germany. From November 1937 the leaders of SdP coordinated the policy with Nazi leaders in order to separate the Sudetenland from the Czechoslovak state and integrate the German speaking parts of Bohemia and Moravia into the German Empire. This policy took the form of so-called "Grundplanung OA" (Basic planning) from summer 1938 and later in the interior policy of the Protectorate of Bohemia and Moravia
Protectorate of Bohemia and Moravia
The Protectorate of Bohemia and Moravia was the majority ethnic-Czech protectorate which Nazi Germany established in the central parts of Bohemia, Moravia and Czech Silesia in what is today the Czech Republic...
.
The policy of SdP succeeded in September 1938 with the annexation of Sudetenland
Sudetenland
Sudetenland is the German name used in English in the first half of the 20th century for the northern, southwest and western regions of Czechoslovakia inhabited mostly by ethnic Germans, specifically the border areas of Bohemia, Moravia, and those parts of Silesia being within Czechoslovakia.The...
by 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...
(see: Munich Agreement
Munich Agreement
The Munich Pact was an agreement permitting the Nazi German annexation of Czechoslovakia's Sudetenland. The Sudetenland were areas along Czech borders, mainly inhabited by ethnic Germans. The agreement was negotiated at a conference held in Munich, Germany, among the major powers of Europe without...
). In late 1938 the party was officially disbanded and many of its members entered the Nazi Party.
See also
- Germans in Czechoslovakia (1918-1938)Germans in Czechoslovakia (1918-1938)From 1918 to 1938, after the breakup of the Austro-Hungarian Empire, more than 3 million ethnic Germans were living in what became the Czech lands of the newly created state of Czechoslovakia. Ethnic Germans had lived in Bohemia, a part of the Holy Roman Empire, since the 14th century , mostly in...
- SudetenlandSudetenlandSudetenland is the German name used in English in the first half of the 20th century for the northern, southwest and western regions of Czechoslovakia inhabited mostly by ethnic Germans, specifically the border areas of Bohemia, Moravia, and those parts of Silesia being within Czechoslovakia.The...
- Nazi Party