National Democratic Party of Germany (East Germany): Difference between revisions

National-Democratic Party of Germany

National-Demokratische Partei Deutschlands
National-Democratic Party of Germany National-Demokratische Partei Deutschlands
Founded	25 May 1948
Dissolved	27 March 1990
Merged into	Free Democratic Party
Headquarters	East Berlin, East Germany
Membership (late 1980s)	ca. 110,000
Ideology	1948-1989:; Conservatism; National conservatism; Socialism; 1989-1990:; Centrism; National liberalism
National affiliation	Democratic Bloc (1948–1950); National Front (1950–1990); Association of Free Democrats (1990)
Party flag
	Politics of Germany; Political parties; Elections;

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The National-Democratic Party of Germany (German: National-Demokratische Partei Deutschlands, NDPD) was an East German political party that served as a satellite party to the Socialist Unity Party of Germany (SED) from 1948 to 1989, representing former members of the Nazi Party, the Wehrmacht and middle classes. It should not be confused with the National Democratic Party of Germany (Nationaldemokratische Partei Deutschlands, NPD), which was a party in West Germany and continues as a minor non-governmental party in the modern united Germany.

History

The NDPD was co-founded by Lothar Bolz (a former member of the Communist Party of Germany and the National Committee for a Free Germany in the Soviet Union), Wilhelm Adam (a former member of the SA) and others. It was intended to reach out to social groups that had been attracted by the Nazi Party (NSDAP) before 1945 (such as military men and some of the middle classes) and provide them with a political outlet, so that they would not be tempted to support the far-right again or turn to the anti-communist Western Allies. German nationalism had been a potent force during the interwar era and millions of Germans had been members of the NSDAP, and Stalin wanted to use them to create a new pro-Soviet and anti-Western strain in German politics.^[7] According to top Soviet diplomat Vladimir Semyonov, Stalin even suggested that they could be allowed to continue publishing their own newspaper, Völkischer Beobachter. German Communists and some Soviet officials were initially appalled by Stalin's ideas and weren't enthusiastic in their implementation.^[8] Similarly, in West Germany, the neo-nazi Socialist Reich Party, which was co-founded by Otto Ernst Remer and soon became the first party to be banned by Federal Constitutional Court, also had very warm attitude toward Soviet Union and received Soviet support.

In addition to old NSDAP members, former officers and displaced persons were also to be intercepted by the new party, like the West German All-German Bloc/League of Expellees and Deprived of Rights and the Austrian Federation of Independents. The Socialist Unity Party of Germany (SED) Board, meeting in May 1948, stated that "these politically unclear people" should not vote "cadets" for the bourgeois parties CDU and LDP at the next election,^[9] like the West German CDU and FDP.

According to Klaus Schroeder,^[10] the NDPD had fewer former Nazis among its ranks than the communist SED had. This was due to the NDPD being much smaller than the SED.

The NDPD was recognized by the Soviet Military Administration in Germany on 16 August 1948 and later sent 52 delegates to the East German parliament, the Volkskammer, as part of the National Front. None of these ever voted against the government on any issue, similarly to other block parties which were effectively puppets of the ruling party, the SED.

Nonetheless, after the fall of the Berlin Wall, the NDPD became an independent agent in politics, participating in the only free Volkskammer election ever held (on 18 March 1990). NDPD was not included in the electoral cartel of the other liberal-to-be parties in East Germany and entered the race alone. The results were a debacle: with 44,292 votes (0.38%) they received fewer votes than they (nominally) had members. On 27 March 1990 the NDPD became part of the Bund Freier Demokraten, a short-lived organization that eventually merged into the Free Democratic Party (FDP).^[11]

Programme and ideology

The NDPD programme demanded, among other things, the promotion of the middle class. Bolz was one of the few prominent members who was not a former Nazi and was, in fact, a member of the SED until he founded the new party. He had previously been a member of the Communist Party of Germany until it was suppressed by the Nazis. The NDPD was established by the communist authorities with the aim of claiming support among these ranks of society. The NDPD was organised on democratic centralist grounds and had 110,000 members in the late 1980s.

The party was supposed to represent liberalism, like the Liberal Democratic Party of Germany, and (at least initially) also played with the German national sentiment. However, the NDPD was even more loyal to the SED and was reluctant to criticise the government even during the Peaceful Revolution of 1989.^[4]

After the revolution, there were attempts by the far-right National Democratic Party (NPD)^[5] and the right-wing populist The Republicans^[12] to win the NDPD as an ally, but this failed.^[13]

Later, the NDPD understood itself as a centrist party and distanced itself from communist and nationalist/neo-fascist endeavors. Likewise, they were pro-European and rejected designation as "right-wing party", right-wing national or national conservative. It was also argued to rename the party "New Democratic Party of Germany".^[5]^[14]

Chairmen of the NDPD

Lothar Bolz	1948–1972
Heinrich Homann	1972–1989
Günter Hartmann	1989–1990
Wolfgang Glaeser	1990
Wolfgang Rauls	1990

Electoral history

Volkskammer elections

Election	Votes	%	Seats	+/–
1949	as part of Democratic Bloc		15 / 330 ^[a]	–
1950	as part of National Front		30 / 400	15
1954			45 / 466	15
1958			45 / 400
1963			45 / 434
1967			45 / 434
1971			45 / 434
1976			45 / 434
1981			52 / 500	7
1986			52 / 500
1990	44,292	0.4%	2 / 400	50

^ The 1,400 elected members of the Third German People's Congress selected the members of the second German People's Council.

References

^ Dirk Jurich, Staatssozialismus und gesellschaftliche Differenzierung: eine empirische Studie, p.31. LIT Verlag Münster, 2006, ISBN 3825898938
^ "Parteien der DDR". MDR.
^ "Zwangsvereinigung zur SED". Lebendiges Museum Online.
^ ^a ^b Richter, Michael (2009). Die friedliche Revolution: Aufbruch zur Demokratie in Sachsen 1989/90. Vandenhoeck & Ruprecht. p. 1077. ISBN 3647369144.
^ ^a ^b ^c Richter, Michael (2009). Die friedliche Revolution: Aufbruch zur Demokratie in Sachsen 1989-90, Band 1. Vandenhoeck & Ruprecht. p. 1211. ISBN 352536914X.
^ Günter Bannas; Eckart Lohse; Karl Feldmeyer; Albert Schäffer; Peter Carstens; Johannes Leithäuser; Stephan Löwenstein (1 October 2003). "Volksparteien verlieren Parteivolk". Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung (in German).
^ Zubok, Vladislav. A failed empire: the Soviet Union in the Cold War from Stalin to Gorbachev. The University of North Carolina Press, 2007, p. 89.
^ Zubok, Vladislav. A failed empire: the Soviet Union in the Cold War from Stalin to Gorbachev. The University of North Carolina Press, 2007, p. 90.
^ Klaus Schroeder: Der SED-Staat. Partei, Staat und Gesellschaft 1949–1990. 2. Auflage, Propyläen, München 2000 (1998), S. 41/42.
^ Klaus Schroeder: Der SED-Staat. Partei, Staat und Gesellschaft 1949–1990. 2. Auflage, Propyläen: München 2000 (1998), S. 42/43.
^ Udo Leuschner. "Die FDP übernimmt zwei "Blockflöten"". Geschichte der FDP (26) (in German). Retrieved 2019-04-04.
^ "Die Extreme Rechte in Thüringen: Entwicklung der Neonazi-Szene". Heinrich Böll Foundation.
^ Oskar Niedermayer and Richard Stöss. Parteien und Wähler im Umbruch: Parteiensystem und Wählerverhalten in der ehemaligen DDR und den neuen Bundesländern. p. 129.
^ Oskar Niedermayer and Richard Stöss. Parteien und Wähler im Umbruch: Parteiensystem und Wählerverhalten in der ehemaligen DDR und den neuen Bundesländern. p. 130.

External links

[fn1-15] The 1,400 elected members of the Third German People's Congress selected the members of the second German People's Council.

[1] Dirk Jurich, Staatssozialismus und gesellschaftliche Differenzierung: eine empirische Studie, p.31. LIT Verlag Münster, 2006, ISBN 3825898938

[2] "Parteien der DDR". MDR.

[3] "Zwangsvereinigung zur SED". Lebendiges Museum Online.

[Die_friedliche_Revolution2-4] Richter, Michael (2009). Die friedliche Revolution: Aufbruch zur Demokratie in Sachsen 1989/90. Vandenhoeck & Ruprecht. p. 1077. ISBN 3647369144.

[Die_friedliche_Revolution-5] Richter, Michael (2009). Die friedliche Revolution: Aufbruch zur Demokratie in Sachsen 1989-90, Band 1. Vandenhoeck & Ruprecht. p. 1211. ISBN 352536914X.

[6] Günter Bannas; Eckart Lohse; Karl Feldmeyer; Albert Schäffer; Peter Carstens; Johannes Leithäuser; Stephan Löwenstein (1 October 2003). "Volksparteien verlieren Parteivolk". Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung (in German).

[7] Zubok, Vladislav. A failed empire: the Soviet Union in the Cold War from Stalin to Gorbachev. The University of North Carolina Press, 2007, p. 89.

[8] Zubok, Vladislav. A failed empire: the Soviet Union in the Cold War from Stalin to Gorbachev. The University of North Carolina Press, 2007, p. 90.

[9] Klaus Schroeder: Der SED-Staat. Partei, Staat und Gesellschaft 1949–1990. 2. Auflage, Propyläen, München 2000 (1998), S. 41/42.

[10] Klaus Schroeder: Der SED-Staat. Partei, Staat und Gesellschaft 1949–1990. 2. Auflage, Propyläen: München 2000 (1998), S. 42/43.

[11] Udo Leuschner. "Die FDP übernimmt zwei "Blockflöten"". Geschichte der FDP (26) (in German). Retrieved 2019-04-04.

[12] "Die Extreme Rechte in Thüringen: Entwicklung der Neonazi-Szene". Heinrich Böll Foundation.

[13] Oskar Niedermayer and Richard Stöss. Parteien und Wähler im Umbruch: Parteiensystem und Wählerverhalten in der ehemaligen DDR und den neuen Bundesländern. p. 129.

[14] Oskar Niedermayer and Richard Stöss. Parteien und Wähler im Umbruch: Parteiensystem und Wählerverhalten in der ehemaligen DDR und den neuen Bundesländern. p. 130.

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@@ Line 32: / Line 32: @@
 ==History==
-The NDPD was co-founded by [[Lothar Bolz]], [[Wilhelm Adam]] (a former member of the [[Sturmabteilung|SA]]) and others. It was intended to reach out to social groups that had been attracted by the [[Nazi Party]] (NSDAP) before 1945 (such as military men and some of the middle classes) and provide them with a political outlet, so that they would not be tempted to support the [[Far-right politics|far-right]] again or turn to the [[Anticommunism|anti-communist]] [[Western Bloc|Western Allies]].  [[German nationalism]] had been a potent force during the interwar era and millions of Germans had been members of the NSDAP, and [[Stalin]] wanted to use them to create a new pro-Soviet and anti-Western strain in German politics.<ref>[[Vladislav Zubok|Zubok, Vladislav]]. ''A failed empire: the Soviet Union in the Cold War from Stalin to Gorbachev.'' The University of North Carolina Press, 2007, p. 89.</ref> According to top Soviet diplomat [[Vladimir Semyonov (diplomat)|Vladimir Semyonov]], Stalin even suggested that they could be allowed to continue publishing their own newspaper, ''[[Völkischer Beobachter]]''. German Communists and some Soviet officials were initially appalled by Stalin's ideas and weren't enthusiastic in their implementation.<ref>[[Vladislav Zubok|Zubok, Vladislav]]. ''A failed empire: the Soviet Union in the Cold War from Stalin to Gorbachev''. The University of North Carolina Press, 2007, p. 90.</ref> Similarly, in [[West Germany]], the neo-nazi [[Socialist Reich Party]], which was co-founded by [[Otto Ernst Remer]] and soon became the first party to be banned by [[Federal Constitutional Court]], also had very warm attitude toward Soviet Union and received Soviet support.
+The NDPD was co-founded by [[Lothar Bolz]] (a former member of the [[Communist Party of Germany]] and the [[National Committee for a Free Germany]] in the Soviet Union), [[Wilhelm Adam]] (a former member of the [[Sturmabteilung|SA]]) and others. It was intended to reach out to social groups that had been attracted by the [[Nazi Party]] (NSDAP) before 1945 (such as military men and some of the middle classes) and provide them with a political outlet, so that they would not be tempted to support the [[Far-right politics|far-right]] again or turn to the [[Anticommunism|anti-communist]] [[Western Bloc|Western Allies]].  [[German nationalism]] had been a potent force during the interwar era and millions of Germans had been members of the NSDAP, and [[Stalin]] wanted to use them to create a new pro-Soviet and anti-Western strain in German politics.<ref>[[Vladislav Zubok|Zubok, Vladislav]]. ''A failed empire: the Soviet Union in the Cold War from Stalin to Gorbachev.'' The University of North Carolina Press, 2007, p. 89.</ref> According to top Soviet diplomat [[Vladimir Semyonov (diplomat)|Vladimir Semyonov]], Stalin even suggested that they could be allowed to continue publishing their own newspaper, ''[[Völkischer Beobachter]]''. German Communists and some Soviet officials were initially appalled by Stalin's ideas and weren't enthusiastic in their implementation.<ref>[[Vladislav Zubok|Zubok, Vladislav]]. ''A failed empire: the Soviet Union in the Cold War from Stalin to Gorbachev''. The University of North Carolina Press, 2007, p. 90.</ref> Similarly, in [[West Germany]], the neo-nazi [[Socialist Reich Party]], which was co-founded by [[Otto Ernst Remer]] and soon became the first party to be banned by [[Federal Constitutional Court]], also had very warm attitude toward Soviet Union and received Soviet support.
 [[File:Bundesarchiv Bild 183-67478-0001, Berlin, Friedrichstraße, Haus des Parteivorstandes der National-Demokratischen Partei Deutschlands.jpg|thumb|NDPD house in East Berlin in 1959]]
 In addition to old NSDAP members, former officers and [[Flight and expulsion of Germans (1944–50)|displaced persons]] were also to be intercepted by the new party, like the West German [[All-German Bloc/League of Expellees and Deprived of Rights]] and the Austrian [[Federation of Independents]]. The [[Socialist Unity Party of Germany]] (SED) Board, meeting in May&nbsp;1948, stated that "these politically unclear people" should not vote "cadets" for the bourgeois parties [[Christian Democratic Union (East Germany)|CDU]] and [[Liberal Democratic Party of Germany|LDP]] at the next election,<ref>Klaus Schroeder: ''Der SED-Staat. Partei, Staat und Gesellschaft 1949–1990.'' 2.&nbsp;Auflage, Propyläen, München 2000 (1998), S.&nbsp;41/42.</ref> like the West German [[Christian Democratic Union (Germany)|CDU]] and [[Free Democratic Party (Germany)|FDP]].
-The NDPD was recognized by the [[Soviet Military Administration in Germany]] on 16 August 1948 and later sent 52 delegates to the East German [[parliament]], the ''[[People's Chamber|Volkskammer]]'', as part of the [[National Front (East Germany)|National Front]]. None of these ever voted against the government on any issue, similarly to other [[National Front (East Germany)|block parties]] which were effectively puppets of the ruling party, the SED. Nonetheless, after the fall of the [[Berlin Wall]], the NDPD became an independent agent in politics, participating in the only free ''Volkskammer'' election ever held ([[1990 East German general election|on 18 March 1990]]). NDPD was not included in the electoral cartel of the other liberal-to-be parties in East Germany and entered the race alone. The results were a debacle: with 44,292 votes (0.38%) they received fewer votes than they (nominally) had members. After these results, they soon merged with the [[Free Democratic Party (Germany)|West German Free Democrats]] (FDP).<ref>{{cite web |author=Udo Leuschner |title=Die FDP übernimmt zwei "Blockflöten" |work=Geschichte der FDP (26) |url=http://www.udo-leuschner.de/liberalismus/fdp26.htm |language=de |access-date=2019-04-04}}</ref>
 According to [[Klaus Schroeder]],<ref>Klaus Schroeder: ''Der SED-Staat. Partei, Staat und Gesellschaft 1949–1990.'' 2.&nbsp;Auflage, Propyläen: München 2000 (1998), S.&nbsp;42/43.</ref> the NDPD had fewer former Nazis among its ranks than the [[Communism|communist]] SED had. This was due to the NDPD being much smaller than the SED.
+The NDPD was recognized by the [[Soviet Military Administration in Germany]] on 16 August 1948 and later sent 52 delegates to the East German [[parliament]], the ''[[People's Chamber|Volkskammer]]'', as part of the [[National Front (East Germany)|National Front]]. None of these ever voted against the government on any issue, similarly to other [[National Front (East Germany)|block parties]] which were effectively puppets of the ruling party, the SED.
+Nonetheless, after the fall of the [[Berlin Wall]], the NDPD became an independent agent in politics, participating in the only free ''Volkskammer'' election ever held ([[1990 East German general election|on 18 March 1990]]). NDPD was not included in the electoral cartel of the other liberal-to-be parties in East Germany and entered the race alone. The results were a debacle: with 44,292 votes (0.38%) they received fewer votes than they (nominally) had members. On 27 March 1990 the NDPD became part of the ''[[Association of Free Democrats|Bund Freier Demokraten]]'', a short-lived organization that eventually merged into the [[Free Democratic Party (Germany)|Free Democratic Party]] (FDP).<ref>{{cite web |author=Udo Leuschner |title=Die FDP übernimmt zwei "Blockflöten" |work=Geschichte der FDP (26) |url=http://www.udo-leuschner.de/liberalismus/fdp26.htm |language=de |access-date=2019-04-04}}</ref>
+== Programme and ideology ==
 The NDPD programme demanded, among other things, the promotion of the middle class. Bolz was one of the few prominent members who was not a former Nazi and was, in fact, a member of the SED until he founded the new party. He had previously been a member of the [[Communist Party of Germany]] until it was suppressed by the Nazis. The NDPD was established by the communist authorities with the aim of claiming support among these ranks of society. The NDPD was organised on [[democratic centralism|democratic centralist]] grounds and had 110,000 members in the late 1980s.
 The party was supposed to represent [[liberalism]], like the [[Liberal Democratic Party of Germany]], and (at least initially) also played with the [[German nationalism|German national sentiment]].  However, the NDPD was even more loyal to the SED and was reluctant to criticise the government even during the [[Peaceful Revolution]] of 1989.<ref name="Die friedliche Revolution2">{{cite book |last=Richter|first=Michael|year=2009|title=Die friedliche Revolution: Aufbruch zur Demokratie in Sachsen 1989/90|url=https://books.google.de/books?id=46DWzmYSAdkC&pg=PA1077&lpg=PA1077&dq=sozialismus+ndpd&source=bl&ots=AGKRprWzzr&sig=poIf3idX9idaWrvuorIfpnKjins&hl=de&sa=X&ved=2ahUKEwi3lsDa8d7fAhVR_aQKHREkDkI4ChDoATAIegQIBhAB#v=onepage&q=sozialismus%20ndpd&f=false|page=1077|publisher=[[Vandenhoeck & Ruprecht]]|isbn=3647369144}}</ref>
 After the revolution, there were attempts by the [[far-right]] [[National Democratic Party of Germany|National Democratic Party]] (NPD)<ref name="Die friedliche Revolution"/> and the [[Right-wing populism|right-wing populist]] [[The Republicans (Germany)|The Republicans]]<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.boell.de/de/demokratie/demokratie-entwicklung-der-neonazi-szene-in-thueringen-13361.html|title=Die Extreme Rechte in Thüringen: Entwicklung der Neonazi-Szene|publisher=[[Heinrich Böll Foundation]]}}</ref> to win the NDPD as an ally, but this failed.<ref>{{cite book |author=Oskar Niedermayer and Richard Stöss|title=Parteien und Wähler im Umbruch: Parteiensystem und Wählerverhalten in der ehemaligen DDR und den neuen Bundesländern|url=https://books.google.de/books?id=vqKABwAAQBAJ&pg=PA129&lpg=PA129&dq=Die+Republikaner+NDPD&source=bl&ots=AZMqTIwdb0&sig=gNl489-xqKC2mF7vvIPyrVsjetg&hl=de&sa=X&ved=2ahUKEwid9cy9uNzfAhUQUlAKHZizDh8Q6AEwB3oECAEQAQ#v=snippet&q=Republikaner%20NPD&f=false|page=129}}</ref>
 Later, the NDPD understood itself as a [[Centrism|centrist]] party and distanced itself from communist and [[Nationalism|nationalist]]/[[Neo-fascism|neo-fascist]] endeavors. Likewise, they were [[Pro-Europeanism|pro-European]] and rejected designation as "[[right-wing]] party", [[Right-wing nationalism|right-wing national]] or national conservative. It was also argued to rename the party "New Democratic Party of Germany".<ref name="Die friedliche Revolution">{{cite book |last=Richter|first=Michael|year=2009|title=Die friedliche Revolution: Aufbruch zur Demokratie in Sachsen 1989-90, Band 1|url=https://books.google.de/books?id=Ptt9GyatDT8C&pg=PA1211&lpg=PA1211&dq=NDPD+rechts&source=bl&ots=vF_owXs_r9&sig=yn0ay2autgJEzzqbd97rHUQ2ysQ&hl=de&sa=X&ved=2ahUKEwjDzrL5qNzfAhUCEVAKHUsiBSU4ChDoATAAegQIChAB#v=onepage&q=NDPD%20rechts&f=false|page=1211|publisher=[[Vandenhoeck & Ruprecht]]|isbn=352536914X}}</ref><ref>{{cite book |author=Oskar Niedermayer and Richard Stöss|title=Parteien und Wähler im Umbruch: Parteiensystem und Wählerverhalten in der ehemaligen DDR und den neuen Bundesländern|url=https://books.google.de/books?id=vqKABwAAQBAJ&pg=PA130&lpg=PA130&dq=nationalistisch+ndpd&source=bl&ots=AZMqTIxbc_&sig=Mz7oiirWPl1bU0MuAcRlYb6jEvM&hl=de&sa=X&ved=2ahUKEwiPy_m-u9zfAhWRKVAKHSRUDkMQ6AEwDXoECAIQAQ#v=onepage&q=nationalistisch%20ndpd&f=false|page=130}}</ref>
-On 27 March 1990 the NDPD became part of the ''[[Association of Free Democrats|Bund Freier Demokraten]]'', a short-lived organization that eventually merged into the [[Free Democratic Party (Germany)|Free Democratic Party]] (FDP).
 ==Chairmen of the NDPD ==
@@ Line 65: / Line 67: @@
 == Electoral history ==
+;Volkskammer elections
-=== Volkskammer elections ===
 {| class=wikitable style=text-align:center
 !'''Election'''

v t e Political parties in East Germany
Parties of the Democratic Bloc (1945–1950)	Communist Party of Germany (to 1946) Social Democratic Party of Germany (to 1946) Christian Democratic Union Liberal Democratic Party Socialist Unity Party of Germany (from 1946)
Parties of the National Front (1950–1989)	Socialist Unity Party of Germany Christian Democratic Union of Germany Liberal Democratic Party of Germany National Democratic Party of Germany (formed in 1948) Democratic Farmers' Party of Germany (formed in 1948)
Parties during and after the Peaceful Revolution (1989–1990)	Alliance 90 Democracy Now Initiative for Peace and Human Rights New Forum Alliance for Germany Christian Democratic Union Democratic Awakening German Social Union Association of Free Democrats Liberal Democratic Party Free Democratic Party German Forum Party Democratic Farmers' Party of Germany Communist Party of Germany Green Party National Democratic Party of Germany Social Democratic Party Socialist Unity Party of Germany—Party of Democratic Socialism United Left
Constituent Mass Organizations	Free German Trade Union Federation Free German Youth Democratic Women's Federation of Germany Cultural Association of the GDR Peasants Mutual Aid Association
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