Association of Farmers (Czechoslovakia)

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The Federation of Farmers ( Czech Německý svaz zemědělců ) was a political party in Czechoslovakia , founded on November 17, 1918 in Bohemian Leipa , self-dissolution on September 27, 1938.

history

After the collapse of the Habsburg Monarchy , local political farmers' organizations were formed in many places in the newly emerging Czechoslovakia. On November 17, 1918, the farmers' union was formed in Bohemian-Leipa. Josef Jannausch became the first chairman . The name was based on the former Association of German Farmers in Bohemia , which in turn was based on the German Association of Farmers .

The farmers' union quickly expanded to include all of Bohemia . The organizational basis was the support of the agricultural district associations and the organizational skills of the former social democratic activist Jannausch. In northern Bohemia, peasant councils had been formed during the revolution, the organization of which was passed on to that of the party. In September 1919 there were over 2,000 local federal organizations (there were 2,746 German communities in Bohemia).

The first state party congress took place at the end of February 1919. The newly elected chairman was Franz Křepek . The state party congress decided on a party program in which important fundamental decisions were made. So the big landowners were excluded from the party and the program was geared towards the target group of small farmers and agricultural workers. An end to the forced economy was called for and land reform was supported. The party thus clearly opposed the previous German Agrarian Party , which had also represented the interests of the large landowners. In the country it was competing with the DSAP for this clientele, but was clearly anti-socialist.

In Moravia and Silesia , party building was nowhere near as successful as in Bohemia. The previously separate state associations were merged at the first Nazi Party Congress to form the Reich Party of the Federation of Farmers. Franz Peterle became Reich Chairman .

In the elections to the House of Representatives in 1920, 11 seats were obtained (the party had received 3.9% of the vote (241,747 votes in absolute terms)). In 1925 the number of voters rose to 571,765 (5.4%) and the number of deputies to 24. In 1929 there were 396,454 votes (5.4%) and 16 seats. In the 1935 elections, the party received 142,399 (1.73%) of the vote and 5 seats.

While the Czech parties initially formed a government without German participation, this coalition broke up in 1926. The federal government was also involved in the formation of the new Czech-German government under Prime Minister Antonín Švehla (Czechoslovak agrarian) in 1926. This government included the German ministers Robert Mayr-Harting (Christian Social) as Minister of Justice and Franz Spina (Federation of Farmers) as Minister for Public Works.

In March 1938, the farmers' union resigned from the then government of Milan Hodža , and Gustav Hacker forced the transfer of the party and its members to the Sudeten German party headed by Konrad Henlein .

Chairperson

literature

Monographs

  • Raimund Graf: History of the Federation of Farmers - Political party of the German rural people in Czechoslovakia 1918–1938. Rise and fall of a German peasant party. [unpublished manuscript 1963]. Publication in preparation: Sabat publishing house, Kulmbach 2017,

Dissertations

  • Norbert Linz: The Federation of Farmers in the First Czechoslovak Republic. Structure and politics of a German party in the development phase. Oldenbourg Verlag, Munich / Vienna 1982, ISBN 978-3-486-50601-3 .
  • Jörg Kracik: The Politics of German Activism in Czechoslovakia 1920-1938. Peter Lang Verlag, Frankfurt am Main 1999, ISBN 978-3-631-34672-3 .
  • Silke Sobieraj: The national policy of the Federation of Farmers in the First Czechoslovak Republic. Possibilities and limits of understanding between Czechs and Germans (1918–1929). Peter Lang Verlag, Frankfurt am Main 2002, ISBN 978-3-631-38847-1 .

Individual representations

  • Helga Wilms-Graf: Raimund Graf. A German-Bohemian democrat between the political fronts. Sabat publishing house, Kulmbach 2016, ISBN 978-3-943506-40-2 .

Contributions

  • Norbert Linz: The Association of Farmers on the Way to Activism. In: Karl Bosl (Ed.): The First Czechoslovak Republic as a multinational party state. Oldenbourg, Munich, Vienna 1979, ISBN 3486491814 , pp. 403-426.

Web links