German Social Union (West Germany)

German Social Union
Deutsch-Soziale Union
PresidentOtto Strasser
Founded17 June 1956 (1956-06-17)
Dissolved25 May 1962 (1962-05-25)
Preceded byBlack Front (KGRNS)[a]
HeadquartersMunich, FGR
NewspaperDie Deutsche Revolution
IdeologyStrasserism
Political positionFar-right
Colours  Black
  1. ^ Not a legal predecessor

The German Social Union (German: Deutsch-Soziale Union, DSU) was a small nationalist political party founded in West Germany in 1956 by Otto Strasser, a dissident former Nazi and the founder of the Black Front. The party sought to revive Strasser’s unique brand of "German socialism"—a fusion of nationalism and anti-capitalism, distinct from Adolf Hitler’s ideology. The DSU failed to gain mass support and dissolved in 1962.

Background

Otto Strasser had been expelled from the Nazi Party in 1930 for opposing Hitler’s leadership and alignment with capitalist elites. He subsequently formed the Black Front, advocating a more radical and worker-oriented version of National Socialism. After fleeing Germany in 1933, Strasser spent years in exile, mostly in Canada, before returning to West Germany in 1955.[1]

Free-Germany Movement

Main article: Free-Germany Movement

The Free-Germany Movement was founded on January 30, 1941 (the 8th anniversary of Hitler's take-over of power in Germany), in part as a continuation of emigre remnants of Strasser's Black Front group.[2][3][4] Strasser modelled his organization on the 'Free France' of Charles de Gaulle.[3] The group began publishing propaganda material in German, English and Spanish languages.[5] In its first proclamation the Free-Germany Movement called for "struggle against Nazism and punishment of the guilty" as well as calling for a democratic constitution, federalism and autonomy, peace between democracies and God-fearing policies.[6][7]

Foundation

The DSU was founded in Munich in 1956, following Strasser’s return from exile. It aimed to serve as a political platform for Strasser's ideological vision, later termed Strasserism, which was critical of both capitalism and communism. Strasser hoped to rekindle the revolutionary energy of his pre-Hitlerian national socialism in a post-war democratic context.[8]

Ideology

The German Social Union was ideologically rooted in Strasser’s vision of a national revolution, combining:

  • Anti-capitalism, favouring decentralised economics based on cooperatives and workers' councils.
  • German nationalism, including calls for German reunification and rejection of NATO and the Warsaw Pact.
  • Anti-communism, especially opposition to Soviet authoritarianism.
  • Christian morality, emphasizing tradition and ethical renewal.

Unlike neo-Nazi groups, the DSU rejected Hitler and his racial doctrines, advocating instead a populist and moral version of national socialism. Strasser aimed to mobilize workers under a new revolutionary and spiritual nationalism.[9]

Strasser positioned his program as a third way between Western liberalism and Eastern communism, though his ideas failed to resonate with a West German population focused on democratic recovery and economic growth.[10]

Activities and Publications

The DSU never gained electoral traction and failed to win representation in the Bundestag or any state parliament. It published Die Deutsche Revolution, a newsletter that articulated its ideological platform, and reissued several of Strasser's earlier works, including The Structure of German Socialism and Germany Tomorrow.

Despite limited visibility, West German authorities monitored the party due to its radical nationalist rhetoric, though no legal action was taken.[11]

Dissolution

By the early 1960s, the DSU was in decline. It suffered from internal disagreements, low membership, and an aging leadership circle centered around Strasser himself. The party dissolved in 1962, and Strasser withdrew from active politics, though he continued writing and commenting on German affairs until his death in 1974.[12]

Legacy

Scholars often cite the DSU as an example of post-war Third Positionist politics. This movement attempted, unsuccessfully, to revive ideological elements of pre-Hitlerite national socialism in a modern democratic state. Though politically marginal, the DSU remains a subject of historical interest for its attempt to formulate an alternative to both Western liberalism and Eastern communism.[13]

See also

References

Citations

  1. ^ Strasser, Otto (1940). Germany Tomorrow. London: Jonathan Cape. p. 13–20. ISBN 9780224604409. {{cite book}}: ISBN / Date incompatibility (help)
  2. ^ Friedmann, Germán Claus. Nacionalsocialistas anti-hitleristas y cuestión judía: Los casos de Die Schwarze Front y Frei-Deutschland Bewegung en la Argentina. Universidad Nacional del Centro de la Provincia de Buenos Aires. Facultad de Ciencias Humanas. Instituto de Estudios Histórico-Sociales «Prof. Juan Carlos Grosso»; Anuario IEHS; 31; 1; 6-2016; 15-36
  3. ^ a b Cite error: The named reference Strelka2001 was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  4. ^ Gilbert Krebs; Gérard Schneilin (1998). Exil et résistance au national-socialisme, 1933-1945. Presses Sorbonne Nouvelle. p. 254. ISBN 978-2-910212-07-0.
  5. ^ Karl John Richard Arndt (1965). German-American newspapers and periodicals, 1732-1955: history and bibliography. Johnson Reprint Corp. p. 394.
  6. ^ Cite error: The named reference Mühlen1988 was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  7. ^ Kurt Hirsch (1967). Deutschlandpläne: Dokumente und Materialien zur deutschen Frage. Rütten & Loening. p. 165.
  8. ^ Laqueur, Walter (1996). Fascism: Past, Present, Future. Oxford: Oxford University Press. p. 129–130. ISBN 9780195117936.
  9. ^ Pine, Lisa (2007). Hitler’s "National Community": Society and Culture in Nazi Germany. London: Bloomsbury Academic. p. 14–15. ISBN 9781859738927. {{cite book}}: Check |isbn= value: checksum (help)
  10. ^ Mühlberger, Detlef (2003). The Social Bases of Nazism, 1919–1933. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press. p. 274. ISBN 9780521003723. {{cite book}}: Check |isbn= value: checksum (help)
  11. ^ Childers, Thomas (1983). The Nazi Voter: The Social Foundations of Fascism in Germany, 1919–1933. Chapel Hill: University of North Carolina Press. p. 289. ISBN 9780807841282. {{cite book}}: Check |isbn= value: checksum (help)
  12. ^ Passmore, Kevin (2002). Fascism: A Very Short Introduction. Oxford: Oxford University Press. p. 112–113. ISBN 9780192801555.
  13. ^ Passmore, Kevin (2002). Fascism: A Very Short Introduction. Oxford: Oxford University Press. p. 113. ISBN 9780192801555.
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