German State Party
The German State Party (German: Deutsche Staatspartei or DStP) was a short-lived German political party of the Weimar Republic, formed by the merger of the German Democratic Party (Deutsche Demokratische Partei, DDP) with the People's National Reich Association (the political wing of the Young German Order) in July 1930.
German State Party Deutsche Staatspartei | |
|---|---|
| Founded | July 1930 |
| Dissolved | 28 June 1933 |
| Preceded by | German Democratic Party Young German Order (original)[1] |
| Merged into | Free Democratic Party (not legal successor) |
| Ideology | Liberalism Corporatism |
| Political position | Centre |
Background
The merger of the social liberalism of the DDP with the nationalist corporatism of the Young German Order did not prove a successful one: the party lost seats drastically in the 1930 election from its showing in 1928, and the People's National Reich Association's Reichstag delegates soon seceded from the party, leaving it essentially the DDP under a new name.
History
The party continued to compete in parliamentary elections, with little success. By the November 1932 election, the party was reduced to two seats. After all requests to merge with other parties were turned down, it ran on a joint list with the Social Democratic Party of Germany in the March 1933 election. However, this saw little change in the party's fortunes; it only won five seats.
The party supported the Enabling Act of 1933 which gave Adolf Hitler of the Nazi Party dictatorial powers. Following the passage of the Enabling Act, the party was the target of severe harassment, as was the case with the other remaining parties. Pro-DStP civil servants defected to the Nazis out of fear for their jobs. Soon after the government banned the SPD, it stripped the State Party of its Reichstag seats, taking the line that since they ran on the SPD list, they were effectively SPD deputies. What remained of the party dissolved on 28 June.
Election results
| Election | Votes | % | Seats | +/– |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1930 | 1,322,034 | 3.78 (7th) | 20 / 577 |
 |
| July 1932 | 371,800 | 1.01 (8th) | 4 / 608 |
|
| November 1932 | 336,447 | 0.95 (9th) | 2 / 584 |
|
| March 1933 | 334,242 | 0.85 (9th) | 5 / 647 |
 |
See also
- Liberalism
- Contributions to liberal theory
- Liberalism worldwide
- List of liberal parties
- Liberal democracy
- Liberalism in Germany
References
- Werner Stephan: Aufstieg und Verfall des Linksliberalismus 1918–1933. Die Geschichte der Deutschen Demokratischen Partei, S. 473f.
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