The ''Deutscher Nationalverband'' (lit. German National Association) was a loose
coalition of ethnic
German
German(s) may refer to:
* Germany (of or related to)
** Germania (historical use)
* Germans, citizens of Germany, people of German ancestry, or native speakers of the German language
** For citizens of Germany, see also German nationality law
**Ge ...
national
National may refer to:
Common uses
* Nation or country
** Nationality – a ''national'' is a person who is subject to a nation, regardless of whether the person has full rights as a citizen
Places in the United States
* National, Maryland, c ...
and
liberal
Liberal or liberalism may refer to:
Politics
* a supporter of liberalism
** Liberalism by country
* an adherent of a Liberal Party
* Liberalism (international relations)
* Sexually liberal feminism
* Social liberalism
Arts, entertainment and m ...
political parties in
Cisleithania, a part of
Austria-Hungary
Austria-Hungary, often referred to as the Austro-Hungarian Empire,, the Dual Monarchy, or Austria, was a constitutional monarchy and great power in Central Europe between 1867 and 1918. It was formed with the Austro-Hungarian Compromise of ...
.
It was formed to contest the
1911 election of the lower house of the
Imperial Council (german: Reichsrat) of Cisleithania. Loose coalitions of this type were common in the Imperial Council. It comprised ten individual parties, including the
German People's Party
The German People's Party (German: , or DVP) was a liberal party during the Weimar Republic that was the successor to the National Liberal Party of the German Empire. A right-liberal, or conservative-liberal political party, it represented politi ...
,
German Progress Party
The German Progress Party (german: Deutsche Fortschrittspartei, DFP) was the first modern political party in Germany, founded by liberal members of the Prussian House of Representatives () in 1861 in opposition to Minister President Otto von Bism ...
,
German Radical Party
The German Radical Party (German language, German: ''Deutschradicale Partei''), until 1907 the All-German Free Party (''Freialldeutsche Partei''), was a German nationalism, German nationalist political party in Austria-Hungary, active mainly in Kin ...
, and
German Agrarian Party
German(s) may refer to:
* Germany (of or related to)
**Germania (historical use)
* Germans, citizens of Germany, people of German ancestry, or native speakers of the German language
** For citizens of Germany, see also German nationality law
**Ge ...
.
The ''Nationalverband'' managed to gain 104 seats at the 1911 election, making it the largest bloc in the Imperial Council, and ousting the previously dominant
Christian Social Party.
It relied on voters from areas of ethnic strife, such as in the
Kingdom of Bohemia
The Kingdom of Bohemia ( cs, České království),; la, link=no, Regnum Bohemiae sometimes in English literature referred to as the Czech Kingdom, was a medieval and early modern monarchy in Central Europe, the predecessor of the modern Czec ...
and the
Duchy of Styria, but received very few votes in the Imperial capital,
Vienna
en, Viennese
, iso_code = AT-9
, registration_plate = W
, postal_code_type = Postal code
, postal_code =
, timezone = CET
, utc_offset = +1
, timezone_DST ...
.
A plan for the division of Bohemia on ethnic lines was put forth by the bloc, but the outbreak of the
First World War
World War I (28 July 1914 11 November 1918), often abbreviated as WWI, was one of the deadliest global conflicts in history. Belligerents included much of Europe, the Russian Empire, the United States, and the Ottoman Empire, with fightin ...
stopped any further discussion of administrative reform.
Gustav Gross, chairman of the ''Nationalverband'', was in favour of the war, as he thought it could be used as a tool to reorganise the empire and entrench German dominance.
He wrote in August 1914 that, after a quick victory, peace negotiations could be used to establish
German
German(s) may refer to:
* Germany (of or related to)
** Germania (historical use)
* Germans, citizens of Germany, people of German ancestry, or native speakers of the German language
** For citizens of Germany, see also German nationality law
**Ge ...
as the official language of the state, and also to detach the largely
Slavic-speaking kingdoms of
Dalmatia and
Galicia from
Cisleithania.
Gross's leadership was viewed as inept and moderate by younger members of the ''Nationalverband'', especially because of his willingness to collaborate with the Christian Socialists in a war-time government. This led to infighting and factionalism within the bloc, and various splinter groups with more extreme aims were formed.
As the bloc was always a very loose coalition with little internal unity, this infighting ultimately led to its disintegration in 1917, at the height of the
First World War
World War I (28 July 1914 11 November 1918), often abbreviated as WWI, was one of the deadliest global conflicts in history. Belligerents included much of Europe, the Russian Empire, the United States, and the Ottoman Empire, with fightin ...
.
It split into seventeen separate parties.
References
{{Authority control
1911 establishments in Austria-Hungary
Defunct political party alliances in Europe
Ethnic organizations based in Austria-Hungary
German nationalist political parties
German nationalism in Austria
Liberalism in Austria
Nationalist parties in Austria
Political parties disestablished in 1917
Political parties in Austria-Hungary
Political party alliances in Austria