The Christian Social People's Service (german: Christlich-Sozialer Volksdienst, abbreviated CSVD) was a Protestant

conservative Conservatism is a cultural, social, and political philosophy that seeks to promote and to preserve traditional institutions, practices, and values. The central tenets of conservatism may vary in relation to the culture and civilization in ...

political party in the

Weimar Republic The Weimar Republic (german: link=no, Weimarer Republik ), officially named the German Reich, was the government of Germany from 1918 to 1933, during which it was a constitutional federal republic for the first time in history; hence it is ...

. The party's genesis lay in Adolf Stockers Christian Social party, which joined the

German National People's party The German National People's Party (german: Deutschnationale Volkspartei, DNVP) was a national-conservative party in Germany during the Weimar Republic. Before the rise of the Nazi Party, it was the major conservative and nationalist party in Wei ...

in 1918, and effectively functioned as the parties labor wing. The Christian Social Franz Behrens wrote a substantial amount of the DNVP's 1918 platform, however the Christian Socials failed to get the DNVP to endorse trade unions over company unions. The ideological differences over labor rights came to a head when

Alfred Hugenberg Alfred Ernst Christian Alexander Hugenberg (19 June 1865 – 12 March 1951) was an influential German businessman and politician. An important figure in nationalist politics in Germany for the first few decades of the twentieth century, Hugenbe ...

became leader in 1929 and attacked the employment insurance scheme, which encouraged the Christian socials to consider leaving the party. At the time, the Christian Socials represented the moderate tendency within the DNVP, as opposed to the radical nationalist leadership of

. What eventuated was a combined expulsion and resignation of the Christian socials, and other conservative elements within the party. The CSVD drew from other political movements, such as the ''Christlicher Volksdienst'' (CVD, Christian People's Service), which dated back to 1924, and drew from Pietistists and Christian Trade unions. Another protestant party was the EV (Evangelische Volksgemeinschaft), a Hessian party.

Centrist Centrism is a political outlook or position involving acceptance or support of a balance of social equality and a degree of social hierarchy while opposing political changes that would result in a significant shift of society strongly to Left-w ...

party leaders urged the EV to join with the

German-Hanoverian Party The German-Hanoverian Party (german: Deutsch-Hannoversche Partei, DHP), also known as the Guelph Party (german: Welfenpartei), was a conservative, federalist political party in the German Empire and the Weimar Republic. History The party was fou ...

to found a protestant peoples party that would form a vote sharing agreement with the Centre Party. The EV would be absorbed by the CVD in 1929, and the Christian Socials would join with the CVD to form the CSVD in December 1929. The CSVD was mainly supported by middle-class elements, however, it did support the Christian trade unions, and was significantly supported by the league of Christian unions. As a result of the theocratic currents in the parties Calvinist regions, the party supported state welfare, trade unions and workers participation in management. Like the Centre party, the CSVD opposed Materialism, Atheism, Liberalism and Marxism. The party would embrace co-operation with the Centre party. The CSVD was a cabinet party in the second, third and fourth Brunings ministries. The CSVD portrayed itself as a Protestant version of the Catholic Centre and was mainly supported by middle-class elements. The CSVD contested the 1930 and 1932 parliamentary elections; the party CSVD formed a joint parliamentary group with the

Christian-National Peasants' and Farmers' Party The Christian-National Peasants' and Farmers' Party (german: Christlich-Nationale Bauern- und Landvolkpartei, or CNBL) was an agrarian political party of Weimar Germany. It developed from the German National People's Party (DNVP) in 1928. The ...

in the Reichstag. After the

Nazi Nazism ( ; german: Nazismus), the common name in English for National Socialism (german: Nationalsozialismus, ), is the far-right totalitarian political ideology and practices associated with Adolf Hitler and the Nazi Party (NSDAP) in ...

take-over in 1933, the CSVD was dissolved. The President of the

Federal Republic of Germany Germany,, officially the Federal Republic of Germany, is a country in Central Europe. It is the second most populous country in Europe after Russia, and the most populous member state of the European Union. Germany is situated between ...

Gustav Heinemann Gustav Walter Heinemann (; 23 July 1899 – 7 July 1976) was a German politician who was President of West Germany from 1969 to 1974. He served as mayor of Essen from 1946 to 1949, West German Minister of the Interior from 1949 to 1950, and Mini ...

(1969–74) was a member of CSVD during the

References

* * * * * * * * * * {{Authority control 1929 establishments in Germany 1933 disestablishments in Germany Banned political parties in Germany Christian democratic parties in Germany Conservative parties in Germany Defunct Christian political parties Defunct political parties in Germany German nationalist political parties Political parties disestablished in 1933 Political parties established in 1929 Political parties in the Weimar Republic Protestant political parties