The Christian Social People's Service (, abbreviated CSVD) was a Protestant
conservative
Conservatism is a cultural, social, and political philosophy and ideology that seeks to promote and preserve traditional institutions, customs, and values. The central tenets of conservatism may vary in relation to the culture and civiliza ...
political party in the
Weimar Republic
The Weimar Republic, officially known as the German Reich, was the German Reich, German state from 1918 to 1933, during which it was a constitutional republic for the first time in history; hence it is also referred to, and unofficially proclai ...
.
The party's genesis lay in
Adolf Stoecker's
Christian Social Party, which joined the
German National People's Party
The German National People's Party (, DNVP) was a national-conservative and German monarchy, monarchist political party in Germany during the Weimar Republic. Before the rise of the Nazi Party, it was the major nationalist party in Weimar German ...
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 during the first three decades of the twentieth century, ...
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
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 during the first three decades of the twentieth century, ...
. These Christian socials formed the ''Christliche-soziale Reichsvereinigung''
hristian-social Imperial Association and would actively oppose Hugenberg. 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
Pietists and Christian Trade unions. Another Protestant party was the EV (Evangelische Volksgemeinschaft), a Hessian party.
Centrist
Centrism is the range of political ideologies that exist between left-wing politics and right-wing politics on the left–right political spectrum. It is associated with moderate politics, including people who strongly support moderate policie ...
party leaders urged the EV to join with the
German-Hanoverian Party 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/Christian-social Imperial Association 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 in the
Reichstag. After the
Nazi
Nazism (), formally named National Socialism (NS; , ), is the far-right politics, far-right Totalitarianism, totalitarian socio-political ideology and practices associated with Adolf Hitler and the Nazi Party (NSDAP) in Germany. During H ...
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 lies between the Baltic Sea and the North Sea to the north and the Alps to the south. Its sixteen constituent states have a total population of over 84 ...
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
Weimar Republic
The Weimar Republic, officially known as the German Reich, was the German Reich, German state from 1918 to 1933, during which it was a constitutional republic for the first time in history; hence it is also referred to, and unofficially proclai ...
.
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{{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