''Völkisch'' nationalism (, , ) is a

German German(s) may refer to: * Germany, the country of the Germans and German things **Germania (Roman era) * Germans, citizens of Germany, people of German ancestry, or native speakers of the German language ** For citizenship in Germany, see also Ge ...

far-right Far-right politics, often termed right-wing extremism, encompasses a range of ideologies that are marked by ultraconservatism, authoritarianism, ultranationalism, and nativism. This political spectrum situates itself on the far end of the ...

ultranationalist Ultranationalism, or extreme nationalism, is an extremist form of nationalism in which a country asserts or maintains hegemony, supremacy, or other forms of control over other nations (usually through violent coercion) to pursue its specific ...

, ethno-nationalist and racial nationalist ideology. It assumes the essentialist design as ''Völker'' (lit. "peoples") or ''Volksgruppen'' (lit. "

ethnic group An ethnicity or ethnic group is a group of people with shared attributes, which they collectively believe to have, and long-term endogamy. Ethnicities share attributes like language, culture, common sets of ancestry, traditions, society, re ...

s"), which are described as closed ethnic-biological and ethnic-cultural units within a hierarchy of such populations. ''Völkisch'' nationalism influenced Japanese ''minzoku'' nationalism. At times, ''Völkisch'' nationalism was a broad and predominant ideological view in Central Europe, represented in numerous

nationalist Nationalism is an idea or movement that holds that the nation should be congruent with the State (polity), state. As a movement, it presupposes the existence and tends to promote the interests of a particular nation,Anthony D. Smith, Smith, A ...

, explicitly

antisemitic Antisemitism or Jew-hatred is hostility to, prejudice towards, or discrimination against Jews. A person who harbours it is called an antisemite. Whether antisemitism is considered a form of racism depends on the school of thought. Antisemi ...

and other racist associations of all kinds with many publications and well-known personalities. In some places today, such as Germany, ''Völkisch'' nationalism takes the form of ethnopluralism.

Content

''Völkisch'' nationalism means the rise of their own ''Volks'' defined by common descent, culture and language, and the desire for a homogeneous population by excluding foreigners. The people become a collective subject. It forms a hierarchical value of the ''Völker''. German social scientist calls seven core elements of a Völkisch nationalism: # The equality of "''

Volk The German noun ''Volk'' () translates to :wikt:people, people, both uncountable in the sense of ''people'' as in a crowd, and countable (plural ''Völker'') in the sense of ''People, a people'' as in an ethnic group or nation (compare the E ...

''" or "nation". the idea of a homogeneous "nation" according to racist criteria. # the rise of the "''Volk''" to a collective subject in the sense of

s and the subordination of specific interests under the primacy of the "''

Volksgemeinschaft ''Volksgemeinschaft'' () is a German expression meaning "people's community", "folk community", Richard Grunberger, ''A Social History of the Third Reich'', London: Weidenfeld and Nicolson, 1971, p. 44. "national community", or "racial community" ...

''". # The justification of a "strong state" that organizes the ''Volksgemeinschaft'' through "national" elites and/or charismatic leadership. # the heroization of the "decent '' Volksgenosse''" who puts himself in the service of his community with body and soul and brings for these sacrifices. # the ''Völkisch'' (lit. "national") or racist construction of an "internal (state) enemy" responsible for setbacks in the realization of the ''Volksgemeinschaft'' and has an identity-building and consensus-building function as a negative projection area for the ''Volksgemeinschaft''. # A biopolitical understanding of the '' Volkskörper'' (lit. "national body") that wants to keep or make it healthy and strong through population policy. # A chauvinistic idea of power.

History

Towards the end of the 19th century, the movement gained influence over the political and cultural debate in Central Europe. Its historical significance was found in its own nationalism, especially in the

German Reich German ''Reich'' (, from ) was the constitutional name for the German nation state that existed from 1871 to 1945. The ''Reich'' became understood as deriving its authority and sovereignty entirely from a continuing unitary German ''Volk'' ("na ...

. German

Protestantism Protestantism is a branch of Christianity that emphasizes Justification (theology), justification of sinners Sola fide, through faith alone, the teaching that Salvation in Christianity, salvation comes by unmerited Grace in Christianity, divin ...

is considered to be its social support and its "necessary ideal condition". From an ideological perspective, the "bourgeois-Protestant mentality" has become increasingly German-Völkisch since the '' Reichsgründung'' (lit. "Establishment of the Reich"). A nationally charged Protestantism of the Reich thus led to the Nazi concept of the German Christians.Frank-Michael Kuhlemann (2002) ''Bürgerlichkeit und Religion''. p. 305. The ''Völkisch'' movement, to which the German national associations and the

NSDAP The Nazi Party, officially the National Socialist German Workers' Party ( or NSDAP), was a far-right political party in Germany active between 1920 and 1945 that created and supported the ideology of Nazism. Its precursor, the German Workers ...

belonged – whose party organ was the Völkischer Beobachter – rejected the

Weimar Constitution The Constitution of the German Reich (), usually known as the Weimar Constitution (), was the constitution that governed Germany during the Weimar Republic era. The constitution created a federal semi-presidential republic with a parliament whose ...

and represented ''Völkische Gemeinschaftlichkeitskonzepte'' (lit. "ethnic ermanconcepts of community"). The biological and cultural homogeneity of the "''Volks''" as a "''Abstammungsgemeinschaft''" (lit. "community of descent") and the " exclusion or destruction of the heterogeneous" were invoked. ''Völkische'' (lit. "nation", "ethnic") concepts such as "'' Volkstum''", "''

Lebensraum (, ) is a German concept of expansionism and Völkisch movement, ''Völkisch'' nationalism, the philosophy and policies of which were common to German politics from the 1890s to the 1940s. First popularized around 1901, '' lso in:' beca ...

''" and above all "''Volksgemeinschaft''" were widespread in large parts of the German population and especially within the "Fatherland Camp", thus an integral part of the Nazi programming. From the postwar era to today, ''Völkisch'' nationalism is rejected by the mainstream German political circles. But with the rise of

right-wing populism Right-wing populism, also called national populism and right populism, is a political ideology that combines right-wing politics with populist rhetoric and themes. Its rhetoric employs anti- elitist sentiments, opposition to the Establis ...

since the 2010s, these political movements have grown somewhat again in Germany; ''

Der Flügel Der Flügel ( English: ''The Wing'', ) was a far-right ultra-nationalist faction of the Alternative for Germany (AfD) party. It was founded by Björn Höcke in the state of Thuringia on 14 March 2015. It was reportedly the most radical facti ...

'' (2015–2020) was the name of the ''Völkisch'' nationalist and right-wing extremist group within the

Alternative for Germany Alternative for Germany (, AfD, ) is a Far-right politics in Germany (1945–present), far-right,Far-right: * * * * * * * * * * * * * * Right-wing populism, right-wing populist and National conservatism, national-conservative p ...

''Völkisch'' nationalist groups

Current

; Heinrich August Winkler, zitiert von David Bebnowski: ''Die Alternative für Deutschland.'' VS Verlag, 2015, ISBN 978-3-658-08286-4, S. 28. (''

'' faction only) * Patriotic Europeans Against the Islamisation of the West

Defunct

* ''

Der Stahlhelm, Bund der Frontsoldaten ''Der Stahlhelm, Bund der Frontsoldaten'' (German: 'The Steel Helmet, League of Front-Line Soldiers'), commonly known as ''Der Stahlhelm'' ('The Steel Helmet') or ''Stahlhelm BdF'' ('D.S. BdF'), was a Revanchism, revanchist Veteran, ex-servi ...

'' * ''

Freikorps (, "Free Corps" or "Volunteer Corps") were irregular German and other European paramilitary volunteer units that existed from the 18th to the early 20th centuries. They effectively fought as mercenaries or private military companies, rega ...

'' *

German Fatherland Party The German Fatherland Party (, abbreviated as DVLP) was a short-lived far-right political party active in the German Empire during the last phase of World War I. It rejected the Reichstag Peace Resolution of July 1917, which called for a negoti ...

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 ...

German Socialist Party The German Socialist Party (, abbreviated DSP) was a short-lived far-right and ''völkisch'' political party active in Germany during the early Weimar Republic. Founded in 1918, it aimed to combine radical nationalist ideology with a populist ap ...

* German Völkisch Freedom Party * *

German Workers' Party The German Workers' Party (, DAP) was a short-lived far-right political party established in the Weimar Republic after World War I. It only lasted from 5 January 1919 until 24 February 1920. The DAP was the precursor of the National Socialist ...

* Greater German People's Community *

National Socialist Freedom Movement The National Socialist Freedom Movement (, NSFB) or National Socialist Freedom Party (, NSFP) was a short-lived political party in Weimar Germany created in April 1924 during the aftermath of the Beer Hall Putsch. Adolf Hitler and many Nazi le ...

National Socialist German Workers' Party The Nazi Party, officially the National Socialist German Workers' Party ( or NSDAP), was a far-right politics, far-right political party in Germany active between 1920 and 1945 that created and supported the ideology of Nazism. Its precursor ...

References