National-Social Association

The National-Social Association (German: Nationalsozialer Verein, NSV) was a political party in the German Empire, founded in 1896 by Friedrich Naumann.

In the second half of the 19th century Germany underwent a rapid industrialization, which was connected with rising social problems. As a result of this the Social Democratic Party of Germany (SPD) was founded and soon outlawed under the first chancellor of the German empire Otto von Bismarck. After the party was legalized again in 1890 (the year Bismarck resigned), it enjoyed considerable success at elections. Since the SPD was Marxist, using Karl Marx's Das Kapital for their theoretical underpinnings the ruling classes considered it a threat.

In 1896, Friedrich Naumann, a Protestant parish priest, founded the National-Social Association. The establishment is seen as a reaction to the rise of socialism and an attempt to offer a moderate, social liberal alternative, guided by Protestant Christian principles, as opposed to the atheism of the SPD, to the new masses of the working class.

The ideology of the grouping was labeled by its thought leader as "Social Imperialism" (Soziales Kaisertum) and "Christian-National Socialism" (christlich-nationaler Sozialismus), meaning a mix of social progressivism, Christian ethics and liberal nationalism.

In the elections of 1898 and 1903 the candidates of the association failed to gain seats and Naumann dissolved the party, merging into the centrist liberal Free-minded Union.

Publications of the party included Die Hilfe and Die Deutsche Volksstimme.

Despite its name, the National-Social Association is considered a liberal party, and had no relation to the twentieth century Nazi Party (NSDAP), except their shared rejection of Marxism, and claim to great power status for the German Empire.

Notable members

• Friedrich Naumann
• Gustav Stresemann
• Hellmut von Gerlach

See also

• Christian Social Party
• Liberalism
• Liberalism in Germany

Bibliography

• Paul Gohre (1899). "The Social Objects of the National-Social Movement in Germany". American Journal of Sociology 4 (6): 765–773. doi:10.1086/210855. 
• Inho Na (2003). Sozialreform oder Revolution: gesellschaftspolitische Zukunftsvorstellungen im Naumann-Kreis 1890-1903/04. Marburg: Tectum Verlag. ISBN 3-8288-8562-4.