German People's Party

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This page is about the German People's Party which existed between 1918 and 1933.
For the party with same name, which existed between 1868 and 1910, see German People's Party (1868).
For the party which existed in Romania between 1935 and 1938, see German People's Party (Romania)

The German People's Party (Deutsche Volkspartei, or DVP) was a liberal-nationalist party in Germany.

It was essentially the right wing of the old National Liberal Party, and was formed in the early days of the Weimar Republic, led by Gustav Stresemann.

The party was generally thought to represent the interests of the great German industrialists. Its platform stressed Christian family values, secular education, lower tariffs, opposition to welfare spending and agrarian subsides and hostility to "Marxism" (that is, the Communists, and also the Social Democrats). Due to its lukewarm acceptance of democracy, the party was initially part of the "national opposition" to the Weimar Coalition. However, Stresemann gradually led it into cooperation with the parties of the center and left. The party wielded an influence on German politics beyond its numbers, as Stresemann was the Weimar Republic's only statesman of international standing. He served as foreign minister continuously from 1923 until his death in 1929 in nine governments (one of which he briefly headed in 1923) ranging from the center-right to the center-left. After Stresemann's death, the DVP gradually moved back towards the right.

The party's dispute with the Social Democrats in 1930 over unemployment benefits toppled the Grand Coalition government of Hermann Müller. In the election of September 1930, the DVP was one of the biggest losers, losing 15 of its 45 parliamentary seats. The DVP was ultimately abolished after the Nazi take-over in 1933.

Former elements^[who?] of the DVP were involved in the creation of the Free Democratic Party^{[citation needed]} after the Second World War, although the FDP is much more to the center than the DVP.

Although the party was considered a liberal party in the Weimar Republic, its policies would appear conservative by modern European standards today.

[edit] See also

v • d • e Political parties in Germany before 1945

Communist	Communist Party of Germany (KPD) · Communist Party Opposition (KPO)

Socialist	General German Workers' Association (ADAV) · Independent Social Democratic Party of Germany (USPD) · Social Democratic Party of Germany (SPD) · Social Democratic Workers' Party of Germany (SDAP) · Socialist Workers' Party of Germany (SAPD)

Catholic	Bavarian People's Party (BVP) · Centre Party (Zentrum)

Liberal	German Democratic Party (DDP) · German State Party (DStP) · German People's Party (DVP) · German Progress Party (DFP) · National Liberal Party (NLP)

Conservative	Conservative People's Party (KVP) · Free Conservative Party (FKP) · German Conservative Party (DKP) · German National People's Party (DNVP) · Christian Social Party (CSP)

Fascist	German Workers' Party (DAP) · National Socialist German Workers' Party (NSDAP/Nazi)