Bavarian People's Party
Encyclopedia
The Bavarian People's Party was the Bavaria
n branch of the Centre Party, which broke off from the rest of the party in 1919 to pursue a more conservative, more Catholic, more Bavarian particularist course. The party displayed monarchist leanings (because many Bavarians had never accepted the overthrow of the House of Wittelsbach in 1918) and there was a period of near separatism in the early 1920s, culminating in the government of Gustav von Kahr
's unwillingness to abide by rulings from Berlin during the inflation crisis of 1923. This only came to an end with the shock of Adolf Hitler
's Beer Hall Putsch
. Following the establishment of a more stable situation throughout Germany, the party came around to a more moderate line under the leadership of Heinrich Held
.
During the Weimar Republic, the BVP was consistently the most voted party in Bavaria and the party with the most seats in the Landtag of Bavaria
.
In the second round of the German presidential election, 1925
the main contenders were Paul von Hindenburg
and Wilhelm Marx
. If either the BVP or the Communist Party
(KPD), who put up Ernst Thalmann
in the second round, had supported Marx, he would have become President instead of the elderly von Hindenberg (who died in 1934, and was succeeded by Hitler
).
The party may be seen as a precursor to the Christian Social Union in Bavaria but alongside the Christian Social Union in Bavaria, the Bavaria Party
(Bayernpartei) - which has members elected to city councils in some Bavarian regions - and the Bavarian Centre Party (bayerische Zentrumspartei) were also refounded after the war and are explicitly claiming the historical heritage of the BVP.
WebSite of the Bavarian Centre Party (Bayerische Zentrumspartei)
Bavaria
Bavaria, formally the Free State of Bavaria is a state of Germany, located in the southeast of Germany. With an area of , it is the largest state by area, forming almost 20% of the total land area of Germany...
n branch of the Centre Party, which broke off from the rest of the party in 1919 to pursue a more conservative, more Catholic, more Bavarian particularist course. The party displayed monarchist leanings (because many Bavarians had never accepted the overthrow of the House of Wittelsbach in 1918) and there was a period of near separatism in the early 1920s, culminating in the government of Gustav von Kahr
Gustav Ritter von Kahr
Gustav Ritter von Kahr was a German right-wing conservative politician, active in the state of Bavaria...
's unwillingness to abide by rulings from Berlin during the inflation crisis of 1923. This only came to an end with the shock of Adolf Hitler
Adolf Hitler
Adolf Hitler was an Austrian-born German politician and the leader of the National Socialist German Workers Party , commonly referred to as the Nazi Party). He was Chancellor of Germany from 1933 to 1945, and head of state from 1934 to 1945...
's Beer Hall Putsch
Beer Hall Putsch
The Beer Hall Putsch was a failed attempt at revolution that occurred between the evening of 8 November and the early afternoon of 9 November 1923, when Nazi Party leader Adolf Hitler, Generalquartiermeister Erich Ludendorff, and other heads of the Kampfbund unsuccessfully tried to seize power...
. Following the establishment of a more stable situation throughout Germany, the party came around to a more moderate line under the leadership of Heinrich Held
Heinrich Held
Heinrich Held was a Catholic politician and Minister President of Bavaria. He was forced out of office by the Nazi takeover in Germany in 1933.-Life:...
.
During the Weimar Republic, the BVP was consistently the most voted party in Bavaria and the party with the most seats in the Landtag of Bavaria
Landtag of Bavaria
The Landtag of Bavaria is the unicameral legislature of the state of Bavaria in Germany. Between 1946 and 1999 there was an upper house, the Senate of Bavaria. The parliament meets in the Maximilianeum....
.
In the second round of the German presidential election, 1925
German presidential election, 1925
The presidential election of 1925 was the first direct election to the office of President of the Reich , Germany's head of state during the 1919-1933 Weimar Republic. The first President, Friedrich Ebert, died on 28 February, 1925...
the main contenders were Paul von Hindenburg
Paul von Hindenburg
Paul Ludwig Hans Anton von Beneckendorff und von Hindenburg , known universally as Paul von Hindenburg was a Prussian-German field marshal, statesman, and politician, and served as the second President of Germany from 1925 to 1934....
and Wilhelm Marx
Wilhelm Marx
Wilhelm Marx was a German lawyer, Catholic politician and a member of the Centre Party. He was Chancellor of the German Reich twice, from 1923 to 1925 and again from 1926 to 1928, and also served briefly as minister president of Prussia in 1925, during the Weimar Republic.-Life:Born in Cologne to...
. If either the BVP or the Communist Party
Communist Party of Germany
The Communist Party of Germany was a major political party in Germany between 1918 and 1933, and a minor party in West Germany in the postwar period until it was banned in 1956...
(KPD), who put up Ernst Thalmann
Ernst Thälmann
Ernst Thälmann was the leader of the Communist Party of Germany during much of the Weimar Republic. He was arrested by the Gestapo in 1933 and held in solitary confinement for eleven years, before being shot in Buchenwald on Adolf Hitler's orders in 1944...
in the second round, had supported Marx, he would have become President instead of the elderly von Hindenberg (who died in 1934, and was succeeded by Hitler
Adolf Hitler
Adolf Hitler was an Austrian-born German politician and the leader of the National Socialist German Workers Party , commonly referred to as the Nazi Party). He was Chancellor of Germany from 1933 to 1945, and head of state from 1934 to 1945...
).
The party may be seen as a precursor to the Christian Social Union in Bavaria but alongside the Christian Social Union in Bavaria, the Bavaria Party
Bavaria Party
The Bavaria Party is a separatist political party in the state of Bavaria in southern Germany. It was founded in 1946 and describes itself as patriotic Bavarian, advocating Bavarian independence within the European Union...
(Bayernpartei) - which has members elected to city councils in some Bavarian regions - and the Bavarian Centre Party (bayerische Zentrumspartei) were also refounded after the war and are explicitly claiming the historical heritage of the BVP.
Politicians
See: List of Bavarian People's Party politiciansWebSite of the Bavarian Centre Party (Bayerische Zentrumspartei)