Reichshammerbund
Encyclopedia
Reichshammerbund was a German
anti-Semitic movement founded in 1912 by Theodor Fritsch
.
Based on The Hammer, a journal founded by Fritsch in 1902, the Bund argued that Jewish influences had contaminated Germany and attempted to argue that their racism
had a basis in biology
. The aim of the group was to co-ordinate the activities of the many small anti-Semitic organisations active at the time and to bring as many of these as possible under its banner. A movement rather than a political party, it sought to be above party politics and to instead encourage a renewal of the German way of life from an anti-capitalist perspective. The battle sign of the group was the swastika
, making the Bund one of the first Völkisch movement
s to use the symbol. The founding document for The Hammer had been Willibald Hentschel
's 1901 book Varuna, which preached racial purity and antisemitism.
A sister organisation, the Germanenorden
, also appeared in 1912 under Fritsch, although it was a clandestine group for leading members of society who wished to work in secret rather thsn the Bund which was open. The Bund itself was close to the occultism of the Guido von List Society as amongst its founder members were List Society activists Philipp Stauff
, Eberhard von Brockhusen
and Karl August Hellwig. It was Hellwig who drafted the group's constitution and who exercised effective control in the early days of the Bund.
They welcomed the outbreak of the First World War as an opportunity to banish softness from Germany and return the country to its harsh, militaristic roots. From 1914 the group took a leading role in gathering anecdotal evidence
relating to the involvement of the Jews in the German war effort, much of which later formed the basis of the stab-in-the-back legend.
In 1919 the group, at the instigation of Fritsch's friend Alfred Roth
, merged into the Deutschvölkischer Schutz und Trutzbund
as part of its continuing policy of forming an umbrella anti-Semitic movement.
Germany
Germany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a federal parliamentary republic in Europe. The country consists of 16 states while the capital and largest city is Berlin. Germany covers an area of 357,021 km2 and has a largely temperate seasonal climate...
anti-Semitic movement founded in 1912 by Theodor Fritsch
Theodor Fritsch
Theodor Fritsch, originally Emil Theodor Fritsche , was a German publisher and pundit. His anti-semitic writings did much to influence popular German opinion against Jews in the late 19th and early 20th centuries...
.
Based on The Hammer, a journal founded by Fritsch in 1902, the Bund argued that Jewish influences had contaminated Germany and attempted to argue that their racism
Racism
Racism is the belief that inherent different traits in human racial groups justify discrimination. In the modern English language, the term "racism" is used predominantly as a pejorative epithet. It is applied especially to the practice or advocacy of racial discrimination of a pernicious nature...
had a basis in biology
Biology
Biology is a natural science concerned with the study of life and living organisms, including their structure, function, growth, origin, evolution, distribution, and taxonomy. Biology is a vast subject containing many subdivisions, topics, and disciplines...
. The aim of the group was to co-ordinate the activities of the many small anti-Semitic organisations active at the time and to bring as many of these as possible under its banner. A movement rather than a political party, it sought to be above party politics and to instead encourage a renewal of the German way of life from an anti-capitalist perspective. The battle sign of the group was the swastika
Swastika
The swastika is an equilateral cross with its arms bent at right angles, in either right-facing form in counter clock motion or its mirrored left-facing form in clock motion. Earliest archaeological evidence of swastika-shaped ornaments dates back to the Indus Valley Civilization of Ancient...
, making the Bund one of the first Völkisch movement
Völkisch movement
The volkisch movement is the German interpretation of the populist movement, with a romantic focus on folklore and the "organic"...
s to use the symbol. The founding document for The Hammer had been Willibald Hentschel
Willibald Hentschel
Willibald Hentschel was a German agrarian and volkisch writer and political activist...
's 1901 book Varuna, which preached racial purity and antisemitism.
A sister organisation, the Germanenorden
Germanenorden
The Germanenorden was a völkisch secret society in early 20th century Germany...
, also appeared in 1912 under Fritsch, although it was a clandestine group for leading members of society who wished to work in secret rather thsn the Bund which was open. The Bund itself was close to the occultism of the Guido von List Society as amongst its founder members were List Society activists Philipp Stauff
Philipp Stauff
Philipp Stauff was a prominent German/Austrian journalist and publisher in Berlin. He was an enthusiastic Armanist, a close friend of Guido von List, and a founding member of the Guido-von-List-Society...
, Eberhard von Brockhusen
Eberhard von Brockhusen
Eberhard von Brockhusen, , was a patron of the List society who lived at Langen in Brandenburg, Germany. Guido von List was travelling to his manor house when he died in the spring of 1919....
and Karl August Hellwig. It was Hellwig who drafted the group's constitution and who exercised effective control in the early days of the Bund.
They welcomed the outbreak of the First World War as an opportunity to banish softness from Germany and return the country to its harsh, militaristic roots. From 1914 the group took a leading role in gathering anecdotal evidence
Anecdotal evidence
The expression anecdotal evidence refers to evidence from anecdotes. Because of the small sample, there is a larger chance that it may be true but unreliable due to cherry-picked or otherwise unrepresentative of typical cases....
relating to the involvement of the Jews in the German war effort, much of which later formed the basis of the stab-in-the-back legend.
In 1919 the group, at the instigation of Fritsch's friend Alfred Roth
Alfred Roth
Alfred Roth was a German politician and writer noted for his anti-Semitism. He was sometimes known by his pseudonym Otto Arnim...
, merged into the Deutschvölkischer Schutz und Trutzbund
Deutschvölkischer Schutz und Trutzbund
The Deutschvölkischer Schutz und Trutzbund was the largest, most active, and most influential anti-Semitic federation in Germany after the first World War, and one of the largest and most important organization of the German völkisch movement during the Weimar Republic, whose...
as part of its continuing policy of forming an umbrella anti-Semitic movement.