Richard Kunze
Encyclopedia
Richard Kunze was a German
right-wing
politician notorious for his anti-Semitism
.
along with fellow rightist Wilhelm Kube
. Serving the party as general secretary he earned 12,000 marks per month for a role that largely involved travelling Germany drumming up support. Near the end of the war he became involved with the Fatherland Party
where he gained the nickname Knüpple Kunze (Cudgel Kunze) because of strong attacks on the Jews.
and in 1920 he joined with Reinhold Wulle
and Arnold Ruge to form the Deutschvölkischen Arbeitsring Berlin, a short-lived successor group. The group was absorbed by the joined German National People's Party
(DNVP) in June 1920 and Kunze joined the DNVP and became the party's chief publicist. However Kunze split from the party in 1921, feeling that it did not match his own hardline stance on the Jews.
. The new party rejected the monarchism
of the DNVP, arguing that Jewish influence had been just as pronounced in the German empire
as in the new Weimar Republic
. The party became noted for provocative street activities, with Kunze himself becoming a well-known demagogue. However support was lost as Kunze also gained a reputation for using the party as a way to make money for himself, diverting funds into his own pockets and after a number of defections he wound the party up in 1929.
as a Nazi delegate in 1932 and in the November 1933
he was elected to the Reichstag
, serving in what by then had become a perfunctory institution until 1945.
Kunze was arrested after the Battle of Berlin
but went missing in May 1945 and was presumed dead.
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...
right-wing
Right-wing politics
In politics, Right, right-wing and rightist generally refer to support for a hierarchical society justified on the basis of an appeal to natural law or tradition. To varying degrees, the Right rejects the egalitarian objectives of left-wing politics, claiming that the imposition of equality is...
politician notorious for his anti-Semitism
Anti-Semitism
Antisemitism is suspicion of, hatred toward, or discrimination against Jews for reasons connected to their Jewish heritage. According to a 2005 U.S...
.
Early years
Kunze's political career began around 1914 when he was employed by the German Conservative PartyGerman Conservative Party
The German Conservative Party was a right-wing political party of the German Empire, founded in 1876.- Policies :It was generally seen as representing the interests of the German nobility, the East Elbian Junkers and the Evangelical Church of the Prussian Union, and had its political stronghold...
along with fellow rightist Wilhelm Kube
Wilhelm Kube
Wilhelm Kube was a German politician and Nazi official. He was an important figure in the German Christian movement during the early years of Nazi rule. During the war he became a senior official in the occupying government of the Soviet Union, achieving the rank of Generalkommissar for...
. Serving the party as general secretary he earned 12,000 marks per month for a role that largely involved travelling Germany drumming up support. Near the end of the war he became involved with the Fatherland Party
Fatherland Party (Germany)
German Fatherland Party was a pro-war party in the German Empire.The party was founded close to the end of 1917 and represented political circles supporting the war. Among founding members were Wolfgang Kapp and Alfred von Tirpitz . Walter Nicolai, head of the military secret service, was also...
where he gained the nickname Knüpple Kunze (Cudgel Kunze) because of strong attacks on the Jews.
Post-war activity
After the war Kunze was associated with the Deutschvölkischer Schutz und TrutzbundDeutschvölkischer 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...
and in 1920 he joined with Reinhold Wulle
Reinhold Wulle
Reinhold Wulle was a German Völkisch politician and publicist active during the Weimar Republic.-Völkisch politics:...
and Arnold Ruge to form the Deutschvölkischen Arbeitsring Berlin, a short-lived successor group. The group was absorbed by the joined German National People's Party
German National People's Party
The German National People's Party was a national conservative party in Germany during the time of the Weimar Republic. Before the rise of the NSDAP it was the main nationalist party in Weimar Germany composed of nationalists, reactionary monarchists, völkisch, and antisemitic elements, and...
(DNVP) in June 1920 and Kunze joined the DNVP and became the party's chief publicist. However Kunze split from the party in 1921, feeling that it did not match his own hardline stance on the Jews.
German Social Party
In the early 1920s Kunze led his own anti-Semitic party in north Germany known as the Deutschsoziale Partei, an early rival to the Nazi Party on the far rightFar right
Far-right, extreme right, hard right, radical right, and ultra-right are terms used to discuss the qualitative or quantitative position a group or person occupies within right-wing politics. Far-right politics may involve anti-immigration and anti-integration stances towards groups that are...
. The new party rejected the monarchism
Monarchism
Monarchism is the advocacy of the establishment, preservation, or restoration of a monarchy as a form of government in a nation. A monarchist is an individual who supports this form of government out of principle, independent from the person, the Monarch.In this system, the Monarch may be the...
of the DNVP, arguing that Jewish influence had been just as pronounced in the German empire
German Empire
The German Empire refers to Germany during the "Second Reich" period from the unification of Germany and proclamation of Wilhelm I as German Emperor on 18 January 1871, to 1918, when it became a federal republic after defeat in World War I and the abdication of the Emperor, Wilhelm II.The German...
as in the new Weimar Republic
Weimar Republic
The Weimar Republic is the name given by historians to the parliamentary republic established in 1919 in Germany to replace the imperial form of government...
. The party became noted for provocative street activities, with Kunze himself becoming a well-known demagogue. However support was lost as Kunze also gained a reputation for using the party as a way to make money for himself, diverting funds into his own pockets and after a number of defections he wound the party up in 1929.
Nazism
In 1930 Kunze joined his old rivals as a member of the Nazi Party. Kunze was elected to the Preußischer LandtagPreußischer Landtag
Preußischer Landtag or Prussian Landtag was the Landtag of the Kingdom of Prussia, which was implemented in 1849 after the dissolution of the Prussian National Assembly, building on the tradition of the Prussian estates that had existed from the 14th century in various forms and states in Teutonic...
as a Nazi delegate in 1932 and in the November 1933
German federal election, November 1933
The November 12, 1933 elections were the first entirely non-impartial elections under Nazi Party rule. All opposition parties had been banned by this time, and voters were presented with a single list containing Nazis and 22 non-party "guests" of the Nazi Party...
he was elected to the Reichstag
Reichstag (German Empire)
The Reichstag was the parliament of the North German Confederation , and of the German Reich ....
, serving in what by then had become a perfunctory institution until 1945.
Kunze was arrested after the Battle of Berlin
Battle of Berlin
The Battle of Berlin, designated the Berlin Strategic Offensive Operation by the Soviet Union, was the final major offensive of the European Theatre of World War II....
but went missing in May 1945 and was presumed dead.