The German National Movement in Liechtenstein (german: Volksdeutsche Bewegung in Liechtenstein, VDBL) was a

Nazi Nazism ( ; german: Nazismus), the common name in English for National Socialism (german: Nationalsozialismus, ), is the far-right totalitarian political ideology and practices associated with Adolf Hitler and the Nazi Party (NSDAP) in ...

party in

Liechtenstein Liechtenstein (), officially the Principality of Liechtenstein (german: link=no, Fürstentum Liechtenstein), is a German language, German-speaking microstate located in the Alps between Austria and Switzerland. Liechtenstein is a semi-constit ...

that existed between 1938 and 1945.

Formation and ideology

The VDBL formed after the

Anschluss The (, or , ), also known as the (, en, Annexation of Austria), was the annexation of the Federal State of Austria into the German Reich on 13 March 1938. The idea of an (a united Austria and Germany that would form a " Greater Germa ...

of Austria in 1938, advocating for the integration of Liechtenstein into the Greater German Reich. The organization disseminated its ideology through its newspaper, '' Der Umbruch''. A slogan associated with the party was ''Liechtenstein den Liechtensteinern!'' (Liechtenstein for the Liechtensteiners!). This implied a radical populism that would threaten the allegiance of the people of Liechtenstein to ruling Prince Franz Josef II.

Coup attempt and party demise

In March 1939, the VDBL staged an amateurish coup attempt, first trying to provoke a German intervention by burning

swastika The swastika (卐 or 卍) is an ancient religious and cultural symbol, predominantly in various Eurasian, as well as some African and American cultures, now also widely recognized for its appropriation by the Nazi Party and by neo-Nazis. I ...

s, followed by declaring an ''

Anschluß The (, or , ), also known as the (, en, Annexation of Austria), was the annexation of the Federal State of Austria into the German Reich on 13 March 1938. The idea of an (a united Austria and Germany that would form a " Greater Germany" ...

'' with Germany. The leaders were almost immediately arrested and the hoped-for German invasion failed to materialise. The inability of the party to participate in the 1939 elections (after a pact between the main parties to keep the election date a secret), combined with the drastic decrease in

sympathies following the outbreak of

World War II World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the World War II by country, vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great power ...

led to a temporary demise of the party. However, in June 1940 it was reconstituted under the leadership of Dr.

Alfons Goop Alfons Goop (15 October 1910 – 25 September 1993) was a Liechtensteiner politician during World War II. He was the leader of the German National Movement in Liechtenstein (VDBL), a Nazi political party that attempted a coup d'état in 193 ...

. During 1941 and 1942, the party was involved in vehement anti-Semitic agitation, urging a solution to the country's presumed "

Jewish Question The Jewish question, also referred to as the Jewish problem, was a wide-ranging debate in 19th- and 20th-century European society that pertained to the appropriate status and treatment of Jews. The debate, which was similar to other " national ...

," accusing Jewish families in Liechtenstein of spying for the Allies. By early 1943, the VDBL had become an embarrassment to Germany. Its recruitment for the

Waffen-SS The (, "Armed SS") was the combat branch of the Nazi Party's ''Schutzstaffel'' (SS) organisation. Its formations included men from Nazi Germany, along with Waffen-SS foreign volunteers and conscripts, volunteers and conscripts from both occup ...

compromised Liechtenstein's neutrality, infuriating the Swiss government. The German Ministry of Foreign Affairs in March 1943 forced the VDBL to hold talks with the Patriotic Union (VU), in

Friedrichshafen Friedrichshafen ( or ; Low Alemannic: ''Hafe'' or ''Fridrichshafe'') is a city on the northern shoreline of Lake Constance (the ''Bodensee'') in Southern Germany, near the borders of both Switzerland and Austria. It is the district capital (''K ...

under auspices of the Waffen-SS, in order to reach a fusion of both parties, which shared an anti-

Bolshevik The Bolsheviks (russian: Большевики́, from большинство́ ''bol'shinstvó'', 'majority'),; derived from ''bol'shinstvó'' (большинство́), "majority", literally meaning "one of the majority". also known in English ...

and anti-clerical programme. Severely disappointed, Goop resigned as party leader. In the end the VU only consented to some "cultural cooperation." When Germany's war fortunes declined, in July 1943 ''Der Umbruch'' was forbidden by the authorities. In 1946, party leaders were prosecuted for the 1939 coup attempt. In 1947, Goop was condemned for

high treason Treason is the crime of attacking a state authority to which one owes allegiance. This typically includes acts such as participating in a war against one's native country, attempting to overthrow its government, spying on its military, its diplo ...

and sentenced to a thirty-month imprisonment.

References

Defunct political parties in Liechtenstein History of Liechtenstein Nazi parties Political parties established in 1938 Political parties disestablished in 1945 1938 establishments in Liechtenstein German nationalist political parties 1945 disestablishments in Liechtenstein Anti-communist parties {{Liechtenstein-stub Collaboration with the Axis Powers