The National Movement of Switzerland (german: Nationale Bewegung der Schweiz or NBS) 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 ...

umbrella-group formed in Switzerland in 1940. The NBS had its roots in the 1938 foundation of the ' by Rolf Henne after the more moderate Robert Tobler had removed Henne from the

leadership Leadership, both as a research area and as a practical skill, encompasses the ability of an individual, group or organization to "lead", influence or guide other individuals, teams, or entire organizations. The word "leadership" often gets vi ...

of the National Front.Alan Morris Schom
A Survey of Nazi and Pro-Nazi Groups in Switzerland: 1930–1945
,

Simon Wiesenthal Center The Simon Wiesenthal Center (SWC) is a Jewish human rights organization established in 1977 by Rabbi Marvin Hier. The center is known for Holocaust research and remembrance, hunting Nazi war criminals, combating anti-Semitism, tolerance educat ...

In 1940, the Bund absorbed a number of tiny Nazi-supporting organisations to become the NBS under Henne and Dr. Max Leo Keller. Other groups absorbed included the ' and elements of the National Front. The new group also officially bore the French-language name ''Mouvement Nationale Suisse'' as an appeal to Francophone Swiss.Georges André Chevallaz, ''The Challenge of Neutrality: Diplomacy and the Defense of Switzerland'', Lexington Books, 2001, p. 95 Keller had worked with

Heinrich Himmler Heinrich Luitpold Himmler (; 7 October 1900 – 23 May 1945) was of the (Protection Squadron; SS), and a leading member of the Nazi Party of Germany. Himmler was one of the most powerful men in Nazi Germany and a main architect of th ...

and brought with him Andreas von Sprecher, whom the SS had trained, to run the new group's propaganda department. Keller, Jakob Schaffner and Ernst Hofmann, as representatives of the NBS, received an audience with the Swiss President

Marcel Pilet-Golaz Marcel Pilet-Golaz (31 December 1889 – 11 April 1958) was a Swiss politician. He was elected to the Swiss Federal Council on 13 December 1928 and handed over office on 31 December 1944. He was affiliated to the Free Democratic Party. Dur ...

(in office throughout 1940) in which they demanded much closer relations with

Nazi Germany Nazi Germany (lit. "National Socialist State"), ' (lit. "Nazi State") for short; also ' (lit. "National Socialist Germany") (officially known as the German Reich from 1933 until 1943, and the Greater German Reich from 1943 to 1945) was ...

, leading to eventual incorporation. This was followed by a

Munich Munich ( ; german: München ; bar, Minga ) is the capital and most populous city of the German state of Bavaria. With a population of 1,558,395 inhabitants as of 31 July 2020, it is the third-largest city in Germany, after Berlin and Ha ...

conference in October 1940 to which the Director of the Reich Security Main Office,

Reinhard Heydrich Reinhard Tristan Eugen Heydrich ( ; ; 7 March 1904 – 4 June 1942) was a high-ranking German SS and police official during the Nazi era and a principal architect of the Holocaust. He was chief of the Reich Security Main Office (inclu ...

and the Swiss doctor and SS-member Franz Riedweg invited the leaders of the NBS and of other Swiss groups in order to increase cohesion. Ultimately the meeting strengthened the hand of the NBS, as the remnants of the ''Bund Treuer Eidgenossen Nationalsozialistischer Weltanschauung'' as well as the ''Eidgenössische Soziale Arbeiter-Partei'' and Ernst Leonhardt's ''Nationalsozialistische Schweizerische Arbeitspartei'' agreed to be absorbed into the movement. Despite this strengthening the National Movement did not last long, as the

Swiss Federal Council The Federal Council (german: Bundesrat; french: Conseil fédéral; it, Consiglio federale; rm, Cussegl federal) is the executive body of the federal government of the Swiss Confederation and serves as the collective head of state and governm ...

feared that annexation by Germany was just around the corner. In a series of moves against the most extreme groups, the NBS was closed down on 19 November 1940, by which time it had 160 cells and around 4000 members. The group continued to work underground for a time before a police crackdown which led to most of the leadership fleeing to Germany. Whilst in Germany Keller set up the ''Bund der Schweizer Nationalsozialisten'' as an émigré movement, although its influence remained limited; eventually he returned to Switzerland in 1941. Meanwhile, various NBS units continued underground activity secretly, mostly with help from the SS, until

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 vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposing ...

ended in 1945.

External links

{{DEFAULTSORT:National Movement Of Switzerland Defunct political parties in Switzerland Nazi parties Political parties established in 1940 Banned far-right parties

See also

External links