Liechtenstein Homeland Service (, LHD) was a political party in

Liechtenstein Liechtenstein (, ; ; ), officially the Principality of Liechtenstein ( ), is a Landlocked country#Doubly landlocked, doubly landlocked Swiss Standard German, German-speaking microstate in the Central European Alps, between Austria in the east ...

that advocated

corporate statism Corporate statism or state corporatism, referred to as corporativism by the Italian fascism, fascists, is a political culture and a form of corporatism the proponents of which claim or believe that corporate group (sociology), corporate groups sho ...

and the abolition of

party politics ''Party Politics'' is a peer-reviewed academic journal that publishes papers in the field of political science. The journal's editor is Paul Webb of the University of Sussex, UK. It has been in publication since 1995 and is currently published b ...

. Shortly after its founding, the party also moved towards

Nazism Nazism (), formally named National Socialism (NS; , ), is the far-right totalitarian socio-political ideology and practices associated with Adolf Hitler and the Nazi Party (NSDAP) in Germany. During Hitler's rise to power, it was fre ...

. It merged with the Christian-Social People's Party to form the Patriotic Union in 1936.

History

The LHD was formed on 1 October 1933, with Otto Schaedler, Alois Vogt and Carl Freiherr von Vogelsang as leading members. Although the party was initially formed on the basis of an authoritarian corporate state similar to that of Austria under

Engelbert Dollfuss Engelbert Dollfuss (alternatively Dollfuß; 4 October 1892 – 25 July 1934) was an Austrian politician and dictator who served as chancellor of Federal State of Austria, Austria between 1932 and 1934. Having served as Minister for Forests and ...

, it quickly moved towards that of

. The people behind the Rotter kidnapping also became active in the party following their release from prison. This move towards Nazism caused several founding members, such as,

Richard Meier Richard Meier (born October 12, 1934) is an American abstract artist and architect, whose geometric designs make prominent use of the color white. A winner of the Pritzker Architecture Prize in 1984, Meier has designed several iconic buildings ...

and Martin Risch to abandon the party. The party briefly held a seat in the

Landtag of Liechtenstein The Landtag of the Principality of Liechtenstein () is the unicameral parliament of Liechtenstein. Qualifications Citizens who have attained the age of 18, have permanent residency in the country and have lived in the country for at least on ...

when Georg Frick left the

Progressive Citizens' Party The Progressive Citizens' Party in Liechtenstein (, FBP) is a Conservatism, conservative List of political parties in Liechtenstein, political party in Liechtenstein. The FBP is one of the two major party, major List of political parties in Liech ...

(FBP) to found the party, but he too abandoned the party following the move towards Nazism and re-joined the FBP. The party ran an

antisemitic Antisemitism or Jew-hatred is hostility to, prejudice towards, or discrimination against Jews. A person who harbours it is called an antisemite. Whether antisemitism is considered a form of racism depends on the school of thought. Antisemi ...

campaign within Liechtenstein and advocated against the government's naturalization policies. In addition, the party also developed a cult of personality similar to that of Nazi Germany, with the phrase 'Heil Otto!' being used towards Schaedler within the party. The party's primary aims were the abolition of

, ending the customs union with Switzerland, and alignment towards Germany, with the eventual goal of Liechtenstein's annexation into the country. The party sought to gain contacts within Nazi Germany, particularly within the Verein für Deutsche Kulturbeziehungen im Ausland (VDA). In doing so, Rudolf Schädler, Alois Vogt and Carl Freiherr von Vogelsang were guests at the 1934 Nuremberg rally. In a speech on 18 March 1934, both

prime minister A prime minister or chief of cabinet is the head of the cabinet and the leader of the ministers in the executive branch of government, often in a parliamentary or semi-presidential system. A prime minister is not the head of state, but r ...

Josef Hoop and president of the Landtag Anton Frommelt spoke out against the LHD. In 1935, the LHD formed an alliance with the Christian-Social People's Party (VP) which was referred to as the 'National Opposition'. This alliance pushed through an initiative to introduce

proportional representation Proportional representation (PR) refers to any electoral system under which subgroups of an electorate are reflected proportionately in the elected body. The concept applies mainly to political divisions (Political party, political parties) amon ...

within the country. However, the subsequent 1935 Liechtenstein electoral system referendum was narrowly rejected by voters. Motivated by a desire to unite the opposition prior to the 1936 Liechtenstein general election, the VP and LHD merged on 1 January 1936 to form the Patriotic Union. Despite the LHD being the smaller of the two parties, the new Patriotic Union was heavily influenced by it, with Otto Schaedler becoming the party president, and Alois Vogt the party secretary. In addition, the two parties' respective newspapers merged to form the

Liechtensteiner Vaterland ''Liechtensteiner Vaterland'' (; lit. "Liechtenstein Fatherland") is the largest daily newspaper in Liechtenstein. Published by Vaduzer Medienhaus AG, it is the official newspaper of the Patriotic Union party. History In January 1936, Christi ...

with Carl Freiherr von Vogelsang as its editor.

References

Bibliography

* * * 1933 establishments in Liechtenstein 1936 disestablishments in Liechtenstein Defunct political parties in Liechtenstein Nazi parties Political parties established in 1933 Political parties disestablished in 1936 {{Liechtenstein-party-stub