The National Movement of Switzerland ( or ''NBS'') was a

Nazi Nazism (), formally named National Socialism (NS; , ), is the far-right politics, far-right Totalitarianism, totalitarian socio-political ideology and practices associated with Adolf Hitler and the Nazi Party (NSDAP) in Germany. During H ...

umbrella-group formed in

Switzerland Switzerland, officially the Swiss Confederation, is a landlocked country located in west-central Europe. It is bordered by Italy to the south, France to the west, Germany to the north, and Austria and Liechtenstein to the east. Switzerland ...

in 1940.

Foundation

The NBS had its roots in the 1938 foundation of the ' by

Rolf Henne Rolf Henne (7 October 1901 – 25 July 1966) was a Swiss politician who supported a form of Nazism. Born in Schaffhausen, Henne was a distant relative of Carl Jung on his father's side. Henne's own father was himself a prominent physician.Alan ...

after the more moderate Robert Tobler had removed Henne from the

leadership Leadership, is defined as the ability of an individual, group, or organization to "", influence, or guide other individuals, teams, or organizations. "Leadership" is a contested term. Specialist literature debates various viewpoints on the co ...

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 antisemitism, tolerance educati ...

In 1940, the Bund absorbed a number of tiny Nazi-supporting organisations to become the NBS under Henne and Dr.

Max Leo Keller Max Leo Keller (born 22 August 1897 in Zürich, died 13 August 1956 in Birmensdorf, Zürich) was a Swiss engineer and politician of the . Life The son of Franz Alexander Keller and Frieda Keller b. Ripe studied engineering and political scienc ...

. 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 The Francophonie or Francophone world is the whole body of people and organisations around the world who use the French language regularly for private or public purposes. The term was coined by Onésime Reclus in 1880 and became important a ...

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 a German Nazism, Nazi politician and military leader who was the 4th of the (Protection Squadron; SS), a leading member of the Nazi Party, and one of the most powerful p ...

and brought with him Andreas von Sprecher, whom the SS had trained, to run the new group's propaganda department. Keller,

Jakob Schaffner Jakob Schaffner (14 November 1875 – 23 September 1944) was a leading Swiss novelist who became a supporter of Nazism. Philip Rees (1990) ''Biographical Dictionary of the Extreme Right Since 1890'', Simon & Schuster, p. 347, Emergence as a wr ...

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. Duri ...

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

Nazi Germany Nazi Germany, officially known as the German Reich and later the Greater German Reich, was the German Reich, German state between 1933 and 1945, when Adolf Hitler and the Nazi Party controlled the country, transforming it into a Totalit ...

, leading to eventual incorporation. This was followed by a

Munich Munich is the capital and most populous city of Bavaria, Germany. As of 30 November 2024, its population was 1,604,384, making it the third-largest city in Germany after Berlin and Hamburg. Munich is the largest city in Germany that is no ...

conference in October 1940 to which the Director of the

Reich Security Main Office The Reich Security Main Office ( , RSHA) was an organization under Heinrich Himmler in his dual capacity as ''Chef der Deutschen Polizei'' (Chief of German Police) and , the head of the Nazi Party's ''Schutzstaffel'' (SS). The organization's stat ...

Reinhard Heydrich Reinhard Tristan Eugen Heydrich ( , ; 7 March 1904 – 4 June 1942) was a German high-ranking SS and police official during the Nazi era and a principal architect of the Holocaust. He held the rank of SS-. Many historians regard Heydrich ...

and the Swiss doctor and SS-member

Franz Riedweg Franz Egbert Riedweg (10 April 1907, in Lucerne – 22 January 2005, in Munich) was a Swiss far-right activist in the National Front (Switzerland) who, during World War II, served in the Waffen-SS as well as becoming a close associate of Heinrich ...

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 Ernst Leonhardt (September 25, 1885 – March 26, 1945) was an American-born Swiss military figure and pro-Nazi politician. Biography Ernst Leonhardt was born to a German-born Swiss father on September 25, 1885, in Tracy City, Grundy County, ...

'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 is the federal cabinet of the Swiss Confederation. Its seven members also serve as the collective head of state and government of Switzerland. Since World War II, the Federal Council is by convention a permanent grand co ...

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 4,000 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 (1 September 1939 – 2 September 1945) was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War II, Allies and the Axis powers. World War II by country, Nearly all of the wo ...

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 Far-right politics in Switzerland

Foundation

See also

External links