How the Pan-German League Radicalized the DNVP and Paved the Way for Hitler

The article examines the radicalization of the German right during the Weimar Republic, focusing on the German National People's Party (DNVP). Founded in 1918 after Germany's defeat in WWI, the Weimar Republic was resented by the right for signing the Treaty of Versailles. The DNVP contained both pragmatists, willing to work within democracy, and fundamentalists seeking authoritarian rule. In 1928, after electoral losses, the Pan-German League (ADV) orchestrated the takeover of the DNVP by media magnate Alfred Hugenberg. Hugenberg's vast media empire allowed him to dominate right-wing discourse. His first major project was the Anti-Young Plan campaign in 1929, forming a national front with the Nazi Party, which had previously been dismissed by moderates. The campaign called for a 'Freedom Law' renouncing the Treaty of Versailles and imprisoning MPs who supported the Young Plan, causing a split and exodus of moderates. By 1930, Hugenberg's alliance with Hitler led to further defections, weakening the DNVP. In the September 1930 elections, the DNVP's vote share halved to 7%, while the Nazis surged to 18% and 107 seats, becoming the second-largest party. The radicalism that had been transferred from the fringe to the mainstream now dominated, culminating in Hitler's rise.