Christian-Social People's Party Christlich-Soziale Volkspartei | |
---|---|
Abbreviation | VP |
Founder | Wilhelm Beck |
Founded | February 1918 |
Dissolved | January 1936 |
Merged into | Patriotic Union |
Newspaper | Liechtensteiner Nachrichten (Liechtenstein News) |
Ideology | Social liberalism |
Colours | Red |
The Christian-Social People's Party (German : Christlich-Soziale Volkspartei), often shortened to People's Party (German : Volkspartei, VP), was a social liberal political party in Liechtenstein. [1] Founded in 1918, the Christian-Social People's Party and the Progressive Citizens' Party (FBP) were the first political parties in Liechtenstein. [2]
The party's roots originate behind the ideals of lawyer and politician Wilhelm Beck when he formed an opposition group around himself in 1914 with its newspaper Oberrheinische Nachrichten against the government of Leopold Freiherr von Imhof. [3] [4] The party itself was established in February 1918 as an off-shoot of the trade union movement. [5]
The party conducted a de facto coup d'état against Imhof's government in November 1918, which forced his government to resign and replaced with a provisional executive committee led by VP member Martin Ritter, the first Liechtensteiner native head of government. [6] [7] [8]
It first formed the country's first and only government following the 1922 elections under Gustav Schädler with Beck as President of the Landtag of Liechtenstein and remained in power until losing the 1928 elections. [7] [9] The party lost significant credibility when his government was the subject of an embezzlement scandal involving the National Bank of Liechtenstein, primarily by party chairman Anton Walser in 1928. Johann II forced his government to resign in June 1928 as a result, and early elections were called. [10]
In 1936, it merged with Liechtenstein Homeland Service to form the Patriotic Union (VU). [11]
The VP advocated for an expansion of democracy and progressive social policies, and was also supportive of the country's constitutional monarchy. [5] Due to its pro-democratic social liberal leanings and party colors, party members were often referred to disparagingly as "Reds". [1]
Election | Leader | Performance | Rank | Government | ||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Votes | % | +/– | Seats | +/– | ||||
1918 | Wilhelm Beck | 5 / 15 | New | 2nd | Opposition | |||
1922 | Gustav Schädler | 11 / 15 | 6 | 1st | Coalition | |||
1926 (Jan) | 9 / 15 | 2 | 1st | Coalition | ||||
1926 (Apr) | 9 / 15 | 0 | 1st | Coalition | ||||
1928 | 4 / 15 | 5 | 2nd | Opposition | ||||
1930 | Wilhelm Beck | 0 / 15 | 4 | 2nd | Extra-parliamentary | |||
1932 | 2 / 15 | 2 | 2nd | Opposition | ||||
Political identity came to the territory now occupied by the Principality of Liechtenstein in 814, with the formation of the subcountry of Lower Rhætia. Liechtenstein's borders have remained unchanged since 1434, when the Rhine established the border between the Holy Roman Empire and the Swiss cantons.
The Constitution of the Principality of Liechtenstein was promulgated on 5 October 1921, replacing the 1862 constitution.
Gustav Schädler was a teacher and politician from Liechtenstein who served as Prime Minister of Liechtenstein from 1922 to 1928.
Josef Ospelt was a political figure from Liechtenstein who served as the first Prime Minister of Liechtenstein from 1921 to 1922.
Franz Josef Hoop was a political figure from Liechtenstein who served in the Landtag of Liechtenstein.
Ferdinand Nigg was a political figure from Liechtenstein who served as the Deputy Prime Minister of Liechtenstein from 1945 to 1957.
Wilhelm Beck was an advocate and political figure from Liechtenstein who was one of the founders of the Christian-Social People's Party and served as the President of the Landtag of Liechtenstein from 1922 to 1927.
Leopold Freiherr von Imhof was an Austrian civil servant who served as the Governor of Liechtenstein from 1914 to 1918.
Emil Beck was a Swiss lawyer, diplomat and professor. He was chargé d'affaires in the Liechtenstein embassy in Bern from 1919 to 1933.
Emil Batliner was an entrepreneur and political figure from Liechtenstein who served in the Landtag of Liechtenstein.
The November 1918 Liechtenstein putsch, also known as the Beck putsch was a de facto coup d'état by the leaders of the Christian-Social People's Party against the government of Governor of Liechtenstein, Leopold Freiherr von Imhof. The coup forced Imhof's government to resign and established a Provisional Executive Committee in his place until 7 December.
Fritz Walser was a political figure from Liechtenstein who served as President of the Landtag of Liechtenstein from 1919 to 1921.
Liechtensteiner Nachrichten, known as the Oberrheinische Nachrichten until 1924 was a weekly newspaper in Liechtenstein from 1914 to 1936. It was the official newspaper of the Christian-Social People's Party.
Albert Schädler was a physician, historian and political figure from Liechtenstein who served as the President of the Landtag of Liechtenstein 1882 to 1885 and again from 1890 to 1918.
The Josef Ospelt cabinet was the governing body of Liechtenstein from 23 March 1921 to 27 April 1922. It was appointed by Johann II and was chaired by Josef Ospelt.
The Provisional Executive Committee was the governing body of Liechtenstein from 7 November 1918 to 7 December of the same year. Established following the November 1918 Liechtenstein putsch, it was chaired by Martin Ritter.
Martin Ritter was an advocate and political figure from Liechtenstein who served as the Chairman of the Provisional Executive Committee in 1918.
The 1928 Liechtenstein embezzlement scandal was a scandal involving leading members of the Christian-Social People's Party where it was revealed that they had embezzled funds from the National Bank of Liechtenstein for various speculative transactions. The scandal forced the government of Gustav Schädler to resign and early elections to be called.
Anton Kirchthaler Walser was an industrialist and political figure from Liechtenstein who served in the Landtag of Liechtenstein and was convicted of embezzlement in 1929.