Vaterländischer Schweizerischer Verband ( French : Swiss Patriotic Federation , Italian : Federazione svizzera Patriottica ) [1] (Swiss Patriotic Federation gold SVV) Was a right wing organization influential in Swiss politics before World War II .
The SVV was set up on 5 April 1919 [2] by Dr. Eugen Bircher to oppose ‚international emigration‘, which in effect became anti-Semitism , with the group holding The Protocols of the Elders of Zion as fact, alongside a similar work Aufklärung zur Flüchtlingsfrage ( Shedding Light on the Refugee Question ). [3] Bircher’s position as a colonel in the Swiss Army, with whom he was able to bring many high-ranking officers to the SVV, with Henri Guisan among those to join up. [3] Although not specifically Naziin its outlook, it seeks to maintain friendly relations with Nazi Germany . [3]
It was effectively open in its existence, but its membership was largely a closely guarded secret and as such the group became influential in driving government policy. [3] Its influence was such that it was the only organization with Nazi sympathies that was not closed down by the Swiss Federal Council in 1945. [3] It was not until after it was caught up in a bribery scandal in 1948. [ 4]
References
- Jump up^ Swiss Patriotic Federation
- Jump up^ Linhardt, Andreas (2002). Feuerwehr im Luftschutz 1926 – 1945: Die Umstrukturierung des öffentlichen Feuerlöschwesens in Deutschland unter Gesichtspunkten zivilen Lutschutzes . p. 469. ISBN 978-3831137381 .
- ^ Jump up to:a b c d e Alan Morris Schom, ‚A Survey of Nazi and pro-Nazi Groups in Switzerland: 1930-1945‘
- Jump up^ „Schweizerischer Vaterländischer Verband“ . encyclopedia . encyclopedia.