Nazis Without Hitler: The Sozialistische Reichspartei (1949–1952)

This paper aims to analyze the profile of the Sozialistische Reichspartei (Socialist Reich Party, SRP), a party active in the Federal Republic of Germany from 1949 to 1952, which openly claimed the ideological and political legacy of National Socialism and reached a membership of 10,000 activists. The first part will examine the context that made possible the electoral success of a neo-Nazi party four years after the collapse of the Nazi regime, its trajectory, and its ban by the Bundesverfassungsgericht. The second part will focus on the internal organization of the SRP, its leadership, and its electorate. The third and final part will consider the ideology of the SRP based on an analysis of its publications and press. In this regard, the political thought of Otto Ernst Remer, the true leader of the party, will emerge. For Remer, the SRP was the authentic successor to National Socialism, the only party defending the interests of a united Germany against the Cold War powers.