Aufsätze /Articles: Das Reichsbanner Schwarz-Rot-Gold: Wehrhafte Demokraten in der Weimarer Republik

Abstract

Abstract The Reichsbanner Black-Red-Gold was a private organisation for the protection of the Weimar Republic. It was founded in 1924. The Reichsbanner set itself the goal to encounter right-wing violence as well as left wing violence and sought the cooperation with the understaffed authorities. The activists of the Reichsbanner sought to protect political meeting of democratic parties, the pacifist movement and the Jewish community. Additionally, the goal was to strengthen the legitimacy of the republic through festivities, publications and day-to-day items. However, the internal division of the Reichsbanner with its 1,5 million members lead to a purely defensive course, which was not able to take away the political initiative especially from the emerging NSDAP