Action Group of Independent Germans
Political party in Germany
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Action Group of Independent Germans (German: Aktionsgemeinschaft Unabhängiger Deutscher, or AUD) was a nationalist-neutralist party in the West Germany. It was founded in May 1965 as a successor of various anti-Nazi nationalist groups and parties in West Germany. By the end of the 1960s, it approached the political demands of the extra-parliamentary opposition (APO), particularly its environmentalism, claiming the title of Germany's first environmentalist party.[1] On 27 April 1980 it would eventually merge into the then-new and still very diverse Greens for which the AUD's long-time leader, August Haußleiter, would end up serving on the federal board.[2]
Hermann Schwann (1965–1968)
Hjalmar Schacht
Action Group of Independent Germans Aktionsgemeinschaft Unabhängiger Deutscher | |
|---|---|
| |
| Leader | August Haußleiter (1968–1980) Hermann Schwann (1965–1968) |
| Founders | August Haußleiter Hjalmar Schacht |
| Founded | 15 May 1965 |
| Dissolved | 27 January 1980 |
| Preceded by | German Community German Freedom Party Association of the German National Assembly |
| Merged into | The Greens |
| Headquarters | Homberg (Efze) |
| Newspaper | Die Unabhängigen |
| Ideology | German nationalism Environmentalism Neutrality |
| Colours | Gold |
History
The AUD was founded on 15/16 May 1965 in Homberg (Efze) and brought together "nationalists who generally clearly distanced themselves from the Nazi regime, as well as liberals and pacifists" from the three right-wing nationalist groups German Community (DG), German Freedom Party (DFP) and parts of the Association of the German National Assembly (VDNV)[3] as well as the readership of the newspaper Neue Politik. The reason for the founding of the AUD was the lack of success of nationalist-neutralist parties in the Federal Republic until the early 1960s. The AUD attempted to unite all nationalist-neutralist currents in a broad alliance. In doing so, it rejected the ideology of the National Democratic Party of Germany (NPD) because it seemed to be too backward-looking and too closely aligned with the NSDAP. The AUD was initially largely unsuccessful with this strategy in elections.[4] The party had internal disagreements, some members wanted the inclusion NPD and the German Peace Union (DFU). DFP later withdrew their support for AUD in favour of NPD.[5]
Notable members
- August Haußleiter (1905–1989), nationalist and environmentalist politician as well as journalist. Founding member and leader of the AUD (1968-1980).[6]
- Hjalmar Schacht (1877–1970), economist, banker, and politician who served as the minister of economics of Nazi Germany (1934-1937). Founding member.[7]
- Baldur Springmann (1912–2003), Ex-Nazi, environmentalist, and organic farmer. Leader of the AUD state section in Schleswig-Holstein during the 70s.[7][8]
- Herbert Rusche (1952–2024), LGBT rights activist. Member of the AUD Offenbach am Main district board.[7][9]
- Joseph Beuys (1921–1986), artist, teacher, and art theorist. Candidate for the AUD in the 1976 federal election.[10][11]
- Dieter Burgmann (born 1939), engineer, trade unionist, and politician. Leader of the AUD state section in Bavaria.[6][12]
- Bernd Grimmer (1950–2021), later Alternative for Germany (AfD) member and MdB.[7]
