Deutsche Reichspartei facts for kids
The Deutsche Reichspartei (DRP), also known as the German Empire Party, was a political party in West Germany. It was formed by combining two older parties: the German Conservative Party - Deutsche Right Party (DKP-DRP) and the old Hessian National Democratic Party (NDP).
Some of the people who helped start the DRP were Alexander Andrae, Oskar Lutz, Hans Bernd von Grünberg, Wilhelm Meinberg, Otto Heß, Hans Schikora, Heinrich Kunstmann, and Adolf von Thadden.
Early Years and Changes
In 1949, another party called the Sozialistische Reichspartei (SRP) broke away from the DRP. This happened because the DRP did not want to be connected with very extreme political ideas from the past. Instead, the DRP preferred to talk about the good things from the Second German Empire (which lasted from 1870 to 1919).
However, after 1952, the Deutsche Reichspartei's ideas became more extreme. This change happened after the Sozialistische Reichspartei was banned by the Federal Constitutional Court of Germany. Many members from the banned SRP then joined the DRP, which influenced its direction.
Decline and End
The DRP did not have much success in the 1950s. It seemed to gain a bit more popularity after some state elections in 1959. But this success did not last very long. The party held its last meeting in 1964 and then officially closed down. Soon after, a new party called the Nationaldemokratische Partei Deutschlands took its place.
