German National Movement in Liechtenstein

Nazi groups had existed in Liechtenstein since 1933, primarily because of the rise of Nazi Germany and the introduction of German anti-Jewish laws, after which Liechtenstein experienced a large rise in Jewish immigrants. Most notably, German writers and composers Fritz and Alfred Rotter with a Jewish background were naturalized in Liechtenstein in 1931. Following German press and demands for their extradition, local Liechtenstein Nazis attempted to kidnap the two men and forcefully return them to Nazi Germany in the Rotter kidnapping. However, this scheme failed and as a result of a highly publicized trial it held back the formation of an organized Nazi party in Liechtenstein until 1938. The VDBL itself formed after the Anschluss of Austria in March 1938 under the leadership of Rudolf Schädler, advocating for the integration of Liechtenstein into the Greater German Reich. The organization disseminated its ideology through its newspaper, Der Umbruch. It was then taken over by Theodor Schädler in the same year. Shortly after the Anschluss of Austria, the Volksdeutsche Mittelstelle, in connection with the VBDL planned for the VBDL to be democratically elected into power via funding from Germany, then it would end the customs union with Switzerland and align towards Germany, leading to an eventual annexation of Liechtenstein into Germany. The plans were reportedly supported by Joseph Goebbels. However, it was personally blocked by Adolf Hitler himself on 18 March 1938 as he did not want to complicate relations with Switzerland. ==Coup attempt and party demise==

In the wake of World War II, the governing Progressive Citizens' Party and opposition Patriotic Union formed a coalition, assigning a roughly equal number of seats each, in order to prevent the VDBL from acquiring any seats in the Landtag. In March 1939, the VDBL staged an amateurish coup attempt, first trying to provoke a German intervention by burning swastikas, followed by declaring an Anschluss with Germany. The leaders were almost immediately arrested and the hoped-for German invasion failed to materialise. The party was effectively defunct from this point until 1940. This campaign was signed by 2492 people in Liechtenstein. The inability of the party to participate in the 1939 elections (after a pact between the main parties to keep the election date a secret), combined with the drastic decrease in Nazi sympathies following the outbreak of World War II led to a temporary demise of the party. However, in June 1940 it was reconstituted under the leadership of Alfons Goop. During 1941 and 1942, the party was involved in vehement anti-Semitic agitation, urging a solution to the country's presumed "Jewish Question", accusing Jewish families in Liechtenstein of spying for the Allies. Until 1943, the party attempted to recruit Liechtensteiners into the Waffen-SS and gain public sympathy for the Nazi cause, which infuriated Switzerland. ==References==