Czech National Social Party Česká strana národně sociální | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Abbreviation | ČSNS |
| Leader | Vladislav Svoboda |
| Founded | 4 April 1897 |
| Split from | Social Democratic Party and Young Czech Party |
| Headquarters | Legerova 22, Prague |
| Newspaper | Český deník Česká demokracie České slovo Svobodné slovo |
| Ideology | Czech nationalism[1] Social liberalism Reformism Euroscepticism Historical: Democratic socialism[1] Czechoslovakism Liberal socialism Reformist socialism |
| Political position | Centre Historical: Centre-left |
| National affiliation | Stačilo! National Front (1945–1989) |
| International affiliation | International Entente of Radical and Similar Democratic Parties (1929–1936) |
| Colours | White, Red, Blue, Gold |
| Chamber of Deputies | 0 / 200 |
| Senate | 0 / 81 |
| European Parliament | 0 / 21 |
| Regional councils | 2 / 675 |
| Local councils | 9 / 62,300 |
| Party flag | |
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| Website | |
| www.csns.cz | |
Czech National Social Party (Czech: Česká strana národně sociální, ČSNS) is a civic nationalist political party in the Czech Republic, that played an important role in Czechoslovakia during the interwar period. It was established in 1897 by break-away groups from both the national liberal Young Czech Party and the Czech Social Democratic Party, with a stress on achieving independence of the Czech lands from Austria-Hungary (as opposed to the Social Democrats' aim for an international workers' revolution). Its variant of socialism was moderate and reformist rather than a Marxist one. After the National Labour Party dissolved and merged with National Socialists in 1930, the party also became the refuge for Czech liberals.[2] Its best-known member was Edvard Beneš, a co-founder of Czechoslovakia and the country's second President during the 1930s and 1940s.[3]
Despite the similar name, the Czech "National Socialists" were not affiliated with Nazism or the German Nazi Party. While the early ČSNS made use of antisemitic rhetoric, the party completely abandoned such positions after the First World War, when it renamed to Czechoslovak (National) Socialist Party.[4] Instead, party representatives in the majority supported Zionism and highly supported German Jewish refugees in the 1930s.[5] The party liquidated itself after the Munich Agreement of 1938. During the German occupation of Czechoslovakia, the Nazis persecuted (former) party members, who in turn offered resistance against the occupying forces or worked in exile.
After the Second World War, the party was revived and became the second strongest party, behind the Communists. After the latter took power in the 1948 coup d'état, the ČSS's role was reduced to a bloc party. Anti-communist members were persecuted again, forced to exile, or even executed like Milada Horáková. After the Velvet Revolution of 1989, the party failed to regain its importance. Since the 1990s, several splinter parties claim to continue the ČSNS's tradition.
- ^ a b Vejvodová, Petra (2014). Transnational Forms of Contemporary Neo-Nazi Activity in Europe from the Perspective of Czech Neo-Nazis. Vol. 58. Masaryk University. p. 44. ISBN 9788021077959. Retrieved 11 July 2020.
- ^ Havránek, Jan (1995). Český liberalismus: texty a osobnosti. Torst. p. 277.
- ^ "Osobnost ČSNS: Edvard Beneš". www.csns.cz (in Czech). 29 March 2010. Archived from the original on 14 October 2017. Retrieved 16 April 2017.
- ^ Detlef Brandes (1979). Karl Bosl (ed.). Die Tschechoslowakischen National-Sozialisten. pp. 149–150.
{{cite book}}:|work=ignored (help) - ^ Lichtenstein, Tatjana (2016). Zionists in Interwar Czechoslovakia: Minority Nationalism and the Politics of Belonging. Bloomington: Indiana University Press. p. 324. ISBN 978-0-253-01872-4.