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Wikipedia's first sentence called it "german interpretation of the populist movement". Today it says "pan-german ethno-nationalist movement active from the late 19th century through the dissolution of nazi germany". Sections present on October 6, 2023 no longer exist: "Modern usage in Heathenry". We saved the article's opening at 6 moments between 2005 and 2025, and every claim links the exact revision.

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The opening as it read in 2005

The hard-to-translate word ' völkisch' has connotations of "folksy," "folkloric," and " populist ." It comes from the German word Volk , meaning "people, nation." Essentially, the völkisch movement is the German interpretation of the Populist movement, with a romantic focus on folklore and the "organic." The völkisch movement had its origins in Romantic nationalism , as it was expressed by early Romantics such as Johann Gottlieb Fichte in his Addresses to the German nation published during the Napoleonic Wars, from 1808 onwards, especially the eighth address, "“What is a Volk , in the higher sense of the term, and what is love of the fatherland?”, where he answered his question, as to what could warrant the noble individual's striving "and his belief in the eternity and the immortality of his work," that it could only be that "particular spiritual nature of the human environment out of which he himself, with all of his thought and action... has arisen, namely the people from which he is descended and among which he has been formed and grown into that which he is" [1] . The movement combined sentimental patriotic interest in German folklore , local history and a "back-to-the-land," anti-urban Populism with many parallels in the writings of the Vanderbilt Agrarians and also William Morris . The dream was for a self-sufficient life lived with a mystical relation to the land; it was a reaction to the cultural alienation of the Industrial revolution that has evolved into ecology in its modern sense. In addition, the völkisch movement as it evolved, sometimes combined the arcane and esoteric aspects of folkloric occultism , alongside " racial adoration " and in some circles, a type of anti-Semitism linked to ethnic nationalism . The ideas of völkisch movements also included anti-Marxist, anti-immigration, anti-capitalist, and anti-Parliamentarianism. Their ideologies were influential in the development of Nazism . Indeed, Joseph Goebbels publicly asserted in the 1927 Nuremberg rally that if the Populist ( völkisch ) movement had understood power and how to bring thousands out in the streets, it would have gained political power on 9 November 1918, Armistice Day [2] . A number of the völkisch-Populist movements that had developed during the late 19th century in the German Empire , under the impress of National Romanticism , were reorganized along propagandistic lines after the German defeat in World War I , as the word "people" ( Volk ) became increasingly politicized as a flag for new forms of ethnic nationalism. The secret society called the Teutonic Order or the German Order , representing pathological nationalism in an extreme form, was founded in Berlin in 1912 by Theodor Fritsch , Hermann Pohl , Philipp Stauff as a splinter group formed from the Masonic Germanische Glaubensgemeinschaft ("Community for German Beliefs"), founded in 1907 by Professor Ludwig Fahrenkrog of Bremen. A typical Völkisch organization, it required its candidates to prove that they had no non-Aryan bloodlines and required each to promise to maintain purity of his stock in marriage. Local groups of the sect met to celebrate the summer solstice , an important neopagan festivity in Völkisch circles and later in Nazi Germany, and more regularly to read the Eddas as well as some of the German mystics [3] . Another Völkisch society, the Thule-Gesellschaft ( Thule Society), was founded August 17 , 1918 , by Rudolf von Sebottendorff . Its original name was Studiengruppe für Germanisches Altertum (Study Group for German Antiquity), but it soon started to disseminate anti-republican and anti-Semitic propaganda. The Thule Society was instrumental in the foundation of the Deutsche Arbeiter-Partei (German Workers' Party, or DAP) which later became the NSDAP ( Nazi Party ). It had members from the top echelons of the party, including Rudolf Hess and Alfred Rosenberg , though not Adolf Hitler (he was a visiting brother). Its press organ was the Münchener Beobachter ( Munich Observer ) which later became the Völkischer Beobachter ( People's Observer ). Adolf Hitler wrote in Mein Kampf (My Campaign) "the basic ideas of the National-Socialist movement are populist (völkisch) and the populist (völkisch) ideas are National-Socialist." Another völkisch movement of the same time was the Tatkreis .¹

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The opening as it stood in 2010 17 passages from the previous snapshot no longer appear

The völkisch movement is the German interpretation of the populist movement, with a romantic focus on folklore and the "organic". The term völkisch , meaning " ethnic ", derives from the German word Volk (cognate with the English "folk"), corresponding to " people ", with connotations in German of "people-powered", "folksy" and "folkloric". According to the historian James Webb , the word also has "overtones of 'nation', 'race' and 'tribe,'… " The defining idea the völkisch movement revolved around was the Volkstum (lit. "folkdom", probably more precise in meaning would be "folklore" and "ethnicity"), not to be confused with the Volkssturm . "Populist", or "popular", in this context would be volkstümlich . The völkisch "movement" was not a unified movement but "a cauldron of beliefs, fears and hopes that found expression in various movements and were often articulated in an emotional tone," Petteri Pietikainen observed in tracing völkisch influences on Carl Gustav Jung . The völkisch movement was "arguably the largest group" in the Conservative Revolutionary movement in Germany. However, like conservative-revolutionary and fascist , völkisch is a complex term ( "schillernder Begriff" ). In a narrow definition it can be used to designate only groups that consider human beings essentially preformed by blood, i.e. inherited character.

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The opening as it stood in 2015

The völkisch movement (original name: völkische Bewegung ) is the German interpretation of the populist movement, with a romantic focus on folklore and the "organic", i.e.: a "naturally grown community in unity" (as opposed to a refined and sophisticated society characterised by diverging interests), characterised by the one-body-metaphor ( Volkskörper ) for the entire population. The term völkisch ( ) derives from the German word Volk (cognate with the English "folk"), corresponding to " people ", with connotations in German of "people-powered", "folksy" and "folkloric". According to the historian James Webb , the word also has "overtones of 'nation', 'race' and 'tribe'…" The term völkisch has no direct English translation, but it could be rendered as " ethnonationalistic ", "racial-nationalistic" or "ethno- racialist ". The defining idea that the völkisch movement revolved around was that of a Volkstum (literally "folkdom", with a meaning similar to a combination of the terms "folklore" and "ethnicity"), not to be confused with the Volkssturm . "Populist", or "popular", in this context would be volkstümlich . The völkisch "movement" was not a unified movement but "a cauldron of beliefs, fears and hopes that found expression in various movements and were often articulated in an emotional tone," Petteri Pietikäinen observed in tracing völkisch influences on Carl Gustav Jung . The völkisch movement was "arguably the largest group" in the Conservative Revolutionary movement in Germany. However, like "conservative-revolutionary" or " fascist ", völkisch is a complex term ( "schillernder Begriff" ). In a narrow definition it can be used to designate only groups that consider human beings essentially preformed by blood, i.e. by inherited characteristics.

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The opening as it stood in 2020 8 passages from the previous snapshot no longer appear

German ethnic and nationalist movement The Völkisch movement ( ) was a German ethnic and nationalist movement which was active from the late 19th century through the Nazi era . Erected on the idea of " blood and soil ", inspired by the one-body-metaphor ( Volkskörper ) and the idea of naturally grown communities in unity, it was characterized by organicism , racialism , populism , agrarianism , romantic nationalism and–as a consequence of a growing exclusive and ethnic connotation–by antisemitism from the 1900s onward. The Völkisch movement was not a homogeneous set of beliefs, but rather a "variegated sub-culture" that rose in opposition to the socio-cultural changes of modernity . The "only denominator common" to all Völkisch theorists was the myth of a "national rebirth", inspired by the (reconstructed) traditions of the Ancient Germans . This rebirth would have been achieved by either "Germanizing" Christianity (an Abrahamic , i.e. Semitic religion that spread into Europe from the Near East ) or by rejecting any Christian heritage that existed in Germany in order to revive pre-Christian Germanic paganism . In a narrow definition, the term is used to designate only groups that consider human beings essentially preformed by blood, or by inherited characteristics. Völkischen are often encompassed in a wider Conservative Revolution by scholars, a German national conservative movement that rose in prominence during the Weimar Republic (1918–1933). Holocaust: The Nazi Persecution and Murder of the Jews . [T]he only denominator common to all was the myth of national rebirth. A number of historians have suggested that the leaders of the NSDAP adhered either to paganism or to an “Aryanized” Christian faith. Uwe Puschner has noted that two major “religious concepts and camps” existed in the völkisch movement beginning around 1900. One camp advocated an “Aryanized” German-Christianity, the other a“revival of the pre-Christian religion of the ancient Germans.” Yet Puschner argues, at the same time, that “völkisch schemes of religion” formed a spectrum: from attempts“ to germanize Christianity, to a decisive rejection of Christianity and the creation of new Germanic religions.”" Hans Jürgen Lutzhöft (1971) Der Nordische Gedanke in Deutschland 1920–1940 (Stuttgart. La Révolution conservatrice allemande sous la République de Weimar (in French).

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The opening as it stood on October 6, 2023

German ethnic and nationalist movement "Folkist movement" redirects here. The Völkisch movement ( , ) was a German ethno-nationalist movement active from the late 19th century through to the Nazi era , with remnants in the Federal Republic of Germany afterwards. Erected on the idea of " blood and soil ", inspired by the one-body-metaphor ( Volkskörper , "ethnic body"; literally "body of the people"), and by the idea of naturally grown communities in unity, it was characterized by organicism , racialism , populism , agrarianism , romantic nationalism and – as a consequence of a growing exclusive and ethnic connotation – by antisemitism from the 1900s onward. Völkisch nationalists generally considered the Jews to be an "alien people" who belonged to a different Volk ("race" or "folk") from the Germans. The Völkisch movement was not a homogeneous set of beliefs, but rather a "variegated sub-culture" that rose in opposition to the socio-cultural changes of modernity . The "only denominator common" to all Völkisch theorists was the idea of a national rebirth, inspired by the traditions of the Ancient Germans which had been "reconstructed" on a romantic basis by the adherents of the movement. This rebirth would have been achieved by either "Germanizing" Christianity – an Abrahamic and " Semitic " religion that spread into Europe from the Near East – or by rejecting any Christian heritage that existed in Germany in order to revive pre-Christian Germanic paganism . In a narrow definition, the term is used to designate only groups that consider human beings essentially preformed by blood, or by inherited characteristics. The Völkischen are often encompassed in a wider Conservative Revolution by scholars, a German national conservative movement that rose in prominence during the Weimar Republic (1918–1933). During the period of the Third Reich , Adolf Hitler and the Nazis believed in and enforced a definition of the German Volk which excluded Jews, the Romani people , Jehovah's Witnesses , homosexuals , and other "foreign elements" living in Germany. Their policies led to these "undesirables" being rounded up and murdered in large numbers, in what became known as The Holocaust . Holocaust: The Nazi Persecution and Murder of the Jews . A History of Nazi Germany: 1919–1945 . [T]he only denominator common to all was the myth of national rebirth. A number of historians have suggested that the leaders of the NSDAP adhered either to paganism or to an 'Aryanized' Christian faith. Uwe Puschner has noted that two major “religious concepts and camps” existed in the völkisch movement beginning around 1900. One camp advocated an 'Aryanized' German-Christianity, the other a 'revival of the pre-Christian religion of the ancient Germans.' Yet Puschner argues, at the same time, that 'völkisch schemes of religion' formed a spectrum: from attempts 'to germanize Christianity, to a decisive rejection of Christianity and the creation of new Germanic religions.'" Hans Jürgen Lutzhöft (1971). Der Nordische Gedanke in Deutschland 1920–1940 (Stuttgart. La Révolution conservatrice allemande sous la République de Weimar (in French).

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German ethnic and nationalist movement "Folkist movement" redirects here. Magazine advocating for Volkisch politics (1919) The Völkisch movement ( German : Völkische Bewegung [ˌfœlkɪʃə bəˈveːɡʊŋ] , English: Folkist movement , also called Völkism ) was a Pan-German ethno-nationalist movement active from the late 19th century through the dissolution of the Third Reich in 1945, with remnants in the Federal Republic of Germany afterwards. Erected on the idea of " blood and soil ", inspired by the one-body-metaphor ( Volkskörper , "ethnic body"; literally "body of the people"), and by the idea of naturally grown communities in unity, it was characterized by organicism , racialism , populism , agrarianism , romantic nationalism and – as a consequence of a growing exclusive and ethnic connotation – by antisemitism from the 1900s onward. Völkisch nationalists generally considered the Jews to be an "alien people" who belonged to a different Volk ("race" or "folk") from the Germans. The Völkisch movement was not a homogeneous set of beliefs, but rather a "variegated sub-culture" that rose in opposition to the socio-cultural changes of modernity . The "only denominator common" to all Völkisch theorists was the idea of a national rebirth, inspired by the traditions of the Ancient Germans which had been "reconstructed" on a romantic basis by the adherents of the movement. This proposed rebirth entailed either "Germanizing" Christianity or the comprehensive rejection of Christian heritage in favor of a reconstituted pre-Christian Germanic paganism . In a narrow definition, the term is used to designate only groups that consider human beings essentially preformed by blood, or by inherited characteristics. The Völkischen are often encompassed in a wider Conservative Revolution by scholars, a German national conservative movement that rose in prominence during the Weimar Republic (1918–1933). During the period of the Third Reich , Adolf Hitler and the Nazis believed in and enforced a definition of the German Volk which excluded Jews, the Romani people , Jehovah's Witnesses , homosexuals , and other "foreign elements" living in Germany. Their policies led to these "undesirables" being rounded up and murdered in large numbers, in what became known as the Holocaust . Holocaust: The Nazi Persecution and Murder of the Jews . A History of Nazi Germany: 1919–1945 . [T]he only denominator common to all was the myth of national rebirth. A number of historians have suggested that the leaders of the NSDAP adhered either to paganism or to an 'Aryanized' Christian faith. Uwe Puschner has noted that two major "religious concepts and camps" existed in the völkisch movement beginning around 1900. One camp advocated an 'Aryanized' German-Christianity, the other a 'revival of the pre-Christian religion of the ancient Germans.' Yet Puschner argues, at the same time, that 'völkisch schemes of religion' formed a spectrum: from attempts 'to germanize Christianity, to a decisive rejection of Christianity and the creation of new Germanic religions.'" Hans Jürgen Lutzhöft (1971). Der Nordische Gedanke in Deutschland 1920–1940 (Stuttgart. La Révolution conservatrice allemande sous la République de Weimar (in French).

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Völkisch movement

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