German National Association of Commercial Employees

The German National Retail Clerks Association ( DHV) was a nationalist and anti-Semitic employees union, which existed from 1893 to 1933.

Foundation and History to 1918

1893 was constituted in Hamburg the " German clerks association " as sized advocacy organization clerk. The foundation was done on the initiative of Protestant youth clubs, court preacher Adolf Stoecker the followers of the Christian Social Movement, and his were. To January 1, 1896 then was renamed the " German National Retail Clerks Association ", which made ​​clear the affiliation of the DHV for nationalist and anti-Semitic movement and externally. The association described himself as " born of the anti-Semitism out ". So he took no Jews as members. Women was also denied membership. The increasing in the imperial period employment of women in white-collar occupations was referred to as " dirt competition " and perceived as a threat. The DHV supported anti-feminist associations such as the German Confederation against the emancipation of women. Politically, the DHV positioned against the then dominant liberal staff associations ( such as the 58er Club and the Leipzig Association ), the " anti-national ", referred to as Social Democracy and the "Jewish" called big business.

In addition to this political activity, the association continued for comprehensive social policy measures. So he founded, including private health insurance. Efforts to enforce Sunday rest, a general improvement of insurance for merchants as well as the apprentice protection measures for the DHV especially during and after the First World War, at least as high priority as the anti-Semitic agitation. Particularly successful, the association proved by his extensive journalism and nationwide organization with local chapters throughout the German Reich and abroad.

After the turn of the century the DHV, who owned a private association house at Hamburg Holsten Wall was, as far as gaining strength that he was able to support anti-Semitic parties and other associations of staff and resources. 1905, the DHV had grown to 75,000 members for the numerically largest employees union, 1913, he counted nearly 150,000 members.

Since 1903, the Association established a Austrian section of the union, which had its seat in Vienna. This had about 10,000 members in 1913.

History since 1918

1919 involved the DHV at the Berlin workers strikes and joined with several smaller organizations to the overall German Association of Professional Employees ( Gedag ) together, which in turn leaned on the majority based on Catholic social teaching Christian trade unions. The merged in Gedag associations grew to 1930 on 592,000 members, representing about 40 % of the organized employees. In Gedag DHV played the leading role. Since 1926, the Gedag was the strongest and most influential association of employees in the Weimar Republic.

Politically, the DHV refused at first primarily to the DNVP, to a lesser extent on DVP, center, DDP or nationalist splinter groups. After 1930, the Association arranged increasingly with the new power factor of the NSDAP. 1933 could be the DHV gleichschalten. On the one hand played pressure by the Nazi Party and the hope of the DHV leadership to secure by adjusting the existence of the DHV in the Nazi state, a role. On the other hand, the DHV now identified with the Nazi party as part of a common nationalist movement. So the deputy chief Hermann Association Miltzow wrote in March 1933, ' Trade Watch ': "We have not learned differently in 1919 and therefore do not need to relearn 1933. [ ... ] For us, the colors black, white and red and the swastika, the symbols of the ethnic - national ideals of our movement were. " Shortly afterwards, the DHV was dissolved in the German Labor Front.

After 1945, some of the former members of the German DHV employees ' union (DAG ) joined, others founded in 1950 the Germans Handlungsgehilfenverband, which in 1956 changed its name in German trade and industry staff association.

Issued magazines

• German trade Wacht monthly magazine of the German Reich DHV.
• Social Handelsrundschau, 1915 renamed " Ostmark Handelsrundschau ". Standalone organ of Austrian offshoot of the DHV
• Sheets for young merchants. Organ of the DHV - youth organization.
• Yearbook of German national clerks. From 1900
• The Ethnicity: Monthly Journal of the German intellectual life, 1917 - 1938 published among others in the Hanseatic Hamburg publishing house.
• The New Literature. Editor in Chief Will Vesper

Publishers of the DHV

• Hanseatic Publishing Company. 1935 transferred to the DAF.
• Georg Müller Verlag ( 1928 ), Langen Müller Verlag since 1932.