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Strasserism
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=== Otto Strasser === {{main|Otto Strasser}} Otto Strasser (1897–1974) like his brother Gregor, served in the German army during the First World War and briefly joined the [[Freikorps]] in the immediate postwar years. However, unlike Gregor, who participated in the right-wing [[Kapp Putsch]] in 1920, Otto opposed the coup and initially sympathized with the [[Social Democratic Party of Germany|Social Democratic Party]], supporting the [[Weimar Republic]] before growing disillusioned with parliamentary politics. Otto Strasser joined the Nazi Party in 1925 and soon developed a vision of National Socialism rooted in [[Distributism|Catholic distributism]] and [[guild socialism]]. He advocated breaking up large corporations, incorporating workers into enterprise structures through non-transferable shares, and preserving regional autonomy through a bottom-up economic and political structure. His rejection of the [[Führerprinzip]] and insistence on breaking up large industries brought him into conflict with the party’s leadership, culminating in his expulsion in 1930. Following his departure, Otto founded the Combat League of Revolutionary National Socialists, better known as the [[Black Front]], a small dissident group formed in opposition to Hitler's leadership. Strasser fled Germany in 1933 to live firstly in [[Czechoslovakia]] and then Canada before returning to West Germany in later life, all the while writing prolifically about Hitler and what he saw as his betrayal of Nazism's ideals. During his exile, Strasser presented himself as a potential leader of a future German revolution and was briefly considered by British and Canadian officials as a possible asset. In 1941, elements of his Black Front contributed to the foundation of the [[Free-Germany Movement]], modeled on [[Free France]] and based largely in Latin America. It called for a democratic constitution, federalism and regional autonomy, peace between democracies and God-fearing policies. The movement was politically broader than his earlier group, uniting Christian, national-conservative, and social democratic exiles whose only shared stance was anti-communism. However, this ideological heterogeneity soon led to fragmentation.<ref>Joseph Strelka (2001). Deutschsprachige Exilliteratur seit 1933: USA. Francke. pp. 519–520. ISBN 978-3-908255-17-8.</ref> Concerns regarding his strong anti-communist stance, unclear political positioning, and limited verifiable influence led Allied officials to view him with caution. He was ultimately not considered a viable political partner by British or American intelligence services.<ref>Keyserlingk, R. H. (1981). Political Warfare Illusions: Otto Strasser and Britain’s World War Two Strategy of national revolts against Hitler. https://dalspace.library.dal.ca/items/616e0dc5-7d8e-470f-bd5d-bdd54f84f84d</ref> Strasser was permitted to return to West Germany in 1955 and settled in Munich. In 1956, he founded the [[German Social Union (West Germany)|German Social Union]] (Deutsch-Soziale Union), a small party aimed at reviving his earlier ideas, but it failed to gain lasting support. He remained politically active as a writer until his death in 1974. In its obituary, The New York Times described Strasser as “Hitler’s [[Leon Trotsky|Trotsky]]”.<ref>{{Cite news |date=1974-08-28 |title=Otto Strasser, 76, Theoretician Who Broke With Hitler, Is Dead |url=https://www.nytimes.com/1974/08/28/archives/otto-strasser-76-theqretician-who-broke-with-hitler-is-dead.html?smid=url-share |access-date=2025-05-24 |work=The New York Times |language=en-US |issn=0362-4331}}</ref>
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