Friedrich Naumann
Friedrich Naumann (25 March 1860 – 24 August 1919) was a German liberal politician and Protestant parish pastor. In 1896, he founded the National-Social Association that sought to combine liberalism, nationalism and (non-Marxist) socialism with Protestant Christian values, proposing social reform to prevent class struggle. He led the party until its merger into the Free-minded Union in 1903. From 1907 to 1912 and again from 1913 to 1918, he was a member of the Reichstag of the German Empire.
Friedrich Naumann | |
|---|---|
| Reichstag | |
| Personal details | |
| Born | 25 March 1860 Störmthal (now part of Großpösna) near Leipzig |
| Died | 24 August 1919 (aged 59) Travemünde |
| Political party | National-Social Association (1896–1903) Freeminded Union (1903–1910) Progressive People's Party (1910–1918) German Democratic Party (1918–1919) |
| Spouse | Maria Magdalena Zimmermann |
| Occupation | Theologian, Politician |
Naumann advocated an imperialist foreign policy, laying out Germany's claim to dominate Central Europe in his 1915 Mitteleuropa plan. After the First World War, he co-founded the German Democratic Party and was elected to the Weimar National Assembly. Naumann is also somewhat controversial for his anti-Armenian statements. The Friedrich Naumann Foundation of the Free Democratic Party is named after him.