Agricultural League

The National Rural League (German: Landbund) or German Empire Agricultural League was a German agrarian association during the Weimar Republic. It was led by landowners with property east of the Elbe and was allied with the German National People's Party.

The National Rural League (Reichs-Landbund) was established in 1921 by the merger of the two major Protestant right-wing farmers' organizations German Agrarian League (BDL) and German Landbund to more effectively advance agrarian interests to be able to prevail against the resurgent forces of labor and big business. The leadership pursued an anti-democratic, nationalist course with rejection of the Weimar Republic, at the same time under the existing system it attempted to maintain as much influence as possible for the big Junker landowners from east of the Elbe. The large landowners from East of the Elbe were strongly represented in the governing bodies. The Reich Landbund was the most influential German farmers' association during the Weimar Republic. Particular focus of the association were Pomerania, Brandenburg, Silesia, Thuringia, East Hanover and Hesse. It could not gain a foothold with rural society in the rural areas of the Catholic regions of the empire of the Empire. Here, the Association of the German Farmers Associations dominated.

The National Rural League created a strong central organization with connections to numerous newspapers. 1928 were 190 press organs associated with the National Rural League, belonging to it, or belonging to members of the association. In 1924 the league had about 500 district offices. As a result, in the areas were the organization was strong large parts of the agricultural population that were not members of the National Rural League could be greatly influenced by League positions.

Politically the National Rural League was near the German National People's Party (DNVP) because both were opposed to the Republic. In 1924 the party supported this association particularly strongly, but also promoted candidacies of senior members of other right-wing parties, especially the German People's Party (DVP). In the German presidential election, 1925, the National Rural League supported the election of Paul von Hindenburg. In the mid-1920s, leading National Rural League members of the DNVP were represented in the government.

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