Reinhold Wulle

Reinhold Wulle ( – ) was a German Völkisch politician and journalist active during the Weimar Republic.

Völkisch politics Wulle was born in Falkenberg, Pomerania. He studied theology, German and history and in 1908 embarked on a career as a journalist, becoming especially noted for his antisemitic views. He became editor of the Berlin-based Deutsche Zeitung in 1918 – holding the position until 1920 – and under his stewardship the paper gave support to the Pan-German movement. Wulle became a leading member of the Völkisch wing of the DNVP, and as such was close to the likes of fellow Reichstag members Albrecht von Graefe and Wilhelm Henning.

Henning was excluded from the DNVP in 1922 due to his extreme views and Wulle joined his comrade and von Graefe in setting up a völkisch working group. This formed the basis of the German Völkisch Freedom Party (DVFP), an antisemitic political party which they established on 16 December 1922 with Wulle as deputy chairman. Wulle and his allies were all members of the Reichstag and they were soon joined in leading the party by the likes of Ernst Graf zu Reventlow, Artur Dinter and Theodor Fritsch. During his involvement in the DVFP Wulle was investigated for involvement in a possible coup attempt by the Black Reichswehr, although not much came of it. In the mid-1920s, Wulle would be accused of involvement in feme murders, albeit he was never charged.

Given their far right, antisemitic views the DVFP soon began to co-operate with the Nazi Party, notably during the period in which the latter was officially illegal and Adolf Hitler was imprisoned (although links between Wulle and Hitler actually dated back as far as 1920, when the two held a series of meetings ). On this basis Wulle was re-elected to the Reichstag in the May 1924 election for the National Socialist Freedom Movement although the alliance with the NSDAP was somewhat shaky with Wulle criticising the Socialist 'class war' mentality that was still rife in many sections of the Nazi Party at that time in party documents. With personality clashes also an issue, Wulle joined Reventlow, Graefe and Fritsch in splitting away to form their own Deutschvölkische Freiheitsbewegung in 1925 with the DVFP re-established soon afterwards. Wulle remained DVFP leader until 1933.

Under the Nazis Following the establishment of Nazi Germany in 1933 Wulle, who had become a staunch monarchist, welcomed the leadership of Hitler as part of a transition period towards a re-establishment of the Prussian monarchy in his newsletter, which he continued to publish. He quickly became disillusioned with Hitler however, decrying what he saw as Hitler's immorality and dismissing him as "a Bavarian cross-breed between Mussolini and Louis XIV". His two initiatives, the Gesellschaft Deutsche Freiheit and the Informationsbriefe, were banned whilst he was also expelled from the Reichsschrifttumskammer. Initially held in prison in Berlin he was taken into 'protective custody' in Sachsenhausen concentration camp in 1940, although he was a somewhat co-operative prisoner and enjoyed a comparatively easy time as a result, including being allowed to receive cigars from Prince Wilhelm of Prussia. His release was eventually secured by Wilhelm Frick, a Völkisch enthusiast and former National Socialist Freedom Movement colleague. The party merged into the Deutsche Konservative Partei in 1946.

He died in Gronau, North Rhine-Westphalia.