The German People's Group in Czecho-Slovakia (German: Deutsche Volksgruppe in der Tschecho-Slowakei, abbreviated DVG) was a German minority political party in the Second Czechoslovak Republic from October 30, 1938 to March 1939.
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Formation
The Sudeten German Party (SdP) was banned by the Czechoslovak government on September 15, 1938, in the midst of the Sudeten crisis. In areas that had remained in Czechoslovakia after the German annexation of Sudetenland its followers re-grouped as DVG. The party had a National Socialist profile and represented German state interests towards Czechoslovakia.
In Slovakia, the movement had constituted itself as the German Party (Deutsche Partei) on October 8, 1938. DVG was launched on October 30, 1938. In Carpatho-Ukraine the movement worked under the name German People's Council (Deutsche Volksrat). Ernst Kundt was the leader of the party and in-charge (Volksgruppeführer) in Bohemia and Moravia, Franz Karmasin the leader of the German Party in Slovakia and Anton Ernst Oldofredi the leader of the German People's Council in Carpatho-Ukraine.
Press
In Brno the party published Tagesboten, which was renamed as Volksdeutsche Zeitung in February 1939. Volksdeutsche Zeitung was published from Prague and Brno.
National Assembly
After the annexation of Sudetenland, six of the SdP/KdP members of the Chamber of Deputies and four of its Senators had remained in Czechoslovakia. One of them, deputy Gustav Peters, resigned from his seat on November 5, 1938. On November 7, 1938 the remaining five deputies formed the Club of German National Socialist Deputies as their new parliamentary faction. The Club was chaired by Kundt. The four other members were Karmasin, Robert Mayr-Harting, Hans Lokscha and Stanislav Králíček. On the same day the four Senators formed the Club of German National Socialist Senators, chaired by Dr. Karl Hilgenreiner. The three other Senators were Kurt Brass, Sigmund Keil and Emil Schrammel.
In Slovakia
On December 18, 1938 the German Party got two deputies elected to the parliament of Slovakia on the Slovak unity list; Karmasin and Josef Steinhübl. The party published Grenzbote and Deutschen Stimmen from Bratislava. The German Party in Slovakia continued to exist until 1945.
In Carpatho-Ukraine
The German People's Council functioned as the National Socialist unity party amongst the German minority in the Carpatho-Ukraine 1938–1939. In the elections to the Soim (parliament of Carpatho-Ukraine) held on February 12, 1939 the party was able to get Oldofredi elected as its candidate on the unity list of Ukrainian National Union (UNO).