Friedrich Naumann: German Nationalist and Liberal
Friedrich Naumann was a German liberal politician and Protestant pastor who lived from 1860 to 1919. He is known as a key figure in German liberalism during the late Kaiserreich.
Naumann advocated for a combination of German nationalism, liberalism, and (non-Marxist) socialism. In 1896, he founded the National-Social Association, which sought to address the social divide between industrialists and the working class through social reforms rather than class struggle.
Naumann was also a strong advocate of an imperialist foreign policy. He laid out Germany's claim to dominate Central Europe in his 1915 Mitteleuropa plan. However, his ideas did not influence the military strategy of World War I.
After the war, Naumann co-founded the German Democratic Party and was elected to the Weimar National Assembly. He is considered one of the "Fathers of the Constitution" of the Weimar Republic. However, his views on German nationalism and liberalism have drawn criticism from historians.
Some historians, such as Götz Aly, argue that Naumann "distorted liberalism beyond recognition" and contributed to the rise of nationalist and anti-democratic thought in Germany. Others, like Jürgen Frölich, view him as a key figure in German liberalism who helped to bring about democratic reforms before the end of the war.