Emil Sonderegger (born 28 November 1868 inHerisau – died 15 July 1934) was a Swiss military officer who later became involved in the country'sfar right political scene.
The son of leadingembroidery businessman, Sonderegger initially worked for the export branch of his father's company, travelling extensively and developing strong language skills as a result.[1] Eventually, however, Sonderegger left the family business to follow a career in theSwiss Army, rising to artillery lieutenant by 1888. His military career blossomed and he was commanding a brigade by 1916 and the 4th Division by 1918.[1] Leading his division to suppress thegeneral strike inZurich in November of that year, he gained strong approval fromconservatives who dubbed him the "saviour of the Fatherland".[1] Under the direction ofUlrich Wille, Sonderegger had positioned his troops throughoutZurich in anticipation of demonstrations by communists on November 10 1918 in commemoration of theOctober Revolution. He banned any communist demonstrations and although some defied the ban the small group was quickly routed by Sonderegger's troops after a minor skirmish.[2] Promoted to the Swiss General Staff in 1920 he left the army in 1923 in protest over plans to restructure the country's military.[1]
He went on to work for Schweizerische Industriegesellschaft Neuhausen and an arms manufacturer, as well as conducting a lecture tour ofChina.[1] As an arms trader he co-operated closely withMax Bauer, who secured a number of lucrative contracts for Sonderegger's companies in return for Sonderegger becoming involved in the covert rearmament ofGermany.[3] Turning his business and military mind to politics, he became a strong opponent ofparliamentary democracy, likening it to the chaos of astock exchange when a better system would be thecorporation model of an amalgamatedexecutive andlegislature kept in check byplebiscite.[1] He also supportedenterprise ineconomics, rather thanstate intervention.[1]
He became a keen reader of theSchweizerische Monatshefte and its editorHans Oehler gained something of a coup in 1933 when he convinced the national hero to join theNational Front.[1] Using his military skills, he played a leading role in transforming the front from a discussion group into a force in street politics, although he became disillusioned with the inertia of the Front and in 1933 left the group withErnst Leonhardt to form theVolksbund [de].[1] By February of the following year Sonderegger and Leonhardt had split, with Sonderegger forming his ownVolksfront.[1] He died later that same year, with his group absorbed by theEidgenössische Front [de].[1]
