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Bavarian nationalism is anationalist political ideology that asserts thatBavarians are anation and promotes the cultural unity of Bavarians.[1] It has been a strong phenomenon sincethe incorporation of theKingdom of Bavaria into theGerman Empire in 1871.[1] Bavarian nationalists find the terms thatBavaria entered into Germany in 1871 to be controversial and claimed that the German government has long intruded on the desired autonomy of Bavaria, and calls have been made for Bavarian independence.[1]
After the defeat of Germany inWorld War I, Bavarian nationalism grew in strength, becoming popular amongst both revolutionary andreactionary political movements.[2] Following the collapse ofAustria-Hungary after World War I, proposals forAustria to join Bavaria were made.[3] At this time the Bavarian government held particular interest in incorporating the regions ofNorth Tyrol andUpper Austria into Bavaria.[4] This was a serious issue in theaftermath of World War I, with significant numbers of Austria's North Tyrolese declaring their intention to have North Tyrol join Bavaria.[5]
The origins of the rise of Bavarian nationalism as a strong political movement were in theAustro-Prussian War and its aftermath.[6] Bavaria was politically and culturally closer toCatholicAustria thanProtestantPrussia, and the Bavarians shared with theAustrians a common contempt towards the Prussians, which led Bavaria to ally with Austria in the war.[6] Austria, Bavaria and their allies were defeated by Prussia and its allies.[6] In the aftermath, Bavaria paid a large indemnity to Prussia and joined the Prussian-foundedGerman Empire in 1871.[6] After unification with Germany in 1871, Bavarian nationalists were adamantly opposed to the Prussian domination of the German state and refused further integration into the German Empire.[6]
Upon Germany's defeat inWorld War I, revolution spread across Germany including Bavaria, with theBavarian monarchy being toppled and the proclamation of Bavaria as an independent communist state (theBavarian Soviet Republic).[6] After the collapse of the Soviet Republic, Bavarian nationalism, associated with anti-Prussian as well asanti-Semitic tendencies, became popular amongst both radical and reactionary movements.[2]
Following the collapse of Austria-Hungary, proposals for Austria to join Bavaria were made.[3] The Bavarian government held particular interest in incorporating the regions ofNorth Tyrol andUpper Austria into Bavaria.[4] Such proposals were taken with interest by significant numbers of North Tyrolese wishing to join Bavaria.[5] The Bavarian government's actions prompted the German government to respond by proposing theAnschluss of Austria into Germany.[4]
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In 1923, the smallNazi Party, in what became known as theBeer Hall Putsch, attempted to take over the Bavarian government as the first step in its planned march on Berlin to overthrow the government of theWeimar Republic. Both attempts failed. Bavarian nationalists and the Nazi Party competed for a support base; however, even by the 1932 election, when the Nazi Party won a major victory, the Nazis had failed to surpass the CatholicBavarian People's Party in southern Bavaria and carried only the Protestant areas ofFranconia.[2]
After the Nazi takeover in Germany, the new government claimed the existence of several Bavarian separatist plots and used these claims to suppress Bavarian opposition, including overthrowing the Bavarian government.[2] Initially, many Bavarians were supportive of Germany's war effort inWorld War II because it had been portrayed as an anti-communist campaign, but Bavarian support for the war rapidly declined as the end of the war neared.[2] Bavarian nationalism re-emerged in the latter part of the war and sought Allied support for the creation of an independent Bavaria.[2] In the end, major autonomy for Bavaria was accepted within a federal Germany.[2]
During the 1950s, the separatistBavaria Party was a significant player in Bavarian state politics, polling from 5% to over 20% in state and federal elections. The Bavaria Party was part of the state's governing coalition underWilhelm Hoegner from 1954 to 1957, along with the Social Democrats and the Free Democratic Party. The party's electoral share fell significantly in subsequent decades. In 2013, the Bavaria Party won 2.1% of the total vote instate elections.[7]
In a 2017 poll byYouGov, 32 percent of Bavarians supported the idea of independence.[8]