Association of the German Farmers Associations
A former umbrella organization that coordinated predominantly Christian farmers' associations in Germany from 1900 to 1934.
Last updated November 4, 2026
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Overview
The Association of the German Farmers Associations, commonly abbreviated VdB, was an umbrella body for Christian farmers' organizations in Germany. It existed from 1900 until its dissolution under the National Socialist agricultural administration in 1934. The organization initially operated under the name Association of Christian German Farmers Associations, a title it retained from its foundation in 1900 until 1916. From 1931 to 1934 it was known as the Association of German Christian Farmers Associations. The VdB emerged from a network of regional farmers' associations founded mainly during the 1880s and 1890s. These bodies were concentrated in predominantly Catholic areas of western and southern Germany, although the umbrella organization later attracted some Protestant farmers' associations as well. Its founding conference took place in Frankfurt am Main on 24 November 1900, when representatives of farmers' associations from Baden, Bavaria, Alsace, Hesse, Nassau, eastern and western Prussia, the Rhineland, Silesia, Trier and Westphalia created a national coordinating organization. The association primarily represented small and medium-sized farmers. Its social and political environment was shaped by German political Catholicism, Catholic associational life and the cooperative movement. Politically, it was generally connected with the right wing of the Centre Party, while its Bavarian network was closely related to the Bavarian People's Party, which emerged from the Centre Party after the First World War. The VdB was less directly political than the Bavarian People's Party, but it provided an important organizational channel for agricultural interests within the broader Catholic-conservative milieu. The upheaval of 1918 and the creation of the Weimar Republic produced a period of expansion. Many farmers opposed proposals associated with the Independent Social Democratic Party and the Social Democratic Party concerning economic socialization, and they also resisted policies perceived as weakening the role of the churches in education and public life. These concerns helped the Christian farmers' associations recruit members and affiliated organizations. The VdB consequently broadened beyond its original Catholic base and gained some Protestant participation. Reported membership rose from approximately 210,000 in 1900 and 220,000 in 1901 to about 390,000 in 1917 and 450,000 in 1920. The agricultural crisis of the second half of the 1920s exposed deep differences within the organization. Conservative and Protestant members increasingly sought stronger intervention by the Weimar state and closer cooperation with other agricultural organizations, including groups that were more openly right-wing. These disputes produced splits and exclusions. Andreas Hermes, who became president in 1928 after a long career as a Centre Party agriculture and food minister, attempted to contain the internal conflict but could not fully prevent the movement toward a broader right-wing agricultural alliance. In February 1929, the VdB participated in the formation of the Green Front, an alliance that also included many affiliated organizations, the National Agricultural League, the German Agriculture Council and the German Farmers' Party. The Green Front advocated protective and interventionist agricultural policies. The VdB's participation demonstrated both its continuing influence and the increasing difficulty of separating organized Christian farmer representation from the wider conservative and nationalist agricultural movement. Hermes opposed Adolf Hitler's seizure of power in 1933 and was arrested. The association's subsequent leadership was more willing to accommodate the National Socialist state. Richard Walther Darré, the Nazi Reich agriculture leader, dissolved the Association of the German Farmers Associations on 18 January 1934. Its member organizations had already been disbanded or absorbed during the preceding year. The VdB therefore ended not through a voluntary merger or ordinary institutional succession, but as part of the Nazi Gleichschaltung of agricultural representation.
History
The Association of the German Farmers Associations was created on 24 November 1900 at a conference in Frankfurt am Main. Its original name, Association of Christian German Farmers Associations, reflected its roots in the Catholic associational environment and its purpose of linking regional Christian farmers' bodies. These regional organizations had developed in the 1880s and 1890s, especially in western and southern Germany. The national association brought together groups from Baden, Bavaria, Alsace, Hesse, Nassau, eastern and western Prussia, the Rhineland, Silesia, Trier and Westphalia. The VdB mainly represented small and medium-sized farmers. It was connected to the political Catholic milieu and generally associated with the right wing of the Centre Party. It also maintained close ties to the cooperative movement, which provided an important institutional and economic framework for rural communities. In Bavaria, it functioned as a sister organization to the Bavarian People's Party, established in 1919 as a regional offshoot of the Centre Party, although the VdB itself was less directly political. The end of the German Empire and the revolutionary changes of 1918 created opportunities for expansion. Farmers were concerned about socialist proposals for economic socialization and about the possible separation of church influence from education and cultural policy. These concerns helped the Christian farmers' organizations attract additional members and new regional affiliates. The association also expanded its appeal beyond its primarily Catholic origins by recruiting some Protestant farmers' associations. Its reported membership increased from roughly 210,000 in 1900 to 220,000 in 1901, 390,000 in 1917 and 450,000 in 1920. During the agricultural crisis of the later 1920s, disagreements over strategy became increasingly serious. Conservative and Protestant members called for a stronger state response to the agricultural depression and for cooperation with other farmers' organizations. Some of the potential partners were considerably more right-wing than the VdB's traditional Centre-linked network. The resulting disputes caused internal splits and exclusions. Andreas Hermes, a former Centre Party agriculture and food minister who became president in 1928, tried to restrain the movement toward an expansive right-wing agricultural alignment, but only partly succeeded. In February 1929, the VdB participated in establishing the Green Front. The alliance included many VdB affiliates as well as the National Agricultural League, the German Agriculture Council and the German Farmers' Party. It pressed for protective agricultural policies and reflected the growing coordination of conservative and nationalist agrarian interests during the Weimar crisis. The association's final period was shaped by the Nazi seizure of power. Hermes resisted Hitler's attempt to establish a dictatorship and was arrested in 1933. His successor was more prepared to cooperate with the National Socialist state. The Nazi agricultural leader Richard Walther Darré dissolved the VdB on 18 January 1934. Its constituent associations had already been disbanded during the previous year. The dissolution formed part of the broader restructuring and political control of German agricultural organizations under National Socialism.
- 1934
Dissolution
[1]Richard Walther Darré dissolved the association on 18 January 1934 as part of the Nazi reorganization of agricultural representation.
- 1931
Second name change
[1]The organization began using the name Association of German Christian Farmers Associations.
- 1929
Green Front formed
[1]The association joined a broad agrarian alliance advocating protective agricultural policies.
- 1928
Andreas Hermes became president
[1]Former Centre Party agriculture and food minister Andreas Hermes assumed the presidency during the agricultural crisis.
- 1919
Bavarian People's Party established as a related organization
[1]The Bavarian People's Party emerged from the Centre Party's regional political network and became closely associated with the VdB's Bavarian environment.
- 1916
First name change
[1]The organization adopted the shorter name Association of the German Farmers Associations after operating as the Association of Christian German Farmers Associations.
- 1900
Foundation in Frankfurt am Main
[1]Regional Christian farmers' associations founded the national umbrella organization on 24 November 1900.
Products and positioning
A national coordinating and representative organization for predominantly Christian, small and medium-sized farmers' associations, closely linked to Catholic social organization, agricultural cooperatives and the Centre Party's conservative wing.
Brand decisions
1934
Dissolution by the Nazi agricultural administrationOtherBackground
After the Nazi seizure of power, independent agricultural associations were subjected to political consolidation and institutional control.
Action taken
Reich agricultural leader Richard Walther Darré dissolved the Association of the German Farmers Associations on 18 January 1934.
Aftermath
The VdB ceased to exist, following the earlier disbandment of its member associations.
1929
Participate in the Green FrontStrategyBackground
The agricultural crisis intensified pressure for cooperation among farmers' organizations and encouraged more interventionist and protectionist policy demands.
Action taken
The VdB joined the Green Front alongside other agrarian organizations and political groups.
Aftermath
The move broadened agricultural coordination but also reflected the association's increasing proximity to conservative and nationalist agrarian politics.
1900
Create a national Christian farmers' federationStrategyBackground
Regional Christian farmers' associations needed a common national structure for coordination and representation.
Action taken
Delegates established the Association of Christian German Farmers Associations at the Frankfurt conference of 24 November 1900.
Aftermath
The new umbrella body connected regional organizations across much of western and southern Germany and later expanded its Protestant participation.
Sources1 sources
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