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Volk is a German word meaning people or folk. It is commonly used in words such as "Volksmusik" or
"Völkerbund" (League of Nations), or the car manufacturer
Volkswagen (literally, "people's car").
A number of völkisch movements were set up in Germany after
World War I. Combining interest in folklore, ecology, occultism and romanticism with ethnic nationalism, their ideologies were a strong influence on the
Nazi party, which itself was inspired by Adolf Hitler's membership of the Deutsche Arbeiterpartei, one of the völkisch movements.
During the Third Reich, this term and its adjective
"völkisch" became heavily politicised, particular in slogans such as "Volk ohne Raum" - "(a) people without
space" or "Völkischer Beobachter" ("popular observer"), an NSDAP party newspaper. Also the political slogan "Ein Volk, ein Reich, ein
Führer" ("One people, one country, one leader"). Today, the adjective "völkisch" is
not used anymore.
See also:
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