strongest. Some other individuals formed a new party called Die Rechte (meaning "the Right"). Assessment The party was, from the start, under observation by the German Federal Office for the Protection of the Constitution, who declared the party's policies to be in violation of the German constitution. The DVU was classified as xenophobic, nationalistic, historical revisionist and as a protest party against the alleged failure of the mainstream political parties. DVU candidates in state elections rarely made appearances, remaining in the background. Instead of election rallies, the party invested in posters and flyers, targeting protest voters. Candidates for state elections were hand-picked by Frey after private interviews, and not elected by the party. Because of Frey's authoritarian leadership, the DVU was often dubbed the "Frey Party" and its financial dependence on Frey ensured that independent party activities were impossible. DVU fractions in state parliaments soon fractured because of Frey's overreaching control and the party soon folded after Frey stepped down in 2009. The Irish Times'', after the party's success in the 1998 Saxony-Anhalt state elections, described the DVU as "less a political party than the dangerous plaything of a millionaire", without any real party structure. At the time, Frey's personnel fortune was estimated to be in excess of DM 500 million. References Bibliography Defunct political parties in Germany Far-right political parties in Germany Political parties established in 1971 Political parties disestablished in 2011 Right-wing populism in Germany German nationalist political parties Pan-Germanism 1971 establishments in Germany 2011 disestablishments in Germany Euronat members Right-wing parties in Europe Defunct conservative parties Defunct nationalist parties National conservative parties Right-wing populist parties Conservative parties in Germany