The German-Hanoverian Party (, DHP), also known as the Guelph Party (), was a conservative, federalist political party in the German Empire and the Weimar Republic. History The party was founded in 1867 in protest of the annexation of the Kingdom of Hanover by the Kingdom of Prussia in the aftermath of the Austro-Prussian War. They wanted the revival of the Kingdom of Hanover and the restoration of the sequestrated assets of the former ruling House of Welf. The party therefore was also called the Welfen, and drew its strongest support from the rural areas around Hannover. In the Reichstag DHP deputies usually acted as allies of the anti-Prussian Centre Party parliamentary group under Ludwig Windthorst, who although a Catholic and leader of the Centre Party was a former Hanoverian Justice Minister who was loyal to the House of Welf. From 1890 the party was led by Georg von der Decken. After the proclamation of German Empire, the imperial authorities had failed to produce to an integrated society, despite the rapid industrialization that took place during the Wilhelmine era. Occupational, religious and regional identities prevailed over a unitary German one, and "bonds of unity that did exist were provided by the artificial dominance of Prussia". As such, the DHP appealed to the regional pride of the voters, and showed lack of integration of Hannover into Prussia and thus Germany, as the Hanoverian population felt alienated from Berlin. The main voter base of the German-Hanoverian party was former nobility, small businesses, public officials and Lutherans; many groups of the Hanoverian society lost a handful of priveleges upon their annexation to Prussia, and the local industry suffered as the local businesses were forced to compete with Prussian junkers as well. As such, many despised the Hanoverian loss of independence. The party also found support among other groups, such as Roman Catholics, who were persecuted by the now-dominating Prussian authorities. The Catholic population was deeply opposed to the unification of Germany and feared further persecution and identity loss in a Protestant-dominated Germany. The party also enjoyed support of Hanoverian craftsmen and artisans, whose guilds and unions were undermined by the annexation, and of industrial workers, who had to deal with worse conditions as the local industry suffered. The party won 45.2 % of Hanoverian vote in the February 1867 North German federal election, and won 9 seats in the Reichstag. The DHP performed