Joseph Théodore Bilger (1905–1975) was an Alsatian Catholic agrarian activist and autonomist [1] politician during the late years of the French Third Republic.
Joseph Bilger began his career as a journalist in Alsatian autonomist and clerical media under the Alsatia group.
In 1934, Bilger transitioned the Bauernbund from a professional to a political organisation amidst a crisis affecting small farmers in Alsace and Moselle.
During this time, his movement intensified its opposition to the Popular Front, organizing protests and resisting accusations of fascism or autonomy-seeking.
However, his ties to both the antiparliamentary French right, particularly Henri Dorgeres who appropriated his idea of a greenshirt uniform,[3] and the Nazi German regime became increasingly evident.