Heinrich Bruning (1885-1970) was the longest-serving chancellor (1930-32) of the Weimar Republic – somewhat ironically, given that his time in office coincided with the worst of the Great Depression. Bruning was raised Catholic and attended university, before enlisting and serving in World War I. He joined the Centre Party in 1924 and served in both the Reichstag and the Prussian Landtag (state parliament). Bruning’s reputation, deserved or not, was as an astute economic manager. His policies were generally austere, aimed at limiting government spending and preventing inflation. It was for this reason that Hindenburg appointed him chancellor in 1930, as Germany was plunging into depression. Bruning had little support in the Reichstag and most of his policies were implemented by decree from Hindenburg. When the president withdrew his support in 1932, Bruning was forced to resign. He remained in the Reichstag as a vocal critic of the Nazi movement before fleeing Germany in 1934.
Friedrich Ebert (1871-1925) was the first president of the Weimar Republic. Born to a working-class family, Ebert’s youth was spent as a journeyman labourer, during which he developed an affinity for the trade union movement. He joined the SPD and, in 1912, was elected as a member of the Reichstag. Ebert proved himself a social democrat rather than a socialist. In November 1918 Ebert inherited the presidency of the new republic, following the abdication of the Kaiser and the resignation of chancellor Maximillian of Baden. Though Ebert conducted himself well and was widely respected, his presidency divided opinion. He was hated by right-wing nationalists, who thought him weak, as well as many in his own party, who thought him a class traitor. Ebert’s reliance on the army and the Freikorps to protect his own government were especially controversial. These criticisms took a toll on Ebert’s own health and contributed to his premature death in 1925, aged 54.
Wilhelm Groener (1867-1939) was a high-ranking military officer and notable minister in several Weimar governments. Born in southern Germany to a military family, Groener enlisted in the army and received officer training. He rose through the ranks, serving in the Prussian war minister; in the final days of World War I, Groener replaced Ludendorff as Hindenburg’s deputy. Groener retired from the military but during the 1920s was recruited by several Weimar chancellors, serving as minister for the interior, transport and defence. In 1931 Groener, as minister of the interior, banned the NSDAP’s paramilitary branch, the Sturmabteilung (SA) – which made him a target of Nazi vitriol and propaganda. In 1932 Groener was ambushed on the floor of the Reichstag by Hermann Goering and other Nazi hecklers; this incident led to his resignation from the ministry and politics in general.
Paul von Hindenburg (1847-1934) is best remembered as the man who appointed Adolf Hitler as German chancellor. Born to an aristocratic Prussian family, Hindenburg was a career military officer who saw service in mid-19th-century wars against Austria and France. He retired from active service in 1911 but was recalled on the outbreak of World War I. In 1916 Hindenburg replaced von Falkenhayn as chief of staff. Though his military achievements were mixed, Hindenburg enjoyed enormous public popularity. He retired from the army in 1919 but six years later was cajoled into running for the presidency. Hindenburg won comfortably, to nobody’s surprise. Though he was doubtful about Weimar democracy and surrounded himself with a coterie determined to see it fail, Hindenburg pledged to uphold the constitution as best he could. Through his presidency, he craved a chancellor who could lead and unite the nation – but the quagmire of Weimar factionalism made this an impossible task.
Alfred Hugenberg (1865-1951) was a wealthy press baron and nationalist political leader. The son of a Prussian royal official, Hugenberg studied law and economics before joining the civil service. He became involved in politics at an early age, founding two nationalist groups in the 1890s. By the outbreak of World War I Hugenberg had become a director of Krupp Steel, Germany’s largest industrial company. After the war he left Krupp and started his own publishing company, buying up small newspapers and becoming Germany’s dominant press magnate. Hugenberg also joined the German National People’s Party (DNVP) and was elected to the Reichstag in 1920. Under Hugenberg’s influence the DNVP became more radical, calling for the abolition of the Weimar Republic, the restoration of the monarchy, the revival of militarism and the recapture of Germany’s colonial possessions. By 1929 Hugenberg, unable to gain the support of the working classes, had thrown his financial and media weight behind Adolf Hitler. In 1931 Hugenberg’s DNVP aligned itself with the NSDAP, though beneath the surface Hugenberg and Hitler had little genuine trust or admiration for each other. Hugenberg served briefly as a minister in Hitler’s government, before being forced out in mid-1933. Hugenberg’s newspapers were later taken over by the Nazi propaganda corps, while Hugenberg himself was allowed to remain as a member of the Reichstag.
Hugo Preuss or Preuß (1860-1925) was a Jewish-German lawyer, liberal politician and the chief architect of the Weimar constitution. Born in Berlin, the son of a successful printer, Preuss studied law and humanities at university, later entering academia himself. Preuss became involved in local politics and stood unsuccessfully as a Reichstag candidate in 1912. In late 1918 Preuss published several essays on German politics, arguing for liberal reforms and a popularly supported republic. These writings were admired by new president Friedrich Ebert, who appointed Preuss as his first minister for home affairs. Preuss also became a foundation member of the German Democratic Party (DDP), the third largest party in the newly elected National Assembly, and in February 1919 was tasked with overseeing the drafting and development of a new republican constitution. In July 1919 Preuss presented his draft constitution to the Assembly, which made some significant changes and adopted it the following month. Preuss, by now out of the ministry, became involved in Prussian state politics and continued to write on political matters. He died in 1925.
Walther Rathenau (1867-1922) was the Weimar Republic’s foreign minister during the first half of 1922. Rathenau was born in Berlin, the son of a successful Jewish businessman. After attending university he became an engineer and played an important role in improving industrial production during the war. A political liberal, Rathenau became a founding member of the German Democratic Party (DDP). In 1921 the German chancellor Joseph Wirth appointed Rathenau minister of reconstruction. The following year Rathenau was elevated to the foreign ministry, where he negotiated the Treaty of Rapallo with the Soviet Union. This act alone made Rathenau a target for radical nationalist groups like the NSDAP, who condemned him as a Jewish-communist conspirator. In June 1922 Rathenau was shot to death while driving to work in Berlin. His assassins were members of the Freikorps, Organisation Consul (a right-wing terrorist group) and the Protection and Defiance Federation (an anti-Semitic group). Rathenau’s murder was condemned by almost all political parties and for a time served to marginalise nationalist groups like the NSDAP.
Philipp Schiedemann (1865-1939) was an SPD politician, best known for declaring the formation of the Weimar Republic. Born into a working-class family in central Germany, Schiedemann trained as a printer, became involved in labour groups and joined the SPD. By his 30s Schiedemann had moved into journalism, editing several left-wing newspapers. He entered the Reichstag in 1903 and remained there until the end of World War I, serving for a time as vice president and acting chairman of the assembly. Schiedemann was a moderate socialist who calmly opposed the war, calling for a negotiated peace. In October 1918 Schiedemann was appointed to the new cabinet of Prince Max von Baden, making him the first SPD politician to serve as a government minister. On November 9th he angered his fellow politician Friedrich Ebert by delivering a spontaneous speech in Berlin, declaring the birth of a new German republic. In February 1919 Ebert appointed Schiedemann as his first chancellor, however in June Schiedemann resigned rather than oversee the signing of the Treaty of Versailles. He remained in the Reichstag until the rise of Hitler in 1933, after which Schiedemann fled Germany and spent his final years in Denmark.
Gustav Stresemann (1878-1929) was a Weimar politician, Reichstag deputy, German chancellor and foreign minister. Born to a middle-class Berlin family, Stresemann was well educated and became interested in politics from a young age. Though his views were initially liberal, during World War I Stresemann became more nationalist and conservative; he supported the monarchy and the war effort, and back calls for unrestricted submarine warfare. Despite his association with the right-wing, Stresemann was a pragmatist who was prepared to work with his political opposites for the benefit of the country. His short stint as chancellor (1923) was doomed by hyperinflation and the dissolving coalition government, however, it was as foreign minister (1923-29) that Stresemann would make his name. Recognising that Germany could not recover without international support, he worked to restore and rebuild diplomatic ties, renegotiate the reparations debt and secure foreign loans. Stresemann’s premature death in 1929, at age 51, robbed Weimar Germany of its most effective statesman, at a time when he was needed most.
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