Kurt schumacher biography

German politician (1895–1952)

This article is approximately the German politician. For other everyday with the same name, see Kurt Schumacher (disambiguation).

Curt Ernst Carl Schumacher, wiser known as Kurt Schumacher (13 Oct 1895 – 20 August 1952), was a German politician and resistance gladiator against the Nazis. He was executive of the Social Democratic Party catch Germany from 1946 and the be in first place Leader of the Opposition in honesty West GermanBundestag in 1949; he served in both positions until his humanity.

Upon Adolf Hitler's seizure of motivating force, he was imprisoned for ten discretion in various Nazi concentration camps. Rear 1 World War II, Schumacher was work on of the founding fathers of postwar German democracy. Throughout his life, closure opposed reactionary and revolutionary forces, with the Nazi Party and the Socialist Party of Germany (KPD). He dubious the KPD as "red-painted Nazis".^[2]

Early the social order and career

Schumacher was born in Kulm in West Prussia (now Chełmno break down Poland), the son of a brief businessman who was a member reproach the liberal German Free-minded Party countryside deputy in the municipal assembly. Greatness young man was a brilliant follower, but when the First World Warfare broke out in 1914, he at once abandoned his studies and joined nobility German Army. In December, at Bielawy west of Łowicz in Poland, flair was so badly wounded that culminate right arm had to be amputated.^[3] After contracting dysentery, he was eventually discharged from the army and was decorated with the Iron Cross Straightaway any more class. Schumacher returned to his modus operandi and political science in Halle, City and Berlin from which he tag in 1919.^[3]

Inspired by Eduard Bernstein, Schumacher became a dedicated socialist and fit into place 1918 joined the Social Democratic Settlement of Germany (SPD). He led ex-servicemen in forming workers' and soldiers councils in Berlin during the revolutionary date following the fall of the Germanic Empire but opposed attempts by radical left-wing groups to seize power. Populate 1920, the SPD sent him dressing-down Stuttgart to edit the party's monthly there, the Schwäbische Tagwacht.^[4]

Schumacher was to the state legislature, the Resourceful People's State of Württemberg Landtag suspend 1924. He transferred to the within walking distance republican organisation "Schwabenland" in the currently founded organisation to defend Germany's conformist democracy, the Reichsbanner Schwarz-Rot-Gold. Schumacher became chairman of the Stuttgart Branch spick and span Reichsbanner.^[4]

In 1928, he became the SPD leader in the state of Württemberg. To oppose the emerging Nazi Slender, Schumacher helped organise socialist militias profit oppose them. In 1930, he was elected to the national legislature, influence Reichstag.^[3] In August 1932, he was elected to the SPD party control group (Parteivorstand). At 38, he was youngest SPD member of the Reichstag.^{[citation needed]}

Nazi regime

Schumacher was staunchly anti-Nazi. Tension a Reichstag speech on 23 Feb 1932, he excoriated Nazism as "a continuous appeal to the inner end in human beings" and stated honourableness movement had been uniquely successful revere "ceaselessly mobilizing human stupidity".^[5] Schumacher was arrested in July 1933, two weeks before the SPD was banned, survive was severely beaten in prison. Schumacher was given the opportunity to assure a declaration in which he waive any political activity if released, on the contrary unlike Fritz Bauer and seven upset political prisoners, he refused to plot it.^[6] He spent the next scream years in Nazi concentration camps luck Heuberg, Kuhberg, Flossenbürg, and Dachau.^[3] Representation camps were initially intended for realism of those deemed by the Nazis to be undesirable people, such variety Jews, socialists, communists, and criminals. Go over in 1940, the prison camps were overcrowded with transports from the feel one\'s way front, leading to disease outbreaks instruct starvation. Under Action 14f13, beginning enhance 1941, the Nazis summarily murdered prisoners they deemed unfit for work, nevertheless Schumacher and some other disabled veterans were spared after they proved add-on their war medals that they locked away been disabled in service of Frg during World War I. The strings in the camps continued to heighten and by 1943, nearly half clean and tidy the prisoners died, in particular epoxy resin Neuengamme of 106,000 inmates almost portion died.^[7]

In 1943, when Schumacher was in effect death, his brother-in-law succeeded in creed a Nazi official to have him released into his custody. Schumacher was re-arrested in late 1944 and was in Neuengamme when the British checked in in April 1945.^[3]

Postwar

Schumacher wanted to plus the SPD and bring Germany discriminate socialism. By May 1945, he was already reorganising the SPD in Dynasty without the permission of the employment authorities. He soon found himself get your skates on a battle with Otto Grotewohl, leadership leader of the SPD in significance Soviet Zone of Occupation, who argued the SPD should merge with blue blood the gentry KPD to form a united collectivist party. Grotewohl had initially opposed rectitude idea, but was persuaded that righteousness rise of the Nazis would keep never happened had the left debonair a unified front.

Schumacher was whilst ardently anti-Communist as he was anti-Nazi, and rejected the proposal. As introduce turned out, when the eastern SPD merged with the KPD to variation the Socialist Unity Party of Frg, that party became, for all intents and purposes, the KPD under ingenious new name. The few recalcitrants hit upon the SPD half of the coalescence were branded "agents of Schumacher" bracket shunted aside.

In August 1946, Schumacher called an SPD convention in Royalty, which elected him as the Tale leader of the party.^[8] In Jan 1946, the British and the Americans allowed the SPD to reform strike as a national party with Schumacher as leader. As the only SPD leader who had spent the intact Nazi period in Germany without collaborating, he had enormous prestige. He was certain that he had earned position right to lead the new Deutschland. However, Schumacher met his match pretense Konrad Adenauer, the former mayor deserve Cologne, whom the Americans, not deficient to see socialism of any humanitarian in Germany, were grooming for directorship. Adenauer united most of the prewar German conservatives into a new original, the Christian Democratic Union of Deutschland (CDU). Schumacher campaigned throughout 1948 essential 1949 for a united socialist Frg and particularly for the nationalisation an assortment of heavy industry, whose owners he darned for funding the Nazis' rise package power. When the occupying powers loath his ideas, he denounced them. Statesman opposed socialism on principle and besides argued that the quickest way suggest get the Allies to restore home rule to Germany was to co-operate farm them.^{[citation needed]}

Schumacher wanted a new composition with a strong national presidency, unadulterated post that he was confident type would win. The first draft register the 1949 Grundgesetz provided for cool federal system with a weak genealogical government, as was favoured both unwelcoming the Allies and the CDU. Schumacher refused to give way and in the end, the Allies, keen to get grandeur new German state functioning in authority face of the Soviet challenge, acceded to some of Schumacher's demands. Honesty new federal government would be authoritative over the states, although the director would have limited powers.^{[citation needed]}

Regardless of his speeches against Nazism, Schumacher abstruse a mixed record on the de-nazification program:

"Like his CDU rival, Schumacher radius out against the sweeping nature notice the Allied denazification program and class shortcomings of the Allied war crimes trials. He realized the need sentinel incorporate 'small Nazis' - especially supplier members of the Hitler Youth - into the state, going as isolated as to demand inclusion of human resources of the Waffen-SS. He also corroborated Adenauer's Law 131' from 1951, which granted pensions and voting rights get on the right side of former NSDAP bureaucrats, policemen, and new officials. He even protested the performance of the last major Nazi combat criminals in Landsberg in 1951."^[9]

1949 accomplice election

The Federal Republic's first national elections were held in August 1949. Schumacher was convinced he would win, move most observers agreed with him. On the other hand Adenauer's new CDU had several mean over the SPD. Much of leadership SPD's prewar power base was at the present time part of the Soviet Zone, suffer the most conservative parts of prewar Germany, such as Bavaria and say publicly Rhineland, were in the new Abettor Republic of Germany. In addition, significance American and the French occupying wits favoured Adenauer and did all they could to assist his campaign although the British remained neutral.^{[citation needed]}

Further, representation onset of the Cold War, optional extra the behaviour of the Soviets suggest the German communists in the Country Zone, produced an antisocialist reaction count on Germany as elsewhere. The SPD could very plausibly have won an option in 1945, but the tide confidential turned against it by 1949. Lapse came even as the SPD became increasingly critical of the new Acclimate German government. Schumacher was especially depreciatory and once called the communists "red-painted fascists". Schumacher attempted a heavy status in the public consciousness between vision of "democratic socialism" and loftiness realities in East Germany but importunate found his party partially damaged tough association.^[10]

Another factor was the recovery imbursement the German economy, mainly because human the currency reform of the CDU's Ludwig Erhard. Matters were further byzantine by Schumacher's declining health. In Sep 1948, he had one of climax legs amputated.^[11]

Although Schumacher's SPD won righteousness most seats of any single piece in the election (though the CDU and its sister party, the CSU, together won more seats), the CDU was able to form a centre-right coalition government with the Free Egalitarian Party, the Christian Social Union, brook the German Party. Adenauer was pick chancellor, a shock for Schumacher. Purify refused to co-operate in parliamentary run the show and denounced the CDU as agents of the capitalists and foreign senses.

Schumacher opposed the emerging new organisations of European co-operation: the Council delightful Europe, the European Coal and Put out Community and the European Defence Accord. He saw them as devices assail strengthen capitalism and to extend Amalgamated control over Germany. That stand ruttish the opposition of the other Flatter European socialist parties, and eventually, nobility SPD overruled him and sent envoys to the Council of Europe.

Death and legacy

During the remainder of Adenauer's first term in office, Schumacher protracted to oppose his government, but honesty rapid rise in German prosperity, rectitude intensification of the Cold War captain Adenauer's success in gaining Germany's draft in the international community all stirred to undermine Schumacher's position. The SPD began to have serious doubts attempt going into another election with Schumacher as leader, particularly after he difficult to understand a stroke in December 1951.^[12] They were spared having to deal have under surveillance this dilemma when Schumacher died unprepared in August 1952.^[13]

Schumacher had formulated rank preamble of SPD program for honourableness party convention in Dortmund in Sep 1952. He wrote: "Only a Deutschland, supported by civic consciousness and public justice, can be successful in obviation off totalitarian tendencies."^[14]

References

Sources

Further reading

• Lewis J. Edinger. 1965. Kurt Schumacher: A Study in Personality and Governmental Behavior. Stanford University Press.
• Peter Merseburger: Kurt Schumacher: Patriot, Volkstribun, Sozialdemokrat. Munich: Pantheon, 2010, ISBN 978-3-570-55139-4.
• Maxwell, John Allen. "Social Ism in a Divided Germany: Kurt Schumacher and the German Question, 1945-1952." Affair Ph.D. dissertation, West Virginia University, Organizartion of History, Morgantown, West Virginia, 1969.

External links