Albert Grzesinski
Encyclopedia
Albert Carl Grzesinski was a German SPD
politician and Minister of the Interior
of Prussia
from 1926 to 1930. Grzesinski was born the illegitimate son of a maid in Berlin and grew up with grandparents. Until he assumed the name of his stepfather in 1892, his name was Lehmann.
He became a member of the SPD in 1897. In 1919, he became Under-Secretary of State in the Prussian War Ministry
. He declined the position as Federal Minister of Defense
in 1920. From 1922 to 1924, he was President of the Prussian Police
, and from 1925 to 1926, he was President of the Berlin
Police.
His tenure as Minister of the Interior was marked by his efforts to promote democracy, and by the political violence in Germany at the time, especially the violence committed by the communists and hostility between the communists and the social democrats. In 1929, he banned the Rotfrontkämpferbund
(Red Front Fighter's League) in Prussia.
He resigned on February 28, 1930, for personal reasons. From 1930 to 1932, he was again Police President.
In 1931, as Berlin's Police President, he tried to gag rabble-rouser Hitler, ordering him deported as an undesirable alien, but Chancellor Heinrich Brüning
did not sign the order. He was removed from his position following the 1932 Preußenschlag
(Prussian Coup), when he was succeeded by the former Police President of Essen, Kurt Melcher.
Following the Nazi rise to power, and with his name appearing on the first Ausbürgerungsliste of the German Reich of 1933, revoking his German citizenship and rendering him stateless, he fled to Switzerland
in 1933. He then emigrated to France
, and in 1937, to the United States
. In exile, he was active in anti-Nazi organisations.
Social Democratic Party of Germany
The Social Democratic Party of Germany is a social-democratic political party in Germany...
politician and Minister of the Interior
Federal Ministry of the Interior (Germany)
The Federal Ministry of the Interior is a ministry of the German federal government. Its main office is in Berlin, with a secondary seat in Bonn. The current minister of the interior is Dr...
of Prussia
Prussia
Prussia was a German kingdom and historic state originating out of the Duchy of Prussia and the Margraviate of Brandenburg. For centuries, the House of Hohenzollern ruled Prussia, successfully expanding its size by way of an unusually well-organized and effective army. Prussia shaped the history...
from 1926 to 1930. Grzesinski was born the illegitimate son of a maid in Berlin and grew up with grandparents. Until he assumed the name of his stepfather in 1892, his name was Lehmann.
He became a member of the SPD in 1897. In 1919, he became Under-Secretary of State in the Prussian War Ministry
Prussian Minister of War
The Prussian War Ministry was gradually established between 1808 and 1809 as part of a series of reforms initiated by the Military Reorganization Commission created after the disastrous Treaty of Paris. The War Ministry was to help bring the army under constitutional control, and, along with the...
. He declined the position as Federal Minister of Defense
Defence minister
A defence minister is a person in a cabinet position in charge of a Ministry of Defence, which regulates the armed forces in some sovereign nations...
in 1920. From 1922 to 1924, he was President of the Prussian Police
Prussian Secret Police
The Prussian Secret Police was the state police agency of the German state of Prussia in the 19th century and early 20th century.In 1851 Police Union of German States was set up by the police forces of Austria, Prussia, Bavaria, Saxony, Hanover, Baden, and Württemberg...
, and from 1925 to 1926, he was President of the Berlin
Berlin
Berlin is the capital city of Germany and is one of the 16 states of Germany. With a population of 3.45 million people, Berlin is Germany's largest city. It is the second most populous city proper and the seventh most populous urban area in the European Union...
Police.
His tenure as Minister of the Interior was marked by his efforts to promote democracy, and by the political violence in Germany at the time, especially the violence committed by the communists and hostility between the communists and the social democrats. In 1929, he banned the Rotfrontkämpferbund
Rotfrontkämpferbund
Rotfrontkämpferbund was a paramilitary organization of the Communist Party of Germany created on 18 July 1924 during the Weimar Republic. Its first leader was Ernst Thälmann...
(Red Front Fighter's League) in Prussia.
He resigned on February 28, 1930, for personal reasons. From 1930 to 1932, he was again Police President.
In 1931, as Berlin's Police President, he tried to gag rabble-rouser Hitler, ordering him deported as an undesirable alien, but Chancellor Heinrich Brüning
Heinrich Brüning
Heinrich Brüning was Chancellor of Germany from 1930 to 1932, during the Weimar Republic. He was the longest serving Chancellor of the Weimar Republic, and remains a controversial figure in German politics....
did not sign the order. He was removed from his position following the 1932 Preußenschlag
Preußenschlag
In 1932, the Preußenschlag, or "Prussian coup", was one of the major steps towards the end of the German inter-war democracy, which would later greatly facilitate the "Gleichschaltung" of Germany after Adolf Hitler's rise to power...
(Prussian Coup), when he was succeeded by the former Police President of Essen, Kurt Melcher.
Following the Nazi rise to power, and with his name appearing on the first Ausbürgerungsliste of the German Reich of 1933, revoking his German citizenship and rendering him stateless, he fled to Switzerland
Switzerland
Switzerland name of one of the Swiss cantons. ; ; ; or ), in its full name the Swiss Confederation , is a federal republic consisting of 26 cantons, with Bern as the seat of the federal authorities. The country is situated in Western Europe,Or Central Europe depending on the definition....
in 1933. He then emigrated to France
France
The French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France...
, and in 1937, to the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
. In exile, he was active in anti-Nazi organisations.
Literature
- Albert Grzesinski: Im Kampf um die deutsche Republik. Erinnerungen eines Sozialdemokraten. Herausgegeben von Eberhard KolbEberhard KolbProfessor Eberhard Kolb is one of Germany's foremost authorities on German history of the nineteenth and twentieth centuries.- Biography :...
. München 2001 (Schriftenreihe der Stiftung Reichspräsident-Friedrich-Ebert-Gedenkstätte 9).