Albrecht von Graefe (politician)
Encyclopedia
Albrecht von Graefe was a German
landowner and right-wing politician active both during the German Empire
and the Weimar Republic
. Although never a member of the Nazi Party he was an early associate of Adolf Hitler
and for a while appeared a credible rival for the leadership of the overall Völkisch movement
.
Karl Ferdinand von Graefe, he enlisted in the German Imperial Army as an officer in 1887. After his military service von Graefe entered politics and served as a deputy in the Reichstag
for the German Conservative Party
from 1912 to 1918.
(DNVP). A close associate of Reinhold Wulle
, von Graefe was on the far right
of the DNVP and as early as 1920 the pair had held negotiations with Adolf Hitler. Between 1919 and 1920 von Graefe personally had come to prominence following the publication of a series of open letters in the German press in which his racialist and anti-Semitic views were attacked by the prominent liberal
Gustav Stresemann
.
In 1922 von Graefe, Wulle and Wilhelm Henning
split from the DNVP to set up their own Völkisch party the German Völkisch Freedom Party
(DVFP). The move came after Henning had written an article about Walther Rathenau
that was so full of vitriol that Chancellor Joseph Wirth
called on his DNVP coalition partners to purge themselves of their extremist members. Despite splitting from the DNVP von Graefe remained a member of the Reichstag and held his seat until 1928.
. However he also took advantage of the aftermath by cultivating an alliance with Erich Ludendorff
and using this in an attempt to take control of the far right for himself. By 1924 von Graefe had entered into negotiations with Gregor Strasser
to absorb the Nazi Party into the DVFP. Although the plan had Ludendorff's backing it was vetoed by Hitler from prison as he had no desire to surrender leadership to von Graefe or anyone else. Nevertheless a formal alliance that stopped just short of merger was agreed and von Graefe was a member of the Reich leadership of the resulting National Socialist Freedom Movement
(NSFB).
However von Graefe was not a skilled leader and he bore the brunt of the failure of NSFB, which captured only 14 seats in the December 1924 election, a sharp decline in support for the far right. The group split in 1925, leading to von Graefe and Wulle reforming the DVFP and the establsihment of a rivalry with the Nazis.
, in an apparent assassination attempt, when a heckler threw an explosive on stage, forcing the abandonment of the rally. In a 1937 meeting of the Reichstag, this attack was claimed —by Nazi party deputy, Adalbert Gimbel —as having been a strike against a potential rival movement. Hitler addressed an open letter to von Graefe in Völkischer Beobachter
on 19th March 1926, in which Hitler warned that "I was once the drummer and will be the same in the future; but I shall drum only for Germany and not for you and your likes, so help me God". He left politics altogether in 1928 and died not long after Hitler came to power.
Germany
Germany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a federal parliamentary republic in Europe. The country consists of 16 states while the capital and largest city is Berlin. Germany covers an area of 357,021 km2 and has a largely temperate seasonal climate...
landowner and right-wing politician active both during the German Empire
German Empire
The German Empire refers to Germany during the "Second Reich" period from the unification of Germany and proclamation of Wilhelm I as German Emperor on 18 January 1871, to 1918, when it became a federal republic after defeat in World War I and the abdication of the Emperor, Wilhelm II.The German...
and the Weimar Republic
Weimar Republic
The Weimar Republic is the name given by historians to the parliamentary republic established in 1919 in Germany to replace the imperial form of government...
. Although never a member of the Nazi Party he was an early associate of Adolf Hitler
Adolf Hitler
Adolf Hitler was an Austrian-born German politician and the leader of the National Socialist German Workers Party , commonly referred to as the Nazi Party). He was Chancellor of Germany from 1933 to 1945, and head of state from 1934 to 1945...
and for a while appeared a credible rival for the leadership of the overall Völkisch movement
Völkisch movement
The volkisch movement is the German interpretation of the populist movement, with a romantic focus on folklore and the "organic"...
.
Early career
The son of the celebrated ophthalmologist Albrecht von Graefe, and thus grandson of the surgeonSurgeon
In medicine, a surgeon is a specialist in surgery. Surgery is a broad category of invasive medical treatment that involves the cutting of a body, whether human or animal, for a specific reason such as the removal of diseased tissue or to repair a tear or breakage...
Karl Ferdinand von Graefe, he enlisted in the German Imperial Army as an officer in 1887. After his military service von Graefe entered politics and served as a deputy in the Reichstag
Reichstag (German Empire)
The Reichstag was the parliament of the North German Confederation , and of the German Reich ....
for the German Conservative Party
German Conservative Party
The German Conservative Party was a right-wing political party of the German Empire, founded in 1876.- Policies :It was generally seen as representing the interests of the German nobility, the East Elbian Junkers and the Evangelical Church of the Prussian Union, and had its political stronghold...
from 1912 to 1918.
Rise to prominence
Von Graefe returned to the Reichstag in 1920 as member of the German National People's PartyGerman National People's Party
The German National People's Party was a national conservative party in Germany during the time of the Weimar Republic. Before the rise of the NSDAP it was the main nationalist party in Weimar Germany composed of nationalists, reactionary monarchists, völkisch, and antisemitic elements, and...
(DNVP). A close associate of Reinhold Wulle
Reinhold Wulle
Reinhold Wulle was a German Völkisch politician and publicist active during the Weimar Republic.-Völkisch politics:...
, von Graefe was on the far right
Far right
Far-right, extreme right, hard right, radical right, and ultra-right are terms used to discuss the qualitative or quantitative position a group or person occupies within right-wing politics. Far-right politics may involve anti-immigration and anti-integration stances towards groups that are...
of the DNVP and as early as 1920 the pair had held negotiations with Adolf Hitler. Between 1919 and 1920 von Graefe personally had come to prominence following the publication of a series of open letters in the German press in which his racialist and anti-Semitic views were attacked by the prominent liberal
Liberalism
Liberalism is the belief in the importance of liberty and equal rights. Liberals espouse a wide array of views depending on their understanding of these principles, but generally, liberals support ideas such as constitutionalism, liberal democracy, free and fair elections, human rights,...
Gustav Stresemann
Gustav Stresemann
was a German politician and statesman who served as Chancellor and Foreign Minister during the Weimar Republic. He was co-laureate of the Nobel Peace Prize in 1926.Stresemann's politics defy easy categorization...
.
In 1922 von Graefe, Wulle and Wilhelm Henning
Wilhelm Henning
Wilhelm Henning was a German military officer and right-wing politician.-Military service:...
split from the DNVP to set up their own Völkisch party the German Völkisch Freedom Party
German Völkisch Freedom Party
The German Völkisch Freedom Party was a right-wing and antisemitic political party of Weimar Germany that took its name from the Völkisch movement, a populist movement focused on folklore and the German Volk....
(DVFP). The move came after Henning had written an article about Walther Rathenau
Walther Rathenau
Walther Rathenau was a German Jewish industrialist, politician, writer, and statesman who served as Foreign Minister of Germany during the Weimar Republic...
that was so full of vitriol that Chancellor Joseph Wirth
Joseph Wirth
Karl Joseph Wirth, known as Joseph Wirth, was a German politician of the Catholic Centre Party who served as Chancellor of Germany from 1921 to 1922.-Biography:...
called on his DNVP coalition partners to purge themselves of their extremist members. Despite splitting from the DNVP von Graefe remained a member of the Reichstag and held his seat until 1928.
Alliance with the Nazis
An early ally and rival to Hitler, he had managed to convince the Nazi Party leader that the two groups should limit themselves to certain spheres of influence, with the DVFP active in north Germany and the Nazis in the south. As a consequence of this alliance von Graefe marched in the front row of the Beer Hall PutschBeer Hall Putsch
The Beer Hall Putsch was a failed attempt at revolution that occurred between the evening of 8 November and the early afternoon of 9 November 1923, when Nazi Party leader Adolf Hitler, Generalquartiermeister Erich Ludendorff, and other heads of the Kampfbund unsuccessfully tried to seize power...
. However he also took advantage of the aftermath by cultivating an alliance with Erich Ludendorff
Erich Ludendorff
Erich Friedrich Wilhelm Ludendorff was a German general, victor of Liège and of the Battle of Tannenberg...
and using this in an attempt to take control of the far right for himself. By 1924 von Graefe had entered into negotiations with Gregor Strasser
Gregor Strasser
Gregor Strasser was a politician of the National Socialist German Workers Party...
to absorb the Nazi Party into the DVFP. Although the plan had Ludendorff's backing it was vetoed by Hitler from prison as he had no desire to surrender leadership to von Graefe or anyone else. Nevertheless a formal alliance that stopped just short of merger was agreed and von Graefe was a member of the Reich leadership of the resulting National Socialist Freedom Movement
National Socialist Freedom Movement
The National Socialist Freedom Movement , or NSFB) or National Socialist Freedom Party was a German political party created in April 1924 in the aftermath of the Munich Putsch. Adolf Hitler and many Nazi Party leaders were jailed after the attempted coup and the Nazi party was outlawed in what...
(NSFB).
However von Graefe was not a skilled leader and he bore the brunt of the failure of NSFB, which captured only 14 seats in the December 1924 election, a sharp decline in support for the far right. The group split in 1925, leading to von Graefe and Wulle reforming the DVFP and the establsihment of a rivalry with the Nazis.
Later years
Not long after the schism, von Graefe was injured at a speaking engagement in FrankfurtFrankfurt
Frankfurt am Main , commonly known simply as Frankfurt, is the largest city in the German state of Hesse and the fifth-largest city in Germany, with a 2010 population of 688,249. The urban area had an estimated population of 2,300,000 in 2010...
, in an apparent assassination attempt, when a heckler threw an explosive on stage, forcing the abandonment of the rally. In a 1937 meeting of the Reichstag, this attack was claimed —by Nazi party deputy, Adalbert Gimbel —as having been a strike against a potential rival movement. Hitler addressed an open letter to von Graefe in Völkischer Beobachter
Völkischer Beobachter
The Völkischer Beobachter was the newspaper of the National Socialist German Workers' Party from 1920. It first appeared weekly, then daily from February 8, 1923...
on 19th March 1926, in which Hitler warned that "I was once the drummer and will be the same in the future; but I shall drum only for Germany and not for you and your likes, so help me God". He left politics altogether in 1928 and died not long after Hitler came to power.