Eduard Pant
Encyclopedia
Eduard Pant was a journalist and politician of the Catholic German minority in the Silesian Voivodeship of Poland
in the interwar period
. He was Deputy Speaker of the Silesian Parliament
from 1922 to 1935 and a Senator
of the Second Polish Republic
from 1928 to 1935.
Eduard Pant came from a working-class Catholic family, but went on to study Classical philology
, German
and Philosophy
at the University of Prague
, where he earned a doctorate in 1911. He worked as a teacher in German-language schools in Austria (Prague
, Linz
and Vienna
). In 1914, he returned to Silesia, where he worked at a school in Bielitz
before he was conscripted into the Austro-Hungarian Army during the First World War. After the area became part of Poland, he became a Polish citizen in 1920. He was the editor of the German-language newspaper Oberschlesischer Kurier from 1926 to 1930. He was elected President of the Deutsche Katholische Volkspartei in 1927, succeeding the deceased Thomas Szczeponik
, and was also President of the Association of German Catholics in Poland.
During the 1930s, Pant was an outspoken opponent of the National Socialists and a proponent of cooperation between Germans and Poles. He also founded the conservative Catholic and outspokenly anti-Nazi newspaper Der Deutsche in Polen (1934–1939).
Herbert Czaja
, who later became a politician in West Germany
and President of the Federation of Expellees
, was a member of Pant's party in the 1930s.
Poland
Poland , officially the Republic of Poland , is a country in Central Europe bordered by Germany to the west; the Czech Republic and Slovakia to the south; Ukraine, Belarus and Lithuania to the east; and the Baltic Sea and Kaliningrad Oblast, a Russian exclave, to the north...
in the interwar period
Interwar period
Interwar period can refer to any period between two wars. The Interbellum is understood to be the period between the end of the Great War or First World War and the beginning of the Second World War in Europe....
. He was Deputy Speaker of the Silesian Parliament
Silesian Parliament
Silesian Parliament or Silesian Sejm was the governing body of the Silesian Voivodeship , an autonomous voivodeship of the Second Polish Republic between 1920 and 1945. It was elected in democratic elections and had certain influence over the usage of taxes collected in Silesia...
from 1922 to 1935 and a Senator
Senate of Poland
The Senate is the upper house of the Polish parliament, the lower house being the 'Sejm'. The history of the Polish Senate is rich in tradition and stretches back over 500 years, it was one of the first constituent bodies of a bicameral parliament in Europe and existed without hiatus until the...
of the Second Polish Republic
Second Polish Republic
The Second Polish Republic, Second Commonwealth of Poland or interwar Poland refers to Poland between the two world wars; a period in Polish history in which Poland was restored as an independent state. Officially known as the Republic of Poland or the Commonwealth of Poland , the Polish state was...
from 1928 to 1935.
Eduard Pant came from a working-class Catholic family, but went on to study Classical philology
Classical philology
Classical philology is the study of ancient Greek and classical Latin. Classical philology has been defined as "the careful study of the literary and philosophical texts of the ancient Greek and Roman worlds." Greek and Latin literature and civilization have traditionally been considered...
, German
German studies
German studies is the field of humanities that researches, documents, and disseminates German language and literature in both its historic and present forms. Academic departments of German studies often include classes on German culture, German history, and German politics in addition to the...
and Philosophy
Philosophy
Philosophy is the study of general and fundamental problems, such as those connected with existence, knowledge, values, reason, mind, and language. Philosophy is distinguished from other ways of addressing such problems by its critical, generally systematic approach and its reliance on rational...
at the University of Prague
University of Prague
Prague UniversitiesSocial Science:*Charles University in PragueEconomic University:*University of Economics, Prague*The University of Finance and AdministrationTechnical University:*Czech Technical University in Prague...
, where he earned a doctorate in 1911. He worked as a teacher in German-language schools in Austria (Prague
Prague
Prague is the capital and largest city of the Czech Republic. Situated in the north-west of the country on the Vltava river, the city is home to about 1.3 million people, while its metropolitan area is estimated to have a population of over 2.3 million...
, Linz
Linz
Linz is the third-largest city of Austria and capital of the state of Upper Austria . It is located in the north centre of Austria, approximately south of the Czech border, on both sides of the river Danube. The population of the city is , and that of the Greater Linz conurbation is about...
and Vienna
Vienna
Vienna is the capital and largest city of the Republic of Austria and one of the nine states of Austria. Vienna is Austria's primary city, with a population of about 1.723 million , and is by far the largest city in Austria, as well as its cultural, economic, and political centre...
). In 1914, he returned to Silesia, where he worked at a school in Bielitz
Bielsko
Bielsko was until 1950 an independent town situated in Cieszyn Silesia, Poland. In 1951 it was joined with Biała Krakowska to form the new town of Bielsko-Biała. Bielsko constitutes the western part of that town....
before he was conscripted into the Austro-Hungarian Army during the First World War. After the area became part of Poland, he became a Polish citizen in 1920. He was the editor of the German-language newspaper Oberschlesischer Kurier from 1926 to 1930. He was elected President of the Deutsche Katholische Volkspartei in 1927, succeeding the deceased Thomas Szczeponik
Thomas Szczeponik
Thomas Szczeponik was a German-Polish Catholic politician....
, and was also President of the Association of German Catholics in Poland.
During the 1930s, Pant was an outspoken opponent of the National Socialists and a proponent of cooperation between Germans and Poles. He also founded the conservative Catholic and outspokenly anti-Nazi newspaper Der Deutsche in Polen (1934–1939).
Herbert Czaja
Herbert Czaja
Dr. Herbert Czaja was a German Christian Democratic politician and advocate for Germans expelled after World War II...
, who later became a politician in West Germany
West Germany
West Germany is the common English, but not official, name for the Federal Republic of Germany or FRG in the period between its creation in May 1949 to German reunification on 3 October 1990....
and President of the Federation of Expellees
Federation of Expellees
The Federation of Expellees or Bund der Vertriebenen is a non-profit organization formed to represent the interests of Germans who either fled their homes in parts of Central and Eastern Europe, or were expelled following World War II....
, was a member of Pant's party in the 1930s.
Literature
- Pia Nordblom: Eduard Pant (1887-1938), in: Schlesische Lebensbilder, Neunter Band, hrsg. v. Joachim Bahlcke, Insingen 2007, S. 361-372.
- Pia Nordblom: Mniejszość w mniejszości – Eduard Pant i jego koło. Studia Śląskie, Tom LXII (2003), S. 227–254.
- Pia Nordblom: Für Glaube und Volkstum. Die katholische Wochenzeitung „Der Deutsche in Polen“ (1934–1939) in der Auseinandersetzung mit dem Nationalsozialismus. Paderborn, München, Wien 2000 (Veröffentlichungen der Kommission für Zeitgeschichte: Reihe B, Forschungen; Bd. 87)
- Pia Nordblom: Dr. Eduard Pant. Biographie eines katholischen Minderheitenpolitikers in der Woiwodschaft Schlesien (bis zum Jahr 1932). In: Oberschlesisches Jahrbuch, Heidelberg, 3 (1987), S. 112–146 [Vgl. hierzu Redaktionelle Bemerkung (Nachtrag zu Bd. 3), in: Oberschlesisches Jahrbuch 4 (1988), S. 222].