Franz Seldte
Encyclopedia
Franz Seldte was cofounder of the German Stahlhelm
paramilitary organization, a Nazi politician, and Minister for Labour of the German Reich from 1933 to 1945.
in the Prussian
province of Saxony
, Seldte was the son of an owner of a factory producing chemical products and soda water. He attended the Wilhelm-Raabe-Gymnasium
in Magdeburg and, after an apprenticeship as a salesman, he studied chemistry at the universities of Braunschweig and Greifswald. In 1908 he took over the business of his early deceased father.
As an officer of the German Army
he was wounded in World War I
and lost his left arm. He then became a front reporter. Awarded with the Iron Cross
2nd and 1st class, he also was promoted to the rank of a Hauptmann
(captain) in the 7th Reserve Division
.
As a reaction to the German Revolution of 1918–1919, Seldte founded the Stahlhelm organization of World War I veterans on 25 December 1918, agitating against the Treaty of Versailles
and German war reparations
. He took over the leadership, however, from 1923 onwards he had to cope with the constant rivalry of his deputy leader, the militant Theodor Duesterberg
.
Seldte became a member of the national liberal German People's Party
and was a member of the Magdeburg city council (Stadtrat).
During the years of the Weimar Republic
the Stahlhelm became increasingly anti-democratic and anti-republican. However, Seldte hoped that the organization could become a leading organ of a united right-wing movement. In 1931, he, together with Alfred Hugenberg
and Adolf Hitler
, helped create the short-lived Harzburg Front
, an alliance against the government of Chancellor Heinrich Brüning
.
Seldte had intended to lead the Nazis into a government led by him, but had to realize that Hitler would not come into this picture. On the day of the Machtergreifung
on 30 January 1933, Seldte joined the Cabinet Hitler as Reich Minister for Labour, once again outdoing his long-time rival Duesterberg. In the run-up to the elections of March 1933 the Stahlhelm together with Hugenberg's national conservative German National People's Party
(DNVP) attempted to make the Kampffront Schwarz-Weiß-Rot ("Black White Red
Combat Front") into the dominant political camp on the right, but ultimately failed as it only gained 8.0 % of the votes cast. Nevertheless Seldte obtained a seat in the Reichstag
parliament as a DNVP "guest".
On 27 April 1933 Seldte finally joined the Nazi Party and integrated the Stahlhelm members into Ernst Röhm
's Sturmabteilung
(SA) militia. In August 1933, he was awarded the rank of SA-Obergruppenführer
and later was appointed Reichskommissar
for the Freiwilliger Arbeitsdienst employment program, but was soon superseded by his state secretary Konstantin Hierl
as leader of the Reichsarbeitsdienst
organization. In March 1934 Seldte was made the leader of the German League of Front Fighters, a successor organization of the Stahlhem, which however was soon disbanded. In 1935 he requested to be released from official responsibilities, but Hitler refused. Seldte, without substantial power, remained Reich Minister for Labour until the end of World War II
and was also a member of the Prussian government under Minister President Hermann Göring
as State Labour Minister.
Seldte was captured and arrested in Mondorf-les-Bains
at the end of the war and died in a US military hospital at Fürth
, before being arraigned on charges.
During the time of Nazi Germany
, streets were named after him in several German cities, among them his hometown Magdeburg and Leverkusen
.
Stahlhelm, Bund der Frontsoldaten
The Stahlhelm, Bund der Frontsoldaten also known in short form as Der Stahlhelm was one of the many paramilitary organizations that arose after the defeat of World War I in the Weimar Republic...
paramilitary organization, a Nazi politician, and Minister for Labour of the German Reich from 1933 to 1945.
Life
Born in MagdeburgMagdeburg
Magdeburg , is the largest city and the capital city of the Bundesland of Saxony-Anhalt, Germany. Magdeburg is situated on the Elbe River and was one of the most important medieval cities of Europe....
in the Prussian
Kingdom of Prussia
The Kingdom of Prussia was a German kingdom from 1701 to 1918. Until the defeat of Germany in World War I, it comprised almost two-thirds of the area of the German Empire...
province of Saxony
Province of Saxony
The Province of Saxony was a province of the Kingdom of Prussia and later the Free State of Prussia from 1816 until 1945. Its capital was Magdeburg.-History:The province was created in 1816 out of the following territories:...
, Seldte was the son of an owner of a factory producing chemical products and soda water. He attended the Wilhelm-Raabe-Gymnasium
Gymnasium (school)
A gymnasium is a type of school providing secondary education in some parts of Europe, comparable to English grammar schools or sixth form colleges and U.S. college preparatory high schools. The word γυμνάσιον was used in Ancient Greece, meaning a locality for both physical and intellectual...
in Magdeburg and, after an apprenticeship as a salesman, he studied chemistry at the universities of Braunschweig and Greifswald. In 1908 he took over the business of his early deceased father.
As an officer of the German Army
German Army (German Empire)
The German Army was the name given the combined land forces of the German Empire, also known as the National Army , Imperial Army or Imperial German Army. The term "Deutsches Heer" is also used for the modern German Army, the land component of the German Bundeswehr...
he was wounded in World War I
World War I
World War I , which was predominantly called the World War or the Great War from its occurrence until 1939, and the First World War or World War I thereafter, was a major war centred in Europe that began on 28 July 1914 and lasted until 11 November 1918...
and lost his left arm. He then became a front reporter. Awarded with the Iron Cross
Iron Cross
The Iron Cross is a cross symbol typically in black with a white or silver outline that originated after 1219 when the Kingdom of Jerusalem granted the Teutonic Order the right to combine the Teutonic Black Cross placed above a silver Cross of Jerusalem....
2nd and 1st class, he also was promoted to the rank of a Hauptmann
Hauptmann
Hauptmann is a German word usually translated as captain when it is used as an officer's rank in the German, Austrian and Swiss armies. While "haupt" in contemporary German means "main", it also has the dated meaning of "head", i.e...
(captain) in the 7th Reserve Division
7th Reserve Division (German Empire)
The 7th Reserve Division was a unit of the German Army, in World War I. The division was formed on mobilization of the German Army in August 1914. The division was disbanded during the demobilization of the German Army after World War I...
.
As a reaction to the German Revolution of 1918–1919, Seldte founded the Stahlhelm organization of World War I veterans on 25 December 1918, agitating against the Treaty of Versailles
Treaty of Versailles
The Treaty of Versailles was one of the peace treaties at the end of World War I. It ended the state of war between Germany and the Allied Powers. It was signed on 28 June 1919, exactly five years after the assassination of Archduke Franz Ferdinand. The other Central Powers on the German side of...
and German war reparations
World War I reparations
World War I reparations refers to the payments and transfers of property and equipment that Germany was forced to make under the Treaty of Versailles following its defeat during World War I...
. He took over the leadership, however, from 1923 onwards he had to cope with the constant rivalry of his deputy leader, the militant Theodor Duesterberg
Theodor Duesterberg
Theodor Duesterberg was a leader of the Stahlhelm, Bund der Frontsoldaten, in Germany prior to the Nazi seizure of power.-Background:Born the son of an army surgeon in Darmstadt, Duesterberg entered the Prussian Army in 1893 after training in the cadet corps. In 1900, Duesterberg was part of the...
.
Seldte became a member of the national liberal German People's Party
German People's Party
The German People's Party was a national liberal party in Weimar Germany and a successor to the National Liberal Party of the German Empire.-Ideology:...
and was a member of the Magdeburg city council (Stadtrat).
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...
the Stahlhelm became increasingly anti-democratic and anti-republican. However, Seldte hoped that the organization could become a leading organ of a united right-wing movement. In 1931, he, together with Alfred Hugenberg
Alfred Hugenberg
Alfred Ernst Christian Alexander Hugenberg was an influential German businessman and politician. Hugenberg, a leading figure within nationalist politics in Germany for the first few decades of the twentieth century, became the country's leading media proprietor within the inter-war period...
and 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...
, helped create the short-lived Harzburg Front
Harzburg Front
The Harzburg Front was a short-lived right-wing political alliance in Weimar Germany, formed in 1931 as an attempt to present a unified opposition to the government of Chancellor Heinrich Brüning...
, an alliance against the government of 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....
.
Seldte had intended to lead the Nazis into a government led by him, but had to realize that Hitler would not come into this picture. On the day of the Machtergreifung
Machtergreifung
Machtergreifung is a German word meaning "seizure of power". It is normally used specifically to refer to the Nazi takeover of power in the democratic Weimar Republic on 30 January 1933, the day Hitler was sworn in as Chancellor of Germany, turning it into the Nazi German dictatorship.-Term:The...
on 30 January 1933, Seldte joined the Cabinet Hitler as Reich Minister for Labour, once again outdoing his long-time rival Duesterberg. In the run-up to the elections of March 1933 the Stahlhelm together with Hugenberg's national conservative German National People's Party
German 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) attempted to make the Kampffront Schwarz-Weiß-Rot ("Black White Red
National colours of Germany
The national colors of Germany are officially Black, Red and Gold as seen on the flag of Germany of 1849-1852, 1919–1933, and again since 1949. The colors were used by democratic revolutionaries in the early 19th century, and had been used by the Holy Roman Empire since the Middle Ages...
Combat Front") into the dominant political camp on the right, but ultimately failed as it only gained 8.0 % of the votes cast. Nevertheless Seldte obtained a seat in the Reichstag
Reichstag (Weimar Republic)
The Reichstag was the parliament of Weimar Republic .German constitution commentators consider only the Reichstag and now the Bundestag the German parliament. Another organ deals with legislation too: in 1867-1918 the Bundesrat, in 1919–1933 the Reichsrat and from 1949 on the Bundesrat...
parliament as a DNVP "guest".
On 27 April 1933 Seldte finally joined the Nazi Party and integrated the Stahlhelm members into Ernst Röhm
Ernst Röhm
Ernst Julius Röhm, was a German officer in the Bavarian Army and later an early Nazi leader. He was a co-founder of the Sturmabteilung , the Nazi Party militia, and later was its commander...
's Sturmabteilung
Sturmabteilung
The Sturmabteilung functioned as a paramilitary organization of the National Socialist German Workers' Party . It played a key role in Adolf Hitler's rise to power in the 1920s and 1930s...
(SA) militia. In August 1933, he was awarded the rank of SA-Obergruppenführer
Obergruppenführer
Obergruppenführer was a Nazi Party paramilitary rank that was first created in 1932 as a rank of the SA and until 1942 it was the highest SS rank inferior only to Reichsführer-SS...
and later was appointed Reichskommissar
Reichskommissar
Reichskommissar , in German history, was an official gubernatorial title used for various public offices during the period of the German Empire and the Nazi Third Reich....
for the Freiwilliger Arbeitsdienst employment program, but was soon superseded by his state secretary Konstantin Hierl
Konstantin Hierl
Konstantin Hierl was a major figure in the administration of Nazi Germany. He was the head of the Reichsarbeitsdienst and an associate of Adolf Hitler before he came to power.Hierl was born in Parsberg, Bavaria...
as leader of the Reichsarbeitsdienst
Reichsarbeitsdienst
The Reichsarbeitsdienst was an institution established by Nazi Germany as an agency to reduce unemployment, similar to the relief programs in other countries. During the Second World War it was an auxiliary formation which provided support for the Wehrmacht.The RAD was formed during July 1934 as...
organization. In March 1934 Seldte was made the leader of the German League of Front Fighters, a successor organization of the Stahlhem, which however was soon disbanded. In 1935 he requested to be released from official responsibilities, but Hitler refused. Seldte, without substantial power, remained Reich Minister for Labour until the end of World War II
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
and was also a member of the Prussian government under Minister President Hermann Göring
Hermann Göring
Hermann Wilhelm Göring, was a German politician, military leader, and a leading member of the Nazi Party. He was a veteran of World War I as an ace fighter pilot, and a recipient of the coveted Pour le Mérite, also known as "The Blue Max"...
as State Labour Minister.
Seldte was captured and arrested in Mondorf-les-Bains
Mondorf-les-Bains
Mondorf-les-Bains is a commune and town in south-eastern Luxembourg. It is part of the canton of Remich, which is part of the district of Grevenmacher. Mondorf-les-Bains is a spa town , and has the only casino in Luxembourg....
at the end of the war and died in a US military hospital at Fürth
Fürth
The city of Fürth is located in northern Bavaria, Germany in the administrative region of Middle Franconia. It is now contiguous with the larger city of Nuremberg, the centres of the two cities being only 7 km apart....
, before being arraigned on charges.
During the time of Nazi Germany
Nazi Germany
Nazi Germany , also known as the Third Reich , but officially called German Reich from 1933 to 1943 and Greater German Reich from 26 June 1943 onward, is the name commonly used to refer to the state of Germany from 1933 to 1945, when it was a totalitarian dictatorship ruled by...
, streets were named after him in several German cities, among them his hometown Magdeburg and Leverkusen
Leverkusen
Leverkusen is a city in North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany on the eastern bank of the Rhine. To the South, Leverkusen borders the city of Cologne and to the North is the state capital Düsseldorf....
.