Joseph Wirth
Encyclopedia
Karl Joseph Wirth, known as Joseph Wirth, (6 September 1879 Freiburg im Breisgau – 3 January 1956 Freiburg im Breisgau) was a German
politician
of the Catholic Centre Party
who served as Chancellor of Germany from 1921 to 1922.
. In 1908 he was appointed to the chair of Economics at the Technical College of Freiburg, and after his election as a municipal councillor in 1911 he devoted himself to financial questions. In 1913 he obtained a seat as a member of the Catholic Centre Party in the diet of Baden, and in 1918 was appointed Minister of Finance. In January 1919 he was elected a member of the Constituent Assembly which sat at Weimar
.
In March 1920, when the ministry was reconstructed after the Kapp Putsch
, he received the portfolio of finance, which he continued to hold in subsequent ministries. His task was to carry out the system of increased national taxation which his predecessor Matthias Erzberger
had induced the Reichstag to adopt. When in May 1921 the Allied ultimatum on reparation was presented to Germany and the sanctions enforced on the Rhine, the Fehrenbach
-Simons ministry, which had rejected the London
terms, resigned, and Wirth was called upon to form a new cabinet. He succeeded in obtaining the cooperation of a number of able Democrats, Catholics and Socialists, including the prominent industrialist and economist Walther Rathenau
as Minister of Reconstructions. Wirth himself retained the portfolio of finance. The new ministry then accepted the Allies' reparation terms — 132 billion marks (£6,600,000,000) payable in yearly instalments of £100,000,000 plus the proceeds of a 25% duty on German exports. By August 31, 1921, Germany had paid the first half-yearly instalment of £50,000,000, and in the following October Rathenau succeeded in concluding a comprehensive agreement with France for paying reparations in kind for the reconstruction of the devastated regions.
After the assassination of Erzberger on August 26, 1921, the conflict between the government and the reactionary Bavaria
n ministry of von Kahr
came to a head, von Kahr showing the same recalcitrancy against carrying out the special ordinances against reactionary plots as he had previously exhibited in regard to the dissolution of the illegal volunteer force, the Einwohnerwehr. Wirth stood his ground, and ultimately von Kahr was compelled by his own party in Bavaria to resign and make way for a more conciliatory minister-president.
The strife which arose out of this acute internal crisis had hardly abated when the announcement in mid-October of the decision of the League of Nations
on the partition of Upper Silesia between Germany and Poland aroused wild excitement throughout Germany, and, among other consequences, sent the exchange value of the mark down (October 17) to 750 to the pound. Wirth had not concealed his conviction that the severance from Germany of the rich industrial district of Upper Silesia would fatally affect Germany's capacity to pay further reparation instalments, and the political tension in Berlin again became acute. Eventually Wirth resigned, but nobody was found able to form a ministry in his place and he resumed office.
Only 41 years old when he took office, he was the youngest Chancellor of Germany to date. He is perhaps best known for his speech in front of the Reichstag
after the assassination of Walther Rathenau by rightist extremists in 1922. Wirth famously proclaimed "The enemy is on the right!". He received the Stalin Peace Prize in 1955 for his anti-fascist positions.
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...
politician
Politician
A politician, political leader, or political figure is an individual who is involved in influencing public policy and decision making...
of the Catholic Centre Party
Centre Party (Germany)
The German Centre Party was a Catholic political party in Germany during the Kaiserreich and the Weimar Republic. Formed in 1870, it battled the Kulturkampf which the Prussian government launched to reduce the power of the Catholic Church...
who served as Chancellor of Germany from 1921 to 1922.
Biography
The son of a working engineer, he was educated at the University of FreiburgUniversity of Freiburg
The University of Freiburg , sometimes referred to in English as the Albert Ludwig University of Freiburg, is a public research university located in Freiburg im Breisgau, Baden-Württemberg, Germany.The university was founded in 1457 by the Habsburg dynasty as the...
. In 1908 he was appointed to the chair of Economics at the Technical College of Freiburg, and after his election as a municipal councillor in 1911 he devoted himself to financial questions. In 1913 he obtained a seat as a member of the Catholic Centre Party in the diet of Baden, and in 1918 was appointed Minister of Finance. In January 1919 he was elected a member of the Constituent Assembly which sat at Weimar
Weimar
Weimar is a city in Germany famous for its cultural heritage. It is located in the federal state of Thuringia , north of the Thüringer Wald, east of Erfurt, and southwest of Halle and Leipzig. Its current population is approximately 65,000. The oldest record of the city dates from the year 899...
.
In March 1920, when the ministry was reconstructed after the Kapp Putsch
Kapp Putsch
The Kapp Putsch — or more accurately the Kapp-Lüttwitz Putsch — was a 1920 coup attempt during the German Revolution of 1918–1919 aimed at overthrowing the Weimar Republic...
, he received the portfolio of finance, which he continued to hold in subsequent ministries. His task was to carry out the system of increased national taxation which his predecessor Matthias Erzberger
Matthias Erzberger
Matthias Erzberger was a German politician. Prominent in the Centre Party, he spoke out against the First World War from 1917 and eventually signed the Armistice with Germany for the German Empire...
had induced the Reichstag to adopt. When in May 1921 the Allied ultimatum on reparation was presented to Germany and the sanctions enforced on the Rhine, the Fehrenbach
Konstantin Fehrenbach
Constantin Fehrenbach was a German Catholic politician who was one of the major leaders of the Centre Party. He served as President of the Reichstag in 1918, and then as President of the Weimar National Assembly from 1919 to 1920...
-Simons ministry, which had rejected the London
London
London is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...
terms, resigned, and Wirth was called upon to form a new cabinet. He succeeded in obtaining the cooperation of a number of able Democrats, Catholics and Socialists, including the prominent industrialist and economist 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...
as Minister of Reconstructions. Wirth himself retained the portfolio of finance. The new ministry then accepted the Allies' reparation terms — 132 billion marks (£6,600,000,000) payable in yearly instalments of £100,000,000 plus the proceeds of a 25% duty on German exports. By August 31, 1921, Germany had paid the first half-yearly instalment of £50,000,000, and in the following October Rathenau succeeded in concluding a comprehensive agreement with France for paying reparations in kind for the reconstruction of the devastated regions.
After the assassination of Erzberger on August 26, 1921, the conflict between the government and the reactionary Bavaria
Bavaria
Bavaria, formally the Free State of Bavaria is a state of Germany, located in the southeast of Germany. With an area of , it is the largest state by area, forming almost 20% of the total land area of Germany...
n ministry of von Kahr
Gustav Ritter von Kahr
Gustav Ritter von Kahr was a German right-wing conservative politician, active in the state of Bavaria...
came to a head, von Kahr showing the same recalcitrancy against carrying out the special ordinances against reactionary plots as he had previously exhibited in regard to the dissolution of the illegal volunteer force, the Einwohnerwehr. Wirth stood his ground, and ultimately von Kahr was compelled by his own party in Bavaria to resign and make way for a more conciliatory minister-president.
The strife which arose out of this acute internal crisis had hardly abated when the announcement in mid-October of the decision of the League of Nations
League of Nations
The League of Nations was an intergovernmental organization founded as a result of the Paris Peace Conference that ended the First World War. It was the first permanent international organization whose principal mission was to maintain world peace...
on the partition of Upper Silesia between Germany and Poland aroused wild excitement throughout Germany, and, among other consequences, sent the exchange value of the mark down (October 17) to 750 to the pound. Wirth had not concealed his conviction that the severance from Germany of the rich industrial district of Upper Silesia would fatally affect Germany's capacity to pay further reparation instalments, and the political tension in Berlin again became acute. Eventually Wirth resigned, but nobody was found able to form a ministry in his place and he resumed office.
Only 41 years old when he took office, he was the youngest Chancellor of Germany to date. He is perhaps best known for his speech in front of 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...
after the assassination of Walther Rathenau by rightist extremists in 1922. Wirth famously proclaimed "The enemy is on the right!". He received the Stalin Peace Prize in 1955 for his anti-fascist positions.
First Cabinet, May - October 1921
- Joseph Wirth (ZCentre Party (Germany)The German Centre Party was a Catholic political party in Germany during the Kaiserreich and the Weimar Republic. Formed in 1870, it battled the Kulturkampf which the Prussian government launched to reduce the power of the Catholic Church...
) - Chancellor and Finance Minister - Gustav BauerGustav Bauer' was a German Social Democratic Party leader and Chancellor of Germany from 1919 to 1920.Born in Darkehmen near Königsberg in East Prussia, Bauer, who rose to notice through his leadership of a white-collar trade union, served from 1908 to 1918 as chairman of the General Commission of Trade...
(SPDSocial Democratic Party of GermanyThe Social Democratic Party of Germany is a social-democratic political party in Germany...
) - Vice ChancellorVice-Chancellor of GermanyThe Vice-Chancellor of Germany is, according to protocol, the second highest position in the Cabinet of GermanyIn case of the Chancellor's absence, the vice-chancellor acts in his or her place, for instance by heading cabinet meetings...
and Treasury Minister - Friedrich RosenFriedrich RosenFriedrich Rosen or Fritz Rosen was a German Orientalist, diplomat and politician...
- Foreign MinisterForeign Minister of GermanyThe Federal Minister for Foreign Affairs is the head of the Federal Foreign Office and a member of the Cabinet of Germany. The current office holder is Guido Westerwelle... - Georg GradnauerGeorg GradnauerGeorg Gradnauer was a newspaper editor and politician for the Social Democratic Party of Germany , and the first elected Minister-President of Saxony following the abolition of the Kingdom of Saxony....
(SPD) - Interior MinisterFederal 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... - Robert Schmidt (SPD) - Economics Minister
- Heinrich Brauns (Z) - Labour Minister
- Eugen SchifferEugen SchifferEugen Schiffer , was the German Minister of Finances and Vice-Chancellor from 13 February to 19 April 1919 and 3 October 1919 to 27 March 1920. From 1919 to 1920 and again in 1921 he served as Minister of Justice....
(DDP) - Justice Minister - Otto GesslerOtto GesslerOtto Karl Gessler was a German politician during the Weimar Republic. From 1910 until 1914, he was mayor of Regensburg and from 1913 to 1919 mayor of Nuremberg. He served in Weimar cabinets from 1919 until 1928, usually as Minister of Defence.-Biography:Gessler was born in Ludwigsburg in the...
(DDP) - Defence Minister - Wilhelm Gröner - Transport Minister
- Andreas HermesAndreas HermesAndreas Hermes was a German Christian Democratic Union politician, agricultural scientist, Finance Minister of the Weimar Republic, and a member of the resistance to Nazism.- Life :...
(Z) - Food Minister
Changes
- 29 May 1921 - Walther RathenauWalther RathenauWalther Rathenau was a German Jewish industrialist, politician, writer, and statesman who served as Foreign Minister of Germany during the Weimar Republic...
(DDP) enters the cabinet as Reconstruction Minister.
Second Cabinet, October 1921 - November 1922
- Joseph Wirth (Z) - Chancellor and Foreign MinisterForeign Minister of GermanyThe Federal Minister for Foreign Affairs is the head of the Federal Foreign Office and a member of the Cabinet of Germany. The current office holder is Guido Westerwelle...
- Gustav BauerGustav Bauer' was a German Social Democratic Party leader and Chancellor of Germany from 1919 to 1920.Born in Darkehmen near Königsberg in East Prussia, Bauer, who rose to notice through his leadership of a white-collar trade union, served from 1908 to 1918 as chairman of the General Commission of Trade...
(SPD) - Vice ChancellorVice-Chancellor of GermanyThe Vice-Chancellor of Germany is, according to protocol, the second highest position in the Cabinet of GermanyIn case of the Chancellor's absence, the vice-chancellor acts in his or her place, for instance by heading cabinet meetings... - Adolf KösterAdolf KösterAdolf Köster was a German politician of the Social Democratic Party of Germany and diplomat. He served as Foreign Minister of Germany and Interior Minister of Germany .-Background:...
(SPD) - Interior MinisterFederal 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... - Andreas HermesAndreas HermesAndreas Hermes was a German Christian Democratic Union politician, agricultural scientist, Finance Minister of the Weimar Republic, and a member of the resistance to Nazism.- Life :...
(Z) - Finance Minister and Food Minister - Robert Schmidt (SPD) - Economics Minister
- Heinrich Brauns (Z) - Labour Minister
- Gustav RadbruchGustav RadbruchGustav Radbruch was a German legal scholar and politician. He served as Minister of Justice of the German Empire during the early Weimar period. Radbruch is also regarded as one of the most influential legal philosophers of the 20th century.-Life:Born at Lübeck, Radbruch studied law in Munich,...
(SPD) - Justice Minister - Otto GesslerOtto GesslerOtto Karl Gessler was a German politician during the Weimar Republic. From 1910 until 1914, he was mayor of Regensburg and from 1913 to 1919 mayor of Nuremberg. He served in Weimar cabinets from 1919 until 1928, usually as Minister of Defence.-Biography:Gessler was born in Ludwigsburg in the...
(DDP) - Defence Minister - Johannes Giesberts (Z) - Postal Minister
- Wilhelm GroenerWilhelm GroenerKarl Eduard Wilhelm Groener was a German soldier and politician.-Biography:He was born in Ludwigsburg in the Kingdom of Württemberg, the son of a regimental paymaster. He entered the Württemberg Army in 1884, and attended the War Academy from 1893 to 1897, whereupon he was appointed to the General...
- Transport Minister
Changes
- 1 February 1922 - Walther RathenauWalther RathenauWalther Rathenau was a German Jewish industrialist, politician, writer, and statesman who served as Foreign Minister of Germany during the Weimar Republic...
(DDP) succeeds Wirth as Foreign Minister. Wirth remains Chancellor - 10 March 1922 - Anton Fehr (Bavarian Peasants' League) succeeds Hermes as Food Minister. Hermes remains Finance Minister.
- 24 June 1922 - Upon Rathenau's assassination, Wirth again becomes Foreign Minister.