Reinhold Frank
Encyclopedia
Reinhold Frank was a German
lawyer
. He did work for the resistance to Hitler's rule in Nazi Germany
. He was sentenced to death
in connection with the failed July 20 Plot
.
district. After serving in the military in the First World War, he studied law
in Freiburg
. He was a member of the Katholische Deutsche Studentenverbindung Arminia ("Catholic German Studentenverbindung
Arminia") in the Cartellverband der katholischen deutschen Studentenverbindungen
. After his time as a junior lawyer, he went to Karlsruhe
and there, together with Dr. Honold, he ran a law practice. Owing to his Christian
outlook, Nazi
ideology
did not sit well with Frank. He often found himself defending persecuted
clients of all political and religious stripes, among them Catholic
priest
s, who often ended up before the courts during the time of the Third Reich for having uttered criticisms of the régime.
Reinhold Frank belonged to the circle about the resistance group founded by Dr. Carl Friedrich Goerdeler
. He had already agreed to stand ready in Baden to take a leading rôle in Germany's reconstruction, should the plot to overthrow Hitler actually succeed. It was therefore no wonder that, after the attempt on Hitler's life at the Wolf's Lair in East Prussia
failed, Frank was arrested quite quickly, on 21 July 1944, the day after the attempt. Frank was found guilty by the Volksgerichtshof of high treason
and treason
. On 12 January 1945, he was sentenced to death. He was hanged
on 23 January at Plötzensee
Prison
in Berlin.
In his honour, a memorial stone has been placed at the Hauptfriedhof ("Main Cemetery") in Karlsruhe. The street in Karlsruhe where the lawyers' chambers may be found bears his name. The Research Centre for German Resistance against National Socialism in Southwestern Germany, together with the University of Karlsruhe, the City of Karlsruhe, and the German Bundesarchiv, honours Frank yearly in the time around July 20 with a memorial reading.
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...
lawyer
Lawyer
A lawyer, according to Black's Law Dictionary, is "a person learned in the law; as an attorney, counsel or solicitor; a person who is practicing law." Law is the system of rules of conduct established by the sovereign government of a society to correct wrongs, maintain the stability of political...
. He did work for the resistance to Hitler's rule in 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...
. He was sentenced to death
Death
Death is the permanent termination of the biological functions that sustain a living organism. Phenomena which commonly bring about death include old age, predation, malnutrition, disease, and accidents or trauma resulting in terminal injury....
in connection with the failed July 20 Plot
July 20 Plot
On 20 July 1944, an attempt was made to assassinate Adolf Hitler, Führer of the Third Reich, inside his Wolf's Lair field headquarters near Rastenburg, East Prussia. The plot was the culmination of the efforts of several groups in the German Resistance to overthrow the Nazi-led German government...
.
Life
Reinhold Frank was born the youngest of seven children in Bachhaupten in the SigmaringenSigmaringen (district)
Sigmaringen is a district in the south of Baden-Württemberg, Germany. Neighboring districts are Reutlingen, Biberach, Ravensburg, Bodensee, Constance and Zollernalbkreis.-History:...
district. After serving in the military in the First World War, he studied law
Law
Law is a system of rules and guidelines which are enforced through social institutions to govern behavior, wherever possible. It shapes politics, economics and society in numerous ways and serves as a social mediator of relations between people. Contract law regulates everything from buying a bus...
in Freiburg
Freiburg
Freiburg im Breisgau is a city in Baden-Württemberg, Germany. In the extreme south-west of the country, it straddles the Dreisam river, at the foot of the Schlossberg. Historically, the city has acted as the hub of the Breisgau region on the western edge of the Black Forest in the Upper Rhine Plain...
. He was a member of the Katholische Deutsche Studentenverbindung Arminia ("Catholic German Studentenverbindung
Studentenverbindung
A Studentenverbindung is a student corporation in a German-speaking country somewhat comparable to fraternities in the US or Canada, but mostly older and going back to other kinds of...
Arminia") in the Cartellverband der katholischen deutschen Studentenverbindungen
Cartellverband der katholischen deutschen Studentenverbindungen
The Cartellverband der katholischen deutschen Studentenverbindungen or Cartellverband is a German umbrella organization of Catholic male student fraternities .-Foundation:...
. After his time as a junior lawyer, he went to Karlsruhe
Karlsruhe
The City of Karlsruhe is a city in the southwest of Germany, in the state of Baden-Württemberg, located near the French-German border.Karlsruhe was founded in 1715 as Karlsruhe Palace, when Germany was a series of principalities and city states...
and there, together with Dr. Honold, he ran a law practice. Owing to his Christian
Christian
A Christian is a person who adheres to Christianity, an Abrahamic, monotheistic religion based on the life and teachings of Jesus of Nazareth as recorded in the Canonical gospels and the letters of the New Testament...
outlook, Nazi
Nazism
Nazism, the common short form name of National Socialism was the ideology and practice of the Nazi Party and of Nazi Germany...
ideology
Ideology
An ideology is a set of ideas that constitutes one's goals, expectations, and actions. An ideology can be thought of as a comprehensive vision, as a way of looking at things , as in common sense and several philosophical tendencies , or a set of ideas proposed by the dominant class of a society to...
did not sit well with Frank. He often found himself defending persecuted
Persecution
Persecution is the systematic mistreatment of an individual or group by another group. The most common forms are religious persecution, ethnic persecution, and political persecution, though there is naturally some overlap between these terms. The inflicting of suffering, harassment, isolation,...
clients of all political and religious stripes, among them Catholic
Catholic
The word catholic comes from the Greek phrase , meaning "on the whole," "according to the whole" or "in general", and is a combination of the Greek words meaning "about" and meaning "whole"...
priest
Priest
A priest is a person authorized to perform the sacred rites of a religion, especially as a mediatory agent between humans and deities. They also have the authority or power to administer religious rites; in particular, rites of sacrifice to, and propitiation of, a deity or deities...
s, who often ended up before the courts during the time of the Third Reich for having uttered criticisms of the régime.
Reinhold Frank belonged to the circle about the resistance group founded by Dr. Carl Friedrich Goerdeler
Carl Friedrich Goerdeler
Carl Friedrich Goerdeler was a monarchist conservative German politician, executive, economist, civil servant and opponent of the Nazi regime...
. He had already agreed to stand ready in Baden to take a leading rôle in Germany's reconstruction, should the plot to overthrow Hitler actually succeed. It was therefore no wonder that, after the attempt on Hitler's life at the Wolf's Lair in East Prussia
East Prussia
East Prussia is the main part of the region of Prussia along the southeastern Baltic Coast from the 13th century to the end of World War II in May 1945. From 1772–1829 and 1878–1945, the Province of East Prussia was part of the German state of Prussia. The capital city was Königsberg.East Prussia...
failed, Frank was arrested quite quickly, on 21 July 1944, the day after the attempt. Frank was found guilty by the Volksgerichtshof of high treason
High treason
High treason is criminal disloyalty to one's government. Participating in a war against one's native country, attempting to overthrow its government, spying on its military, its diplomats, or its secret services for a hostile and foreign power, or attempting to kill its head of state are perhaps...
and treason
Treason
In law, treason is the crime that covers some of the more extreme acts against one's sovereign or nation. Historically, treason also covered the murder of specific social superiors, such as the murder of a husband by his wife. Treason against the king was known as high treason and treason against a...
. On 12 January 1945, he was sentenced to death. He was hanged
Hanging
Hanging is the lethal suspension of a person by a ligature. The Oxford English Dictionary states that hanging in this sense is "specifically to put to death by suspension by the neck", though it formerly also referred to crucifixion and death by impalement in which the body would remain...
on 23 January at Plötzensee
Plötzensee
Plötzensee is a small glacial lake in Berlin. It is situated near the Rehberge public park in the former borough of Wedding, now a part of Mitte. The name stems from Plötze, one name for the roach in German, as the lake formerly teemed with it....
Prison
Prison
A prison is a place in which people are physically confined and, usually, deprived of a range of personal freedoms. Imprisonment or incarceration is a legal penalty that may be imposed by the state for the commission of a crime...
in Berlin.
In his honour, a memorial stone has been placed at the Hauptfriedhof ("Main Cemetery") in Karlsruhe. The street in Karlsruhe where the lawyers' chambers may be found bears his name. The Research Centre for German Resistance against National Socialism in Southwestern Germany, together with the University of Karlsruhe, the City of Karlsruhe, and the German Bundesarchiv, honours Frank yearly in the time around July 20 with a memorial reading.
Literature
- Horst Rehberger Reinhold Frank. Rechtsanwalt in Karlsruhe, in: Der Widerstand im deutschen Südwesten 1933-1945. pub. by Michael Bosch und Wolfgang Niess, Stuttgart, 1984
- Michael KißenerMichael KißenerMichael Kißener is a German historian and Professor at the University of Mainz. His research is focused on the history of the national socialist regime and the opposition against it....
, Der Widerstandskreis um den Karlsruher Rechtsanwalt Reinhold Frank, Speech on the occasion of the scientific symposium in the framework of the. European Culture Days, Karlsruhe 1994 - Reinhold Frank zum fünfzigsten Todestag, pub. by the City of Karlsruhe/Stadtarchiv, Karlsruhe 1995
- Uwe Schellinger, Dr. Reinhold Frank (1896-1945), Witnesses for Christ, Twentieth Century German Martyrology, pub. by H. Moll i.A. der Deutschen Bischofskonferenz, Paderborn u.a. 1999, 226
- Detlev Fischer: Anwälte im Widerstand gegen das NS-Regime, RuP 2002, 181