Kurt von Schleicher

(July 4th 1882 with Brandebourg-on-the-Havel - June 30th 1934 with Neubabelsberg) is a soldier and German politician, the last chancellor of the Weimar Republic before Adolf Hitler.

Military career

Born with Brandebourg-on-the-Havel, close to Berlin, Kurt von Schleicher is the son of a Prussian officer and a girl of ship-owner. The young man integrates the school of officers of Lichterfelde in 1896 to leave second lieutenant it four years later. He then takes its first station with the 3rd Regiment of guards to foot with Berlin.

Appointed lieutenant in 1909, it proves reliable with the academy of war, where it becomes acquainted with the son of Paul von Hindenburg, and is placed, in 1913, with railway division staff, under the orders of the lieutenant-colonel Wilhelm Groener, its mentor. Schleicher is high with the rank of captain at the beginning of the First World War and follows Groener to the Berliner administration. First staff officer on the face of Galicie in 1917, it is promoted ordering the following year. In the wake of Groener, he manages to create relations within the Weimar Republic and enters in direct contact with Friedrich Ebert.

Political career

In September 1919, Schleicher lends oath to the Republic and is named director of the political office of the ministry for the war, then chief of the department of the armed forces of the Reichswehr lately created (1926).

1929 is the first great year for him: the transformation of its department into ministry enables him to become Secretary of State, and it is high with the row of brigadier general.

The prohibition of SA in April 1932 sign rupture between Schleicher and Groener. The will of Schleicher of fidéliser SA by integrating them in an organization armed above the parties does not obtain a broad adhesion. However, on June 1st, Schleicher becomes Minister for Defense ( Reichswehrminister ) to the government of von Papen, of which he had asked itself the nomination to the president Hindenburg, to replace Heinrich Brüning. However, the two men enter in conflict when the ultraconservator Papen issues the martial Loi: in reaction, Schleicher announces with the radio its firm opposition to the installation of a military dictatorship. After the elections of the November 6th, this confrontation involves the fall of the government as of the November 17th.

Chancellor of Reich

After having led vain negotiations with Hitler to organize the participation of the Nazis to the capacity, Schleicher is then called as Chancelier by Hindenburg and is charged with forming a new government ( Präsidialkabinett ). It tries to create its team on a popular sitted solid while assembling an alliance with the trade unionists of right-hand side and the left wing of the national-Socialists (Gregor Strasser), but it is prevented by it by the social democrat leaders (SPD) and Nazis (NSDAP).

The January 22nd 1933, without Schleicher being informed by it, Hindenburg load Franz von Papen to negotiate with Hitler the nomination of this last at the post of chancellor. The January 28th, Schleicher announces with the radio that it leaves the capacity and " recommande" its replacement by the chief of the Nazis: it will be made thing later two days…

The June 30th 1934, during famous the night of the Long Knives, the former chancellor and his wife are cut down in their villa of Neubabelsberg by a commando S. Schleicher belongs to the awkward personalities whose Hitler got rid at the same time as SA of Röhm, under the pretext of a great plot fomented by all its political enemies.

Historical range

Kurt von Schleicher remained with the capacity only two months, his achievements were thus tiny. But, historically, Schleicher important insofar as its conflict with Franz von Papen has, if not is allowed, at least accelerated the come to power of the dictator Nazi. Indeed, the two men, by preventing one the other from preserving the seizure on the German policy, opened a breach in which the ambitious one directing national-Socialist had good game to be engulfed. Thus, Schleicher was, with its defending body, one of the promoters of the to be able Nazi.

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