Erhard Hübener
Encyclopedia
Dr. Erhard Hübener was a German
politician and member of the German Democratic Party (DDP) until 1933, after World War II
he engaged in rebuilding structures of self-rule in the Soviet occupation zone and was co-founder and member of the Liberal Democratic Party of Germany (LDPD)
.
), Province of Brandenburg
. His father was a Protestant pastor. After attending the school at Pforta
, Hübener studied history and political science at Christian Albert's University, Kiel
and Frederick William's University, Berlin
. He graduated with a doctorate. Hübener and Otti Bornemann married in 1909. He served as an officer in World War I
.
with Rudolf Oeser (*1858–1926*) serving as Saxon land-captain.
In 1924 the Saxon Provinziallandtag (provincial parliament) elected him Landeshauptmann (land-captain), the elected highest ranking representative of provincial self-rule. He distinguished himself as an expert in economics and administration, searching consensus among the representatives of the different parties.
Already in the 1920-s he developed ideas for a reorganisation of the heterogenous German states. So he proposed the creation of an independent state called Saxony-Anhalt, combining Prussian Saxony and the independent Free State of Anhalt
. In 1930 the members of the provincial parliament reelected him land-captain for another six years with the votes of the SPD, DDP and DNVP.
The Nazi regime compulsorily pensioned him after their takeover
in 1933. Hübener then dedicated his time and effort to scientific and artistic questions, publishing smaller works in these fields under the pseudonym
J.S. Erhard.
) reappointed him land-captain of the Province of Saxony. By early July the US Army retired in order to allow the Red Army
taking Prussian Saxony as part of its Soviet occupation zone, as agreed by the London Protocol in 1944.
On July 9 the Soviet SVAG
ordered to merge Anhalt, Halle-Merseburg
, the governorate of Magdeburg
and some Brunswickian
eastern exclaves and salients into the Province of Saxony. While the prior Saxon Erfurt governorate had become a part of Thuringia. Then the SVAG appointed Hübener as the president of the provincial Saxon administration, a newly created function seated in Halle upon Saale.
In summer 1945 Hübener became one of the co-founders of the Liberal Democratic Party of Germany (LDPD)
in Halle upon Saale. He also received a chair at Martin Luther University of Halle-Wittenberg. Although he had signed, as Soviet-appointed official, the Soviet-inspired expropriation ordinance on 3 September 1945, pretendingly aiming at Nazi war criminals and other circles (large real estate holders, often of noble descent) uniformly identified as apt for expropriation, he criticised the abuse of the expropriation ordinance as a free ticket to completely destroy property structures and certainty of law.
On the occasion of the first and one and only election in the Soviet zone, allowing parties to compete for seats in provincial and state parliaments, on 20 October 1946, the Province of Saxony was renamed into Province of Saxony-Anhalt, accounting for the prior merger. On 3 December 1946 the members of the provincial parliament elected Hübener the first minister-president
of Saxony-Anhalt with the votes of CDU
and LDPD. So he became the only governor
in the Soviet zone, who was no member of the communist Socialist Unity Party of Germany (SED)
. He was an unconvenient governor for the Soviet rulers.
By threatening the SVAG to resign from office, Hübener enforced the participation of the Soviet zonal governors in the Conference of Governors in Munich
on 5 June 1947, which last time convened the elected governors of all states from all four zones of occupation in Germany. Hoping to avoid the eventual establishment of separate German republics – which was underways with the Bizone
– he was, however, disappointed by his western colleagues (among them his long-time fellow party member Reinhold Maier
, then minister-president of Württemberg-Baden
). Most of them were already assured that the constitution of a democratic and autonomous German republic can impossibly include the Soviet zone with their puppet states, whereas the zonal central administrations (Zentralverwaltungen) established in July 1945, staffed with communists and directed by the SVAG, were actually taking the decisions.
While easterners hoped with a quadripartite Allied agreement there would be the chance that the Soviet Union will release its prey, many westerners had already come to another conclusion. However, for westerners the perpetuated stay of their respective occupying power had by no means the same meaning in every day life than the Soviet occupation in their zone.
Hübener then saw himself fighting a losing battle. In May 1949, speaking on the third term of Deutscher Volkskongress, a quasi parliament deciding the first constitution of the to-be-founded separate East German republic, Hübener appealed as main speaker of LDPD to the delegates: Our future government shall, will and must learn, to stand with a free people on free ground. While West Germany
had been founded on May 23, 1949 the foundation of East Germany was planned for October 7. On October 1 Hübener resigned from office. He was succeeded by Werner Bruschke
(SED).
, Hübener stayed. He retired totally from politics and committed himself again to studies in art and history. He wrote his autobiography, later published in West Germany. He died during a stay at the health spa of Bad Salzuflen
in West Germany on 3 June 1958. His remains were translated to East German Wernigerode
, where he had spent his retirement.
, section Sachsen-Anhalt, established in his honour the Erhard-Hübener-Stiftung, a foundation in Halle upon Saale. In Magdeburg
a square was named after him.
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...
politician and member of the German Democratic Party (DDP) until 1933, after 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...
he engaged in rebuilding structures of self-rule in the Soviet occupation zone and was co-founder and member of the Liberal Democratic Party of Germany (LDPD)
Liberal Democratic Party of Germany
The Liberal Democratic Party of Germany ) was a political party in East Germany. Like the other allied parties of the SED in the National Front it had 52 representatives in the Volkskammer.-Foundation:...
.
Early years
Hübener was born in Tacken (now part of Groß PankowGroß Pankow
Groß Pankow is a municipality in the Prignitz district, in Brandenburg, Germany....
), Province of Brandenburg
Province of Brandenburg
The Province of Brandenburg was a province of the Kingdom of Prussia and the Free State of Prussia from 1815 to 1946.-History:The first people who are known to have inhabited Brandenburg were the Suevi. They were succeeded by the Slavonians, whom Henry II conquered and converted to Christianity in...
. His father was a Protestant pastor. After attending the school at Pforta
Pforta
Pforta, or Schulpforta, is a former Cistercian monastery, Pforta Abbey , near Naumburg on the Saale River in the German state of Saxony-Anhalt. It is now a celebrated German public boarding school, called Landesschule Pforta...
, Hübener studied history and political science at Christian Albert's University, Kiel
Kiel
Kiel is the capital and most populous city in the northern German state of Schleswig-Holstein, with a population of 238,049 .Kiel is approximately north of Hamburg. Due to its geographic location in the north of Germany, the southeast of the Jutland peninsula, and the southwestern shore of the...
and Frederick William's University, Berlin
Berlin
Berlin is the capital city of Germany and is one of the 16 states of Germany. With a population of 3.45 million people, Berlin is Germany's largest city. It is the second most populous city proper and the seventh most populous urban area in the European Union...
. He graduated with a doctorate. Hübener and Otti Bornemann married in 1909. He served as an officer 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...
.
First term of political career
After the war he joined the liberal DDP. In 1919 Otto Fischbeck (DDP), Prussian minister of trade, gained him as a collaborator in the Prussian ministry of trade. In 1922 Hübener was elected vice land-captain of the Prussian Province of SaxonyProvince 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:...
with Rudolf Oeser (*1858–1926*) serving as Saxon land-captain.
In 1924 the Saxon Provinziallandtag (provincial parliament) elected him Landeshauptmann (land-captain), the elected highest ranking representative of provincial self-rule. He distinguished himself as an expert in economics and administration, searching consensus among the representatives of the different parties.
Already in the 1920-s he developed ideas for a reorganisation of the heterogenous German states. So he proposed the creation of an independent state called Saxony-Anhalt, combining Prussian Saxony and the independent Free State of Anhalt
Free State of Anhalt
The Free State of Anhalt was formed after Joachim Ernst, Duke of Anhalt abdicated on 12 November 1918, ending the Duchy of Anhalt. It was a state of Germany during the time of the Weimar Republic...
. In 1930 the members of the provincial parliament reelected him land-captain for another six years with the votes of the SPD, DDP and DNVP.
The Nazi regime compulsorily pensioned him after their takeover
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...
in 1933. Hübener then dedicated his time and effort to scientific and artistic questions, publishing smaller works in these fields under the pseudonym
Pseudonym
A pseudonym is a name that a person assumes for a particular purpose and that differs from his or her original orthonym...
J.S. Erhard.
Second term of political career
After the US Army had liberated the Province of Saxony in April 1945 the U.S. Group Control Council, Germany (precursor of the OMGUSOffice of Military Government, United States
The Office of Military Government, United States was the United States military-established government created shortly after the end of hostilities in occupied Germany in World War II. Under General Lucius D...
) reappointed him land-captain of the Province of Saxony. By early July the US Army retired in order to allow the Red Army
Red Army
The Workers' and Peasants' Red Army started out as the Soviet Union's revolutionary communist combat groups during the Russian Civil War of 1918-1922. It grew into the national army of the Soviet Union. By the 1930s the Red Army was among the largest armies in history.The "Red Army" name refers to...
taking Prussian Saxony as part of its Soviet occupation zone, as agreed by the London Protocol in 1944.
On July 9 the Soviet SVAG
Soviet Military Administration in Germany
The Soviet Military Administration in Germany was the Soviet military government, headquartered in Berlin-Karlshorst, that directly ruled the Soviet occupation zone of Germany from the German surrender in May 1945 until after the establishment of the German Democratic Republic in October...
ordered to merge Anhalt, Halle-Merseburg
Halle-Merseburg
The Province of Halle-Merseburg was a province of the Free State of Prussia from 1944-45. The provincial capital was the city Merseburg.Halle-Merseburg was created on 1 July 1944, out of Regierungsbezirk Merseburg, an administrative region from the former Province of Saxony. The governor of the...
, the governorate of Magdeburg
Magdeburg (region)
Magdeburg was one of the three Regierungsbezirke of Saxony-Anhalt, Germany, located in the north of the country.-History:The region was formed in 1815 as a subdivision of the Kingdom of Prussia's Province of Saxony, becoming part of Saxony-Anhalt after World War II. The Regierungsbezirk was...
and some Brunswickian
Free State of Brunswick
The Free State of Brunswick was the republic formed after the abolition of the Duchy of Brunswick in the course of the German Revolution of 1918–19. It was a state of the German Reich in the time of the Weimar Republic and Nazi Germany.-History:...
eastern exclaves and salients into the Province of Saxony. While the prior Saxon Erfurt governorate had become a part of Thuringia. Then the SVAG appointed Hübener as the president of the provincial Saxon administration, a newly created function seated in Halle upon Saale.
In summer 1945 Hübener became one of the co-founders of the Liberal Democratic Party of Germany (LDPD)
Liberal Democratic Party of Germany
The Liberal Democratic Party of Germany ) was a political party in East Germany. Like the other allied parties of the SED in the National Front it had 52 representatives in the Volkskammer.-Foundation:...
in Halle upon Saale. He also received a chair at Martin Luther University of Halle-Wittenberg. Although he had signed, as Soviet-appointed official, the Soviet-inspired expropriation ordinance on 3 September 1945, pretendingly aiming at Nazi war criminals and other circles (large real estate holders, often of noble descent) uniformly identified as apt for expropriation, he criticised the abuse of the expropriation ordinance as a free ticket to completely destroy property structures and certainty of law.
On the occasion of the first and one and only election in the Soviet zone, allowing parties to compete for seats in provincial and state parliaments, on 20 October 1946, the Province of Saxony was renamed into Province of Saxony-Anhalt, accounting for the prior merger. On 3 December 1946 the members of the provincial parliament elected Hübener the first minister-president
Minister-President
A minister-president is the head of government in a number of European countries or subnational governments, in which a parliamentary or semi-presidential system of government prevails, who presides over the council of ministers...
of Saxony-Anhalt with the votes of CDU
Christian Democratic Union (East Germany)
The Christian Democratic Union of Germany ) was an East German political party founded in 1945. It was part of the National Front with the Socialist Unity Party of Germany until 1989....
and LDPD. So he became the only governor
Governor
A governor is a governing official, usually the executive of a non-sovereign level of government, ranking under the head of state...
in the Soviet zone, who was no member of the communist Socialist Unity Party of Germany (SED)
Socialist Unity Party of Germany
The Socialist Unity Party of Germany was the governing party of the German Democratic Republic from its formation on 7 October 1949 until the elections of March 1990. The SED was a communist political party with a Marxist-Leninist ideology...
. He was an unconvenient governor for the Soviet rulers.
By threatening the SVAG to resign from office, Hübener enforced the participation of the Soviet zonal governors in the Conference of Governors in Munich
Munich
Munich The city's motto is "" . Before 2006, it was "Weltstadt mit Herz" . Its native name, , is derived from the Old High German Munichen, meaning "by the monks' place". The city's name derives from the monks of the Benedictine order who founded the city; hence the monk depicted on the city's coat...
on 5 June 1947, which last time convened the elected governors of all states from all four zones of occupation in Germany. Hoping to avoid the eventual establishment of separate German republics – which was underways with the Bizone
Bizone
The Bizone, or Bizonia was the combination of the American and the British occupation zones in 1947 during the occupation of Germany after World War II. With the addition of the French occupation zone in March 1948, the entity became the Trizone...
– he was, however, disappointed by his western colleagues (among them his long-time fellow party member Reinhold Maier
Reinhold Maier
Reinhold Maier was a German politician and the leader of the FDP from 1957–1960.Maier was born in Schorndorf. In the Weimar Republic Maier was a member of the German Democratic Party...
, then minister-president of Württemberg-Baden
Württemberg-Baden
Württemberg-Baden is a former state of Federal Republic of Germany. It was created in 1945 by the U.S. occupation forces, after the previous states of Baden and Württemberg had been split up between the US and French occupation zones. Its capital was Stuttgart...
). Most of them were already assured that the constitution of a democratic and autonomous German republic can impossibly include the Soviet zone with their puppet states, whereas the zonal central administrations (Zentralverwaltungen) established in July 1945, staffed with communists and directed by the SVAG, were actually taking the decisions.
While easterners hoped with a quadripartite Allied agreement there would be the chance that the Soviet Union will release its prey, many westerners had already come to another conclusion. However, for westerners the perpetuated stay of their respective occupying power had by no means the same meaning in every day life than the Soviet occupation in their zone.
Hübener then saw himself fighting a losing battle. In May 1949, speaking on the third term of Deutscher Volkskongress, a quasi parliament deciding the first constitution of the to-be-founded separate East German republic, Hübener appealed as main speaker of LDPD to the delegates: Our future government shall, will and must learn, to stand with a free people on free ground. While 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....
had been founded on May 23, 1949 the foundation of East Germany was planned for October 7. On October 1 Hübener resigned from office. He was succeeded by Werner Bruschke
Werner Bruschke
Werner Bruschke was an East German politician and member of the Socialist Unity Party of Germany. He was Minister-President of Saxony-Anhalt from August 13, 1949 until the state was abolished on July 23, 1952.From 1933 he worked as tobacco goods dealer and later an insurance agent...
(SED).
Late years
While many of his political friends fled oppression and persecution in the Soviet zone and later East Germany and East BerlinEast Berlin
East Berlin was the name given to the eastern part of Berlin between 1949 and 1990. It consisted of the Soviet sector of Berlin that was established in 1945. The American, British and French sectors became West Berlin, a part strongly associated with West Germany but a free city...
, Hübener stayed. He retired totally from politics and committed himself again to studies in art and history. He wrote his autobiography, later published in West Germany. He died during a stay at the health spa of Bad Salzuflen
Bad Salzuflen
Bad Salzuflen is a town in the Lippe district of North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany. At the end of 2006 it had 54415 inhabitants.-Details:Bad Salzuflen is a spa town and is known for its saltwater springs and thermal baths. In former times the town profited from the salt trade...
in West Germany on 3 June 1958. His remains were translated to East German Wernigerode
Wernigerode
Wernigerode is a town in the district of Harz, Saxony-Anhalt, Germany. Until 2007, it was the capital of the district of Wernigerode. Its population was 35,500 in 1999....
, where he had spent his retirement.
Legacy
The Free Democratic PartyFree Democratic Party (Germany)
The Free Democratic Party , abbreviated to FDP, is a centre-right classical liberal political party in Germany. It is led by Philipp Rösler and currently serves as the junior coalition partner to the Union in the German federal government...
, section Sachsen-Anhalt, established in his honour the Erhard-Hübener-Stiftung, a foundation in Halle upon Saale. In Magdeburg
Magdeburg
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....
a square was named after him.
Works
- Erhard Hübener, Lebenskreise. Lehr- und Wanderjahre eines Ministerpräsidenten, Cologne and Vienna: Böhlau, 1984, (=Mitteldeutsche Forschungen; vol. 90), ISBN 3-412-05483-6.
- Erhard Hübener, "Liberales als soziale Verantwortung", in: LDP-Informationen; No. 3 (1949).
External links
- Hübener's Biography on Prignitzlexikon
- CV on the website of Erhard-Hübener-Stiftung
- "Hübener, Erhard", on: Biographische Datenbanken of the Bundesstiftung zur Aufarbeitung der SED-DiktaturBundesstiftung zur Aufarbeitung der SED-DiktaturThe Bundesstiftung zur Aufarbeitung der SED-Diktatur is a government-funded organisation established in 1998 by the German parliament.Its mandate is to assess the history of the socialist regime of the German Democratic Republic , and its impact on the now reunified Germany.As its logo, the...
.