Ernst Torgler
Encyclopedia
Ernst Torgler was a controversial member of the Communist Party of Germany
(KPD) prior to World War II
and a defendant in the Reichstag Fire
Trial.
, where he attended school from 1904 to 1907. In 1907, he joined the Association of Apprentices and Juvenile Workers of Berlin. From 1909 to 1925, Torgler held a variety of different jobs, working most notably as a salesman and accountant. Torgler got his start in politics in 1910 when he joined the Social Democratic Party of Germany
. After serving in the military during World War I
, Torgler became a member of the Independent Social Democratic Party of Germany
. In 1920, Torgler joined the Communist Party of Germany
when the USPD
merged with the KPD. A year later, Torgler became a town councilor in Berlin-Lichtenberg
(a position he held until 1930) and got elected to the Reichstag
in 1924 as a member of the KPD.
Torgler subsequently became deputy chairman of the KPD Reichstag faction in 1927 and chairman in 1929, a position which made him one of the most powerful members of the party. From 1932 to 1933, Torgler published the KPD Reichstag newssheet “the Red Voter” with Wilhelm Pieck
. Torgler’s political career ended in February 1933, however, when the Reichstag was set on fire. Against the wishes of the KPD leadership, Torgler voluntarily handed himself over to the police on February 28 (the day after the fire) when Hermann Göring
issued a warrant for his arrest. Torgler was kept in custody without being charged until July 1933, at which time he was charged with arson and treason. Torgler and his fellow defendants were tried from 21 September to 23 December, after which time Torgler was acquitted due to a lack of evidence against him.
Following the Reichstag Fire
Trial, Torgler was put into “protective custody” by the police until 1935. After being released, he assumed a pseudonym and moved away from Berlin. The KPD leadership (now in Brussels
as a result of being persecuted by the Nazis) subsequently stripped Torgler of his party membership and leadership positions as a result of his surrender to the police. In 1938, Torgler worked for a company called Elektrolux
, during which time he was watched carefully by the SD
. In June 1940, Torgler surprisingly began working for the Nazi Propaganda Ministry, although he may have been forced to do so in order to keep his son Kurt (who was being held in custody by the government) safe from harm. In 1941, after Nazi Germany
invaded the Soviet Union
, Torgler ironically worked on anti-Bolshevik propaganda at the behest of Joseph Goebbels
. Later that year, Torgler worked in Czechoslovakia
on the staff of Reinhard Heydrich
. After the 20 July Plot against on Adolf Hitler
in 1944, an arrest warrant was issued for Torgler, who at the time was still working for the propaganda ministry. Torgler, by his own account, was only spared from being arrested due to his boss vouching for his loyalty. Following this incident, Torgler worked in Poland
for a time until being transferred by the Nazis to the town of Bückeburg
where he worked in the town’s administration.
After World War II, he was de-nazified immediately and landed a nice job with the administration of Bueckeburg, by help of the US Army, when otherwise unemployment was high. Torgler, through roughest waters of German history managed to permanently keep himself in a well-paid position. Following World War II
, Torgler angrily dismissed charges against him that stated that he had willingly cooperated with the Nazis. He tried to join the communist party but was rejected. In 1949, he became a member of the SPD
and in 1950 moved to Bückeburg, where he drifted into obscurity. He died in Hanover
in 1963.
Communist Party of Germany
The Communist Party of Germany was a major political party in Germany between 1918 and 1933, and a minor party in West Germany in the postwar period until it was banned in 1956...
(KPD) prior to 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 a defendant in the Reichstag Fire
Reichstag fire
The Reichstag fire was an arson attack on the Reichstag building in Berlin on 27 February 1933. The event is seen as pivotal in the establishment of Nazi Germany....
Trial.
Biography
Torgler was born the son of an urbanite in BerlinBerlin
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...
, where he attended school from 1904 to 1907. In 1907, he joined the Association of Apprentices and Juvenile Workers of Berlin. From 1909 to 1925, Torgler held a variety of different jobs, working most notably as a salesman and accountant. Torgler got his start in politics in 1910 when he joined the Social Democratic Party of Germany
Social Democratic Party of Germany
The Social Democratic Party of Germany is a social-democratic political party in Germany...
. After serving in the military during 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...
, Torgler became a member of the Independent Social Democratic Party of Germany
Independent Social Democratic Party of Germany
The Independent Social Democratic Party of Germany was a short-lived political party in Germany during the Second Reich and the Weimar Republic. The organization was established in 1917 as the result of a split of left wing members of the Social Democratic Party of Germany...
. In 1920, Torgler joined the Communist Party of Germany
Communist Party of Germany
The Communist Party of Germany was a major political party in Germany between 1918 and 1933, and a minor party in West Germany in the postwar period until it was banned in 1956...
when the USPD
Independent Social Democratic Party of Germany
The Independent Social Democratic Party of Germany was a short-lived political party in Germany during the Second Reich and the Weimar Republic. The organization was established in 1917 as the result of a split of left wing members of the Social Democratic Party of Germany...
merged with the KPD. A year later, Torgler became a town councilor in Berlin-Lichtenberg
Lichtenberg
Lichtenberg is the eleventh borough of Berlin, Germany. In Berlin's 2001 administrative reform it absorbed the former borough of Hohenschönhausen.-Overview:...
(a position he held until 1930) and got elected to 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...
in 1924 as a member of the KPD.
Torgler subsequently became deputy chairman of the KPD Reichstag faction in 1927 and chairman in 1929, a position which made him one of the most powerful members of the party. From 1932 to 1933, Torgler published the KPD Reichstag newssheet “the Red Voter” with Wilhelm Pieck
Wilhelm Pieck
Friedrich Wilhelm Reinhold Pieck was a German politician and a Communist. In 1949, he became the first President of the German Democratic Republic, an office abolished upon his death. He was succeeded by Walter Ulbricht, who served as Chairman of the Council of States.-Biography:Pieck was born to...
. Torgler’s political career ended in February 1933, however, when the Reichstag was set on fire. Against the wishes of the KPD leadership, Torgler voluntarily handed himself over to the police on February 28 (the day after the fire) when 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"...
issued a warrant for his arrest. Torgler was kept in custody without being charged until July 1933, at which time he was charged with arson and treason. Torgler and his fellow defendants were tried from 21 September to 23 December, after which time Torgler was acquitted due to a lack of evidence against him.
Following the Reichstag Fire
Reichstag fire
The Reichstag fire was an arson attack on the Reichstag building in Berlin on 27 February 1933. The event is seen as pivotal in the establishment of Nazi Germany....
Trial, Torgler was put into “protective custody” by the police until 1935. After being released, he assumed a pseudonym and moved away from Berlin. The KPD leadership (now in Brussels
Brussels
Brussels , officially the Brussels Region or Brussels-Capital Region , is the capital of Belgium and the de facto capital of the European Union...
as a result of being persecuted by the Nazis) subsequently stripped Torgler of his party membership and leadership positions as a result of his surrender to the police. In 1938, Torgler worked for a company called Elektrolux
Electrolux
The Electrolux Group is a Swedish appliance maker.As of 2010 the 2nd largest home appliance manufacturer in the world after Whirlpool, its products sell under a variety of brand names including its own and are primarily major appliances and vacuum cleaners...
, during which time he was watched carefully by the SD
Sicherheitsdienst
Sicherheitsdienst , full title Sicherheitsdienst des Reichsführers-SS, or SD, was the intelligence agency of the SS and the Nazi Party in Nazi Germany. The organization was the first Nazi Party intelligence organization to be established and was often considered a "sister organization" with the...
. In June 1940, Torgler surprisingly began working for the Nazi Propaganda Ministry, although he may have been forced to do so in order to keep his son Kurt (who was being held in custody by the government) safe from harm. In 1941, after 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...
invaded the Soviet Union
Soviet Union
The Soviet Union , officially the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics , was a constitutionally socialist state that existed in Eurasia between 1922 and 1991....
, Torgler ironically worked on anti-Bolshevik propaganda at the behest of Joseph Goebbels
Joseph Goebbels
Paul Joseph Goebbels was a German politician and Reich Minister of Propaganda in Nazi Germany from 1933 to 1945. As one of Adolf Hitler's closest associates and most devout followers, he was known for his zealous oratory and anti-Semitism...
. Later that year, Torgler worked in Czechoslovakia
Czechoslovakia
Czechoslovakia or Czecho-Slovakia was a sovereign state in Central Europe which existed from October 1918, when it declared its independence from the Austro-Hungarian Empire, until 1992...
on the staff of Reinhard Heydrich
Reinhard Heydrich
Reinhard Tristan Eugen Heydrich , also known as The Hangman, was a high-ranking German Nazi official.He was SS-Obergruppenführer and General der Polizei, chief of the Reich Main Security Office and Stellvertretender Reichsprotektor of Bohemia and Moravia...
. After the 20 July Plot against on 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...
in 1944, an arrest warrant was issued for Torgler, who at the time was still working for the propaganda ministry. Torgler, by his own account, was only spared from being arrested due to his boss vouching for his loyalty. Following this incident, Torgler worked in Poland
Poland
Poland , officially the Republic of Poland , is a country in Central Europe bordered by Germany to the west; the Czech Republic and Slovakia to the south; Ukraine, Belarus and Lithuania to the east; and the Baltic Sea and Kaliningrad Oblast, a Russian exclave, to the north...
for a time until being transferred by the Nazis to the town of Bückeburg
Bückeburg
Bückeburg is a town in Lower Saxony, Germany, on the border with North Rhine Westphalia. It was once the capital of the tiny principality of Schaumburg-Lippe and is today located in the district of Schaumburg close to the northern slopes of the Weserbergland ridge...
where he worked in the town’s administration.
After World War II, he was de-nazified immediately and landed a nice job with the administration of Bueckeburg, by help of the US Army, when otherwise unemployment was high. Torgler, through roughest waters of German history managed to permanently keep himself in a well-paid position. Following 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...
, Torgler angrily dismissed charges against him that stated that he had willingly cooperated with the Nazis. He tried to join the communist party but was rejected. In 1949, he became a member of the SPD
Social Democratic Party of Germany
The Social Democratic Party of Germany is a social-democratic political party in Germany...
and in 1950 moved to Bückeburg, where he drifted into obscurity. He died in Hanover
Hanover
Hanover or Hannover, on the river Leine, is the capital of the federal state of Lower Saxony , Germany and was once by personal union the family seat of the Hanoverian Kings of Great Britain, under their title as the dukes of Brunswick-Lüneburg...
in 1963.