Franz Burri
Encyclopedia
Franz Burri was a Swiss
political figure who, from his base in Germany
, became the leading disseminater of Nazi propaganda
in the country.
Born in Lucerne
, to a half-German working class family, Burri was a supporter of Nazi Germany
from an early age and frequently visited the country during the 1930s. He came to full time activism in 1941 by forming his own Bund der Schweizer in Grossdeutschland (League of the Swiss in Greater Germany), calling for a very close relationship between his country and Nazi Germany
. Known for his crude language and his fondness for wearing the brown uniform of the Sturmabteilung
, his hopes for a career in the SS were dashed when Reinhard Heydrich
deemed him unsuitable. Also involved in the larger National Movement of Switzerland
, Burri quit this organisation after the rejection of his SS application in 1941 to set up his own Nationalsozialistischer Schweizerbund (NSSB), although he moved to Germany full-time soon after this and ran a sister group, the Nationalsozialistische Bewegung in der Schweiz, from there. Both of the groups were funded directly by Germany.
Following his move to Germany Burri took up his role as the leading producer of Nazi propaganda for the Swiss market. From his base in Frankfurt
, he produced the International Presseagentur, a newspaper funded by the Nazis. Within its pages Burri and his fellow writers, notably his closest ally and NSSB chief Ernst Leonhardt
, called for a Union of the German Peoples in which Switzerland would be absorbed into the Third Reich in the same way that Austria
had been. Having taken up German citizenship, he was symbolically stripped of his Swiss status in 1943.
After the war Burri was returned to Switzerland where, in 1948, he was sentenced to 20 years imprisonment for speaking against the independence of the country. Burri was freed in 1959 and lived until 1987.
Switzerland
Switzerland name of one of the Swiss cantons. ; ; ; or ), in its full name the Swiss Confederation , is a federal republic consisting of 26 cantons, with Bern as the seat of the federal authorities. The country is situated in Western Europe,Or Central Europe depending on the definition....
political figure who, from his base in Germany
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...
, became the leading disseminater of Nazi propaganda
Propaganda
Propaganda is a form of communication that is aimed at influencing the attitude of a community toward some cause or position so as to benefit oneself or one's group....
in the country.
Born in Lucerne
Lucerne
Lucerne is a city in north-central Switzerland, in the German-speaking portion of that country. Lucerne is the capital of the Canton of Lucerne and the capital of the district of the same name. With a population of about 76,200 people, Lucerne is the most populous city in Central Switzerland, and...
, to a half-German working class family, Burri was a supporter of 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...
from an early age and frequently visited the country during the 1930s. He came to full time activism in 1941 by forming his own Bund der Schweizer in Grossdeutschland (League of the Swiss in Greater Germany), calling for a very close relationship between his country and 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...
. Known for his crude language and his fondness for wearing the brown uniform of the Sturmabteilung
Sturmabteilung
The Sturmabteilung functioned as a paramilitary organization of the National Socialist German Workers' Party . It played a key role in Adolf Hitler's rise to power in the 1920s and 1930s...
, his hopes for a career in the SS were dashed when 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...
deemed him unsuitable. Also involved in the larger National Movement of Switzerland
National Movement of Switzerland
The National Movement of Switzerland was a Nazi umbrella group formed in Switzerland in 1940.The NBS had its roots in the 1938 foundation of the Bund Treuer Eidgenossen Nationalsozialistischer Weltanschauung by Rolf Henne after he was removed from the leadership of the National Front by the more...
, Burri quit this organisation after the rejection of his SS application in 1941 to set up his own Nationalsozialistischer Schweizerbund (NSSB), although he moved to Germany full-time soon after this and ran a sister group, the Nationalsozialistische Bewegung in der Schweiz, from there. Both of the groups were funded directly by Germany.
Following his move to Germany Burri took up his role as the leading producer of Nazi propaganda for the Swiss market. From his base in Frankfurt
Frankfurt
Frankfurt am Main , commonly known simply as Frankfurt, is the largest city in the German state of Hesse and the fifth-largest city in Germany, with a 2010 population of 688,249. The urban area had an estimated population of 2,300,000 in 2010...
, he produced the International Presseagentur, a newspaper funded by the Nazis. Within its pages Burri and his fellow writers, notably his closest ally and NSSB chief Ernst Leonhardt
Ernst Leonhardt
Ernst Leonhardt was an American-born Swiss military figure and pro-Nazi Germany politician.- Biography :...
, called for a Union of the German Peoples in which Switzerland would be absorbed into the Third Reich in the same way that Austria
Austria
Austria , officially the Republic of Austria , is a landlocked country of roughly 8.4 million people in Central Europe. It is bordered by the Czech Republic and Germany to the north, Slovakia and Hungary to the east, Slovenia and Italy to the south, and Switzerland and Liechtenstein to the...
had been. Having taken up German citizenship, he was symbolically stripped of his Swiss status in 1943.
After the war Burri was returned to Switzerland where, in 1948, he was sentenced to 20 years imprisonment for speaking against the independence of the country. Burri was freed in 1959 and lived until 1987.