Fritz Gerlich
Encyclopedia
Carl Albert Fritz Gerlich (15 February 1883 – 30 June 1934) was a German
journalist
and historian
, and one of the main journalistic resisters to Adolf Hitler
.
In 1902 he went to study mathematics and natural sciences, then history at the University of Munich and was an active member of the Free Students. After completing his studies with a doctorate with the dissertation “The Testament of Henry VI” (1907). Gerlich became an archivist and contributed articles in an anti-socialist
and national
-conservative vein in the publications Süddeutsche Monatshefte and (in 1917) Die Wirklichkeit. In 1917 he also became active in the Deutsche Vaterlandspartei. (German Fatherlands Party) and 1918/19 in the Antibolschewistische Liga (Anti-Bolshevist League)
as a type of redemption religion. A whole chapter is dedicated to denouncing anti-Semitism
, which had gained ground because of the leading positions of many Jews in the Revolution and Soviet Republic
.
During those years Gerlich’s political views become more liberal
. In 1920 he was nominated as candidate to the Bavarian Landtag and German Reichstag for the left-liberal Deutsche Demokratische Partei (German Democratic Party).
On 9 October 1920 he married Sophie Botzenhart, born Stempfle, in Munich
.
.
Gerlich opposed Nazism
and Hitler's Nazi Party as "murderous". In the early 1920s he had seen proof of Nazi tyranny already in Munich
. Once a conservative nationalist, after the 1923 Beer Hall Putsch
Gerlich decisively turned against Hitler, and became one of his fiercest critics.
, the mystic
and visionary of Konnersreuth
in Bavaria
, who supported Gerlich's resistance activities. Initially he wanted to expose the “swindle” of her stigmatism
, but Gerlich came back as a changed man and converted
from Calvinism
to Catholicism
in 1931. From that year until his death, his resistance became inspired by the social teachings of the Catholic Church.
In his newspaper Gerlich fought against Communism, National Socialism and anti-Semitism. The dispute with the growing Nazi movement became the central focus of Gerlich and his writing. At the end of 1932 the circulation was over 40,000 readers.
Gerlich once wrote “National Socialism means: Enmity with neighbouring nations, tyranny internally, civil war, world war, lies, hatred, fratricide and boundless want”.
in Germany on January 30, 1933, they quickly decided to remove Gerlich. He was arrested on March 9, 1933 and brought to the Dachau concentration camp, where he was murdered on June 30, 1934 during the Night of the Long Knives
.
by actor Matthew Modine
. In the film, as he dictates a front page article that warns of the danger that Hitler poses, Gerlich finishes with "the worst thing we can do, the absolute worst, is to do nothing." This line is inspired by a quote often incorrectly attributed to Edmund Burke
: "The only thing necessary for the triumph of evil is for good men to do nothing."
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...
journalist
Journalist
A journalist collects and distributes news and other information. A journalist's work is referred to as journalism.A reporter is a type of journalist who researchs, writes, and reports on information to be presented in mass media, including print media , electronic media , and digital media A...
and historian
Historian
A historian is a person who studies and writes about the past and is regarded as an authority on it. Historians are concerned with the continuous, methodical narrative and research of past events as relating to the human race; as well as the study of all history in time. If the individual is...
, and one of the main journalistic resisters to 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...
.
Early life
Gerlich was born in Stettin, Pomerania, and grew up as the eldest of the three sons of wholesale and retail fish monger Paul Gerlich and his wife Therese. In Autumn 1889 Gerlich was enrolled in the Marienstiftungymnasium (Our Lady's Grammar School). Four years later he changed to the senior level. In 1901 he received his school leaving certificate.In 1902 he went to study mathematics and natural sciences, then history at the University of Munich and was an active member of the Free Students. After completing his studies with a doctorate with the dissertation “The Testament of Henry VI” (1907). Gerlich became an archivist and contributed articles in an anti-socialist
Socialism
Socialism is an economic system characterized by social ownership of the means of production and cooperative management of the economy; or a political philosophy advocating such a system. "Social ownership" may refer to any one of, or a combination of, the following: cooperative enterprises,...
and national
Nationalism
Nationalism is a political ideology that involves a strong identification of a group of individuals with a political entity defined in national terms, i.e. a nation. In the 'modernist' image of the nation, it is nationalism that creates national identity. There are various definitions for what...
-conservative vein in the publications Süddeutsche Monatshefte and (in 1917) Die Wirklichkeit. In 1917 he also became active in the Deutsche Vaterlandspartei. (German Fatherlands Party) and 1918/19 in the Antibolschewistische Liga (Anti-Bolshevist League)
Career
In 1919 he published the book Der Kommunismus als Lehre vom Tausendjährigen Reich (Communism as the Theory of the Thousand Year Reich), where Gerlich categorises communismCommunism
Communism is a social, political and economic ideology that aims at the establishment of a classless, moneyless, revolutionary and stateless socialist society structured upon common ownership of the means of production...
as a type of redemption religion. A whole chapter is dedicated to denouncing anti-Semitism
Anti-Semitism
Antisemitism is suspicion of, hatred toward, or discrimination against Jews for reasons connected to their Jewish heritage. According to a 2005 U.S...
, which had gained ground because of the leading positions of many Jews in the Revolution and Soviet Republic
Republics of the Soviet Union
The Republics of the Soviet Union or the Union Republics of the Soviet Union were ethnically-based administrative units that were subordinated directly to the Government of the Soviet Union...
.
During those years Gerlich’s political views become more liberal
Liberalism
Liberalism is the belief in the importance of liberty and equal rights. Liberals espouse a wide array of views depending on their understanding of these principles, but generally, liberals support ideas such as constitutionalism, liberal democracy, free and fair elections, human rights,...
. In 1920 he was nominated as candidate to the Bavarian Landtag and German Reichstag for the left-liberal Deutsche Demokratische Partei (German Democratic Party).
On 9 October 1920 he married Sophie Botzenhart, born Stempfle, 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...
.
Editor in chief of the Münchner Neueste Nachrichten
From 1920 to 1928 he was editor in chief of the Münchner Neueste Nachrichten (MNN), a predecessor publication of today’s Süddeutsche ZeitungSüddeutsche Zeitung
The Süddeutsche Zeitung , published in Munich, is the largest German national subscription daily newspaper.-Profile:The title literally translates as "South German Newspaper". It is read throughout Germany by 1.1 million readers daily and boasts a relatively high circulation abroad...
.
Gerlich opposed Nazism
Nazism
Nazism, the common short form name of National Socialism was the ideology and practice of the Nazi Party and of Nazi Germany...
and Hitler's Nazi Party as "murderous". In the early 1920s he had seen proof of Nazi tyranny already 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...
. Once a conservative nationalist, after the 1923 Beer Hall Putsch
Beer Hall Putsch
The Beer Hall Putsch was a failed attempt at revolution that occurred between the evening of 8 November and the early afternoon of 9 November 1923, when Nazi Party leader Adolf Hitler, Generalquartiermeister Erich Ludendorff, and other heads of the Kampfbund unsuccessfully tried to seize power...
Gerlich decisively turned against Hitler, and became one of his fiercest critics.
Friendship with Therese Neumann
In 1927 he had befriended Therese NeumannTherese Neumann
Therese Neumann was a German Catholic mystic and stigmatic.She was born in the village of Konnersreuth in Bavaria, Germany, where she lived all her life. She was born into a large family with little income. She was a member of the Third Order of St...
, the mystic
Mysticism
Mysticism is the knowledge of, and especially the personal experience of, states of consciousness, i.e. levels of being, beyond normal human perception, including experience and even communion with a supreme being.-Classical origins:...
and visionary of Konnersreuth
Konnersreuth
Konnersreuth is a municipality in the district of Tirschenreuth in Bavaria, Germany.It is situated in the northeast foothills of the Steinwald mountains between the Fichtelgebirge mountains and the Upper Palatinate Forest, close to the Czech border...
in Bavaria
Bavaria
Bavaria, formally the Free State of Bavaria is a state of Germany, located in the southeast of Germany. With an area of , it is the largest state by area, forming almost 20% of the total land area of Germany...
, who supported Gerlich's resistance activities. Initially he wanted to expose the “swindle” of her stigmatism
Stigmatism
In geometric optics, stigmatism refers to the image-formation property of an optical system which focuses a single point source in object space into a single point in image space. Two such points are called a stigmatic pair of the optical system. Many optical systems, even those exhibiting optical...
, but Gerlich came back as a changed man and converted
Religious conversion
Religious conversion is the adoption of a new religion that differs from the convert's previous religion. Changing from one denomination to another within the same religion is usually described as reaffiliation rather than conversion.People convert to a different religion for various reasons,...
from Calvinism
Calvinism
Calvinism is a Protestant theological system and an approach to the Christian life...
to Catholicism
Roman Catholic Church
The Catholic Church, also known as the Roman Catholic Church, is the world's largest Christian church, with over a billion members. Led by the Pope, it defines its mission as spreading the gospel of Jesus Christ, administering the sacraments and exercising charity...
in 1931. From that year until his death, his resistance became inspired by the social teachings of the Catholic Church.
The Straight Path newspaper
Gerlich returned in November 1929 to his job at the Bavarian National Archives. A circle of friends that had developed around Therese Neumann gave rise to the idea of founding a political weekly newspaper in order to dispute the left and right political extremism in Germany. Supported by a wealthy patron, Prince Erich Waldburg-Zeil, Gerlich was able to overtake the weekly newspaper Der Illustrierte Sonntag, which was renamed Der gerade Weg (the straight path) in 1932.In his newspaper Gerlich fought against Communism, National Socialism and anti-Semitism. The dispute with the growing Nazi movement became the central focus of Gerlich and his writing. At the end of 1932 the circulation was over 40,000 readers.
Gerlich once wrote “National Socialism means: Enmity with neighbouring nations, tyranny internally, civil war, world war, lies, hatred, fratricide and boundless want”.
Arrest and death in the Dachau concentration camp
After the Nazis seized powerMachtergreifung
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 Germany on January 30, 1933, they quickly decided to remove Gerlich. He was arrested on March 9, 1933 and brought to the Dachau concentration camp, where he was murdered on June 30, 1934 during the Night of the Long Knives
Night of the Long Knives
The Night of the Long Knives , sometimes called "Operation Hummingbird " or in Germany the "Röhm-Putsch," was a purge that took place in Nazi Germany between June 30 and July 2, 1934, when the Nazi regime carried out a series of political murders...
.
Fictional portrayals
He was portrayed in the TV movie Hitler: The Rise of EvilHitler: The Rise of Evil
Hitler: The Rise of Evil is a Canadian TV miniseries in two parts, directed by Christian Duguay and produced by Alliance Atlantis. It explores Adolf Hitler's rise and his early consolidation of power during the years after World War I and focuses on how the embittered, politically fragmented and...
by actor Matthew Modine
Matthew Modine
Matthew Avery Modine is an award-winning American actor. His film roles include Private Joker in Stanley Kubrick's Full Metal Jacket, the title character in Alan Parker's Birdy, high school wrestler Louden Swain in Vision Quest, football star turned spy Alec McCall in Funky Monkey and the...
. In the film, as he dictates a front page article that warns of the danger that Hitler poses, Gerlich finishes with "the worst thing we can do, the absolute worst, is to do nothing." This line is inspired by a quote often incorrectly attributed to Edmund Burke
Edmund Burke
Edmund Burke PC was an Irish statesman, author, orator, political theorist and philosopher who, after moving to England, served for many years in the House of Commons of Great Britain as a member of the Whig party....
: "The only thing necessary for the triumph of evil is for good men to do nothing."
External links
- Fritz Gerlich memorial website www.gerlich.com