Hans Paasche
Encyclopedia
Hans Paasche was a German politician
and pacifist. He was the son of the Reichstag
vice president Hermann Paasche
and Lisi Paasche, and was married to Gabrielle (Ellen) Witting.
An Imperial Navy
officer and combative pacifist, Hans Paasche was also a big game hunter and nature conservationist
, explorer of Africa and life reformer
, alcohol abstainer
and vegetarian, author
and revolutionary
. His brief but active life was marked by attempts to change the Prussian Deutschland-über-alles military mindset.
His first experience with war was at the German African military campaign in the German East Africa
colonies, where he learned first hand the horror and futility of war. In 1905, Paasche becomes commander in chief in the Rufiji-region, now southern Tanzania
. His command was decisive, but he also took pains to reach a swift pacification. Refugees and defeated Africans found medical help and shelter at his headquarters at Mtanza. He was decorated with the Order of the Crown with Swords, but was removed from command because of his independent peace negotiations. His experiences during the uprising
and his guilty feelings over his actions changed his life forever.
After his return to Germany, in 1908 he married Ellen Witting, daughter of Richard Witting
, director of the National Bank of Germany and former Lord Mayor of Posen (Poznan
). His honeymoon trip brought him back to Africa, where he undertook a major expedition with his wife Ellen, who became the first European woman to reach the source of the Nile
and the first to ascend Kilimanjaro, as well as the recently erupted volcano Nylragongo.
Paasche published his first book: “Im Morgenlicht”, which contained impressions of war and of hunting in Africa, but also valuable ethnographical materials. Paasche's fictional series of letters Lukanga Mukara offer a look at Germany through the eyes of an educated African and mock the decadence of the early pre-World War I Germany. His satirical parody of German lifestyles and attitudes gained immediate popularity. Hans Paasche became one of the most charismatic public figures of the German Empire
, well known for openly advocating his provocative ideas.
Still in uniform but not on active duty, he undertook an assault on the many wrongs that he saw in the German society and its military obsessions
. This brought him many avid listeners and readers, especially among the young. It also brought him vilification, including that of his own father, and the dangerous attention of military prosecutors.
A high treason
prosecution was conducted against him by Abteilung IIIb, the intelligence service of the General Staff led by Colonel Walter Nikolai. The trial ended in 1918 with a negotiated admission into a mental health institution. He was released at the end of 1918, and continued his work as a radical journalist. He served a brief term in the Berlin Worker’s and Soldier’s Council and tried in vain to organize a national court. Eventually he was forced out by right-wing social democrats
.
After the sudden death of his wife Ellen at twenty nine, he retreated to his estate at Waldfrieden to take care of his four young children, Jochen, Nils, Helga and Ivan. Nevertheless, he still took part in national and international campaigns for peace, understanding among nations, and a League of Nations
. His estate Waldfrieden becomes a shelter for hunted revolutionaries.
His assassination was ultimately decreed by the ultra-nationalist death squad
Organisation Consul
. In 1920, at the age of 39, he was shot by a commando of sixty soldiers from District Command III while supposedly trying to escape. The soldiers had mounted the operation under an anonymous call with the pretense of finding a hidden weapons cache, which was never found. Few were prosecuted and none were convicted.
Rosa Luxemburg
wrote about him in November 1917 from her Breslau prison cell to her friend Clara Zetkin
: "Isn't it wonderful to suddenly find real human beings--Mensch
en--in circles where one would least expect to find them?".
In 1985, Helga Paasche removed the tombstone of her father from Waldfrieden to the archives of the German Youth Movement
on Ludwigstein Castle, where it is part of a permanent Hans-Paasche-exhibition.
His life has been extensively documented by his daughter, Helga Paasche, the author Werner Lange and his grandson Dr. Gottfried Paasche (for many years a professor of sociology
at Canada's York University
), among others.
Politician
A politician, political leader, or political figure is an individual who is involved in influencing public policy and decision making...
and pacifist. He was the son of the Reichstag
Reichstag (German Empire)
The Reichstag was the parliament of the North German Confederation , and of the German Reich ....
vice president Hermann Paasche
Hermann Paasche
Hermann Paasche was a German statistician and economist. He is known for his Paasche Index, which provides a calculation of the Price Index. Paasche studied economics, agriculture, statistics and philosophy at University of Halle. In 1879, he became a professor of political science at Aachen...
and Lisi Paasche, and was married to Gabrielle (Ellen) Witting.
An Imperial Navy
Kaiserliche Marine
The Imperial German Navy was the German Navy created at the time of the formation of the German Empire. It existed between 1871 and 1919, growing out of the small Prussian Navy and Norddeutsche Bundesmarine, which primarily had the mission of coastal defense. Kaiser Wilhelm II greatly expanded...
officer and combative pacifist, Hans Paasche was also a big game hunter and nature conservationist
Conservationist
Conservationists are proponents or advocates of conservation. They advocate for the protection of all the species in an ecosystem with a strong focus on the natural environment...
, explorer of Africa and life reformer
Reform movement
A reform movement is a kind of social movement that aims to make gradual change, or change in certain aspects of society, rather than rapid or fundamental changes...
, alcohol abstainer
Teetotalism
Teetotalism refers to either the practice of or the promotion of complete abstinence from alcoholic beverages. A person who practices teetotalism is called a teetotaler or is simply said to be teetotal...
and vegetarian, author
Author
An author is broadly defined as "the person who originates or gives existence to anything" and that authorship determines responsibility for what is created. Narrowly defined, an author is the originator of any written work.-Legal significance:...
and revolutionary
Revolutionary
A revolutionary is a person who either actively participates in, or advocates revolution. Also, when used as an adjective, the term revolutionary refers to something that has a major, sudden impact on society or on some aspect of human endeavor.-Definition:...
. His brief but active life was marked by attempts to change the Prussian Deutschland-über-alles military mindset.
His first experience with war was at the German African military campaign in the German East Africa
German East Africa
German East Africa was a German colony in East Africa, which included what are now :Burundi, :Rwanda and Tanganyika . Its area was , nearly three times the size of Germany today....
colonies, where he learned first hand the horror and futility of war. In 1905, Paasche becomes commander in chief in the Rufiji-region, now southern Tanzania
Tanzania
The United Republic of Tanzania is a country in East Africa bordered by Kenya and Uganda to the north, Rwanda, Burundi, and the Democratic Republic of the Congo to the west, and Zambia, Malawi, and Mozambique to the south. The country's eastern borders lie on the Indian Ocean.Tanzania is a state...
. His command was decisive, but he also took pains to reach a swift pacification. Refugees and defeated Africans found medical help and shelter at his headquarters at Mtanza. He was decorated with the Order of the Crown with Swords, but was removed from command because of his independent peace negotiations. His experiences during the uprising
Maji Maji Rebellion
The Maji Maji Rebellion, sometimes called the Maji Maji War, was a violent African resistance to colonial rule in the German colony of Tanganyika, an uprising by several African indigenous communities in German East Africa against the German rule in response to a German policy designed to force...
and his guilty feelings over his actions changed his life forever.
After his return to Germany, in 1908 he married Ellen Witting, daughter of Richard Witting
Richard Witting
Richard Witting was a Prussian politician and financier. He was mayor of Poznań in 1891–1902. From 1902-1910 he was director of Nationalbank für Deutschland .- References :...
, director of the National Bank of Germany and former Lord Mayor of Posen (Poznan
Poznan
Poznań is a city on the Warta river in west-central Poland, with a population of 556,022 in June 2009. It is among the oldest cities in Poland, and was one of the most important centres in the early Polish state, whose first rulers were buried at Poznań's cathedral. It is sometimes claimed to be...
). His honeymoon trip brought him back to Africa, where he undertook a major expedition with his wife Ellen, who became the first European woman to reach the source of the Nile
Nile
The Nile is a major north-flowing river in North Africa, generally regarded as the longest river in the world. It is long. It runs through the ten countries of Sudan, South Sudan, Burundi, Rwanda, Democratic Republic of the Congo, Tanzania, Kenya, Ethiopia, Uganda and Egypt.The Nile has two major...
and the first to ascend Kilimanjaro, as well as the recently erupted volcano Nylragongo.
Paasche published his first book: “Im Morgenlicht”, which contained impressions of war and of hunting in Africa, but also valuable ethnographical materials. Paasche's fictional series of letters Lukanga Mukara offer a look at Germany through the eyes of an educated African and mock the decadence of the early pre-World War I Germany. His satirical parody of German lifestyles and attitudes gained immediate popularity. Hans Paasche became one of the most charismatic public figures of the German Empire
German Empire
The German Empire refers to Germany during the "Second Reich" period from the unification of Germany and proclamation of Wilhelm I as German Emperor on 18 January 1871, to 1918, when it became a federal republic after defeat in World War I and the abdication of the Emperor, Wilhelm II.The German...
, well known for openly advocating his provocative ideas.
Still in uniform but not on active duty, he undertook an assault on the many wrongs that he saw in the German society and its military obsessions
Militarism
Militarism is defined as: the belief or desire of a government or people that a country should maintain a strong military capability and be prepared to use it aggressively to defend or promote national interests....
. This brought him many avid listeners and readers, especially among the young. It also brought him vilification, including that of his own father, and the dangerous attention of military prosecutors.
A high treason
High treason
High treason is criminal disloyalty to one's government. Participating in a war against one's native country, attempting to overthrow its government, spying on its military, its diplomats, or its secret services for a hostile and foreign power, or attempting to kill its head of state are perhaps...
prosecution was conducted against him by Abteilung IIIb, the intelligence service of the General Staff led by Colonel Walter Nikolai. The trial ended in 1918 with a negotiated admission into a mental health institution. He was released at the end of 1918, and continued his work as a radical journalist. He served a brief term in the Berlin Worker’s and Soldier’s Council and tried in vain to organize a national court. Eventually he was forced out by right-wing social democrats
Social Democratic Party of Germany
The Social Democratic Party of Germany is a social-democratic political party in Germany...
.
After the sudden death of his wife Ellen at twenty nine, he retreated to his estate at Waldfrieden to take care of his four young children, Jochen, Nils, Helga and Ivan. Nevertheless, he still took part in national and international campaigns for peace, understanding among nations, and a League of Nations
League of Nations
The League of Nations was an intergovernmental organization founded as a result of the Paris Peace Conference that ended the First World War. It was the first permanent international organization whose principal mission was to maintain world peace...
. His estate Waldfrieden becomes a shelter for hunted revolutionaries.
His assassination was ultimately decreed by the ultra-nationalist death squad
Death squad
A death squad is an armed military, police, insurgent, or terrorist squad that conducts extrajudicial killings, assassinations, and forced disappearances of persons as part of a war, insurgency or terror campaign...
Organisation Consul
Organisation Consul
Organisation Consul was an ultra-nationalist force operating in Germany in 1921 and 1922. It was formed by members of the Marinebrigade Ehrhardt, a Freikorps unit which disbanded after the Kapp Putsch failed to overthrow the German Weimar Republic...
. In 1920, at the age of 39, he was shot by a commando of sixty soldiers from District Command III while supposedly trying to escape. The soldiers had mounted the operation under an anonymous call with the pretense of finding a hidden weapons cache, which was never found. Few were prosecuted and none were convicted.
Rosa Luxemburg
Rosa Luxemburg
Rosa Luxemburg was a Marxist theorist, philosopher, economist and activist of Polish Jewish descent who became a naturalized German citizen...
wrote about him in November 1917 from her Breslau prison cell to her friend Clara Zetkin
Clara Zetkin
Clara Zetkin was a German Marxist theorist, activist, and fighter for women's rights. In 1910, she organized the first International Women's Day....
: "Isn't it wonderful to suddenly find real human beings--Mensch
Mensch
Mensch means "a person of integrity and honor". The opposite of a "mensch" is an "unmensch" . According to Leo Rosten, the Yiddish maven and author of The Joys of Yiddish, "mensch" is "someone to admire and emulate, someone of noble character...
en--in circles where one would least expect to find them?".
In 1985, Helga Paasche removed the tombstone of her father from Waldfrieden to the archives of the German Youth Movement
German Youth Movement
The German Youth Movement is a collective term for a cultural and educational movement that started in 1896. It consists of numerous associations of young people that focus on outdoor activities. The movement included German Scouting and the Wandervogel...
on Ludwigstein Castle, where it is part of a permanent Hans-Paasche-exhibition.
His life has been extensively documented by his daughter, Helga Paasche, the author Werner Lange and his grandson Dr. Gottfried Paasche (for many years a professor of sociology
Sociology
Sociology is the study of society. It is a social science—a term with which it is sometimes synonymous—which uses various methods of empirical investigation and critical analysis to develop a body of knowledge about human social activity...
at Canada's York University
York University
York University is a public research university in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. It is Canada's third-largest university, Ontario's second-largest graduate school, and Canada's leading interdisciplinary university....
), among others.
External links
- http://hanspaascheen.wordpress.com/chronology-by-werner-lange-2/