Heinrich Class
Encyclopedia
Heinrich Claß was a German
right-wing politician and president of the Pan-German League from 1908 to 1939. He is commonly known for his books about far-right policy, written under the pseudonym Daniel Frymann or Einhart. The most famous of these was his 1912 book Wenn ich der Kaiser wär (If I were the emperor), in which he agitates for imperialism
, Pan-Germanism
and Antisemitism.
Claß studied Law
in Berlin
, Freiburg
and Giessen
up to 1891. In 1894, he settled to Mainz
as a lawyer. In 1897, he became a member of the Pan-German League, where he was elected to the directorate in 1901. After becoming the president in 1908, he began to change the direction of the League to more radical positions. Thus, he came into sharp conflict with Theobald von Bethmann Hollweg, especially in the Agadir Crisis
in 1911, where the League showed its radical positions. In the same year, he was one of the founding members of the German Army Society, trying to push the armament of Germany.
During World War I
, Claß clamoured for the annexion of Belgium
. In 1917, he founded the Deutsche Vaterlandspartei
together with Alfred von Tirpitz
and Wolfgang Kapp
.
After 1918, Claß met Adolf Hitler
and supported his putsch
in 1923. In 1931, he was one of the founding members of the Harzburger Front. From 1933 to 1939, Claß was a member of the NSDAP in the Reichstag
. It's noteworthy that Claß's radical imperialism
and Pan-Germanism
as well as his Antisemitism had a significant influence on the Nazis.
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...
right-wing politician and president of the Pan-German League from 1908 to 1939. He is commonly known for his books about far-right policy, written under the pseudonym Daniel Frymann or Einhart. The most famous of these was his 1912 book Wenn ich der Kaiser wär (If I were the emperor), in which he agitates for imperialism
Imperialism
Imperialism, as defined by Dictionary of Human Geography, is "the creation and/or maintenance of an unequal economic, cultural, and territorial relationships, usually between states and often in the form of an empire, based on domination and subordination." The imperialism of the last 500 years,...
, Pan-Germanism
Pan-Germanism
Pan-Germanism is a pan-nationalist political idea. Pan-Germanists originally sought to unify the German-speaking populations of Europe in a single nation-state known as Großdeutschland , where "German-speaking" was taken to include the Low German, Frisian and Dutch-speaking populations of the Low...
and Antisemitism.
Claß studied Law
Law
Law is a system of rules and guidelines which are enforced through social institutions to govern behavior, wherever possible. It shapes politics, economics and society in numerous ways and serves as a social mediator of relations between people. Contract law regulates everything from buying a bus...
in Berlin
Humboldt University of Berlin
The Humboldt University of Berlin is Berlin's oldest university, founded in 1810 as the University of Berlin by the liberal Prussian educational reformer and linguist Wilhelm von Humboldt, whose university model has strongly influenced other European and Western universities...
, Freiburg
University of Freiburg
The University of Freiburg , sometimes referred to in English as the Albert Ludwig University of Freiburg, is a public research university located in Freiburg im Breisgau, Baden-Württemberg, Germany.The university was founded in 1457 by the Habsburg dynasty as the...
and Giessen
University of Giessen
The University of Giessen is officially called the Justus Liebig University Giessen after its most famous faculty member, Justus von Liebig, the founder of modern agricultural chemistry and inventor of artificial fertiliser.-History:The University of Gießen is among the oldest institutions of...
up to 1891. In 1894, he settled to Mainz
Mainz
Mainz under the Holy Roman Empire, and previously was a Roman fort city which commanded the west bank of the Rhine and formed part of the northernmost frontier of the Roman Empire...
as a lawyer. In 1897, he became a member of the Pan-German League, where he was elected to the directorate in 1901. After becoming the president in 1908, he began to change the direction of the League to more radical positions. Thus, he came into sharp conflict with Theobald von Bethmann Hollweg, especially in the Agadir Crisis
Agadir Crisis
The Agadir Crisis, also called the Second Moroccan Crisis, or the Panthersprung, was the international tension sparked by the deployment of the German gunboat Panther, to the Moroccan port of Agadir on July 1, 1911.-Background:...
in 1911, where the League showed its radical positions. In the same year, he was one of the founding members of the German Army Society, trying to push the armament of Germany.
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...
, Claß clamoured for the annexion of Belgium
Belgium
Belgium , officially the Kingdom of Belgium, is a federal state in Western Europe. It is a founding member of the European Union and hosts the EU's headquarters, and those of several other major international organisations such as NATO.Belgium is also a member of, or affiliated to, many...
. In 1917, he founded the Deutsche Vaterlandspartei
Fatherland Party (Germany)
German Fatherland Party was a pro-war party in the German Empire.The party was founded close to the end of 1917 and represented political circles supporting the war. Among founding members were Wolfgang Kapp and Alfred von Tirpitz . Walter Nicolai, head of the military secret service, was also...
together with Alfred von Tirpitz
Alfred von Tirpitz
Alfred von Tirpitz was a German Admiral, Secretary of State of the German Imperial Naval Office, the powerful administrative branch of the German Imperial Navy from 1897 until 1916. Prussia never had a major navy, nor did the other German states before the German Empire was formed in 1871...
and Wolfgang Kapp
Wolfgang Kapp
Wolfgang Kapp was a Prussian civil servant and journalist. He was a strict nationalist, and a nominal leader of the so-called Kapp Putsch.-Early life:...
.
After 1918, Claß met 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...
and supported his 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...
in 1923. In 1931, he was one of the founding members of the Harzburger Front. From 1933 to 1939, Claß was a member of the NSDAP in the Reichstag
Reichstag (German Empire)
The Reichstag was the parliament of the North German Confederation , and of the German Reich ....
. It's noteworthy that Claß's radical imperialism
Imperialism
Imperialism, as defined by Dictionary of Human Geography, is "the creation and/or maintenance of an unequal economic, cultural, and territorial relationships, usually between states and often in the form of an empire, based on domination and subordination." The imperialism of the last 500 years,...
and Pan-Germanism
Pan-Germanism
Pan-Germanism is a pan-nationalist political idea. Pan-Germanists originally sought to unify the German-speaking populations of Europe in a single nation-state known as Großdeutschland , where "German-speaking" was taken to include the Low German, Frisian and Dutch-speaking populations of the Low...
as well as his Antisemitism had a significant influence on the Nazis.
External links
Literature
- Bilanz eines neuen Kurses. - Berlin : Alldt. Verl., 1903
- (as Einhart): Deutsche Geschichte. - Leipzig : Diederich, 1909
- (as Daniel Frymann): Wenn ich Kaiser wär ... : politische Wahrheiten und Notwendigkeiten. - Leipzig : Dieterich, 1912 (ab 1925 known as Das Kaiserbuch)
- West-Marokko deutsch!. - Munich : Lehmann, 1911
- Wider den Strom : vom Werden und Wachsen der nationalen Opposition im alten Reich. - Leipzig : Köhler, 1932
- Zum deutschen Kriegsziel : eine Flugschrift. - Munich : Lehmann, 1917