Lutz Graf Schwerin von Krosigk
Encyclopedia
Johann Ludwig Graf Schwerin von Krosigk, born Johann Ludwig von Krosigk and known as Lutz von Krosigk (22 August 1887 4 March 1977) was a German
jurist
and senior government official, who served during May of 1945 in the historically unique position of Leading Minister of the German Reich, the equivalent of a Chancellorship in the short-lived Flensburg government
of Reich President Karl Dönitz
. Schwerin von Krosigk was also Foreign Minister in the provisional government, an office which had next to no purpose given the state of Germany and its administration at the time. In addition, he remained at his post as Finance Minister of Germany, which he had assumed in 1932 (under Reich Chancellor Franz von Papen
) and held throughout the span of the Third Reich. Besides Adolf Hitler
himself, he and Wilhelm Frick
were the only members of the Third Reich's cabinet to serve continuously from Hitler's appointment as Chancellor until his death.
, Anhalt
, Germany
to a father from an old noble
family of Anhalt and a mother who was a daughter and heiress of a Count (Graf) von Schwerin. He studied law and political science at Halle
, at Lausanne and as a Rhodes Scholar at Oxford University. During World War I
, he served in the German Army, finally as a First Lieutenant, and was awarded the Iron Cross
. In 1918, Krosigk married Baroness Ehrengard von Plettenberg (1895-1979), with whom he had four sons and five daughters. In 1922 he became an Oberregierungsrat (senior government official) and 1929, ministerial director and superior of the budget department at the German Reichs finance ministry. In 1931, he joined the department of reparations payments, formed to deal with the reparations Germany
owed the Allied Powers after World War I
.
in 1932, and continued in that office at the request of President Paul von Hindenburg
under Kurt von Schleicher
and throughout the period of Nazi rule. Several members of his family took part in assassination
attempts against Adolf Hitler
. Schwerin von Krosigk was rarely seen in public appearances and Hitler did not have regular Cabinet meetings.
On May 1, 1945, after Goebbels's suicide, President
(Reichspräsident) Karl Dönitz
asked Schwerin von Krosigk to become the Chancellor (Reichskanzler) of the Acting Government
. He declined but did accept the position of "Leading Minister".
Rapidly advancing Allied forces limited the jurisdiction of the new German government to an area around Flensburg
near the Danish
border, where Dönitz's headquarters were located, along with Mürwik. Accordingly, this administration was referred to as the Flensburg government
. Dönitz and Schwerin von Krosigk attempted to negotiate an armistice with the Western allies while continuing to resist the Soviet Army. On May 7, 1945, Dönitz authorized the signature of the German Instrument of Surrender to the Allies, which took place in Rheims before General Dwight D. Eisenhower
; Dönitz would later authorize the German military to sign another instrument of surrender in Berlin
, in a ceremony presided over by the Soviets. The speech by Winston Churchill
announcing victory to the British people
is evidence of a de facto recognition of the Flensburg Government's authority, for Churchill stated that the surrender was authorized by "Grand Admiral Dönitz, the designated Head of the German State". However, after the unconditional surrender, the Flensburg government was mostly treated as inconsequential by the western military command. On May 23, 1945, a British liaison officer went to Dönitz's seat of government at Flensburg
and asked to address the government. He then read an order from the Supreme Commander dissolving the government and ordering the arrest of its members.
Schwerin von Krosigk was tried at Nuremberg
along with other leading members of the German government during the time of Nazi government. Found guilty in the Ministries Trial
in 1949, he was sentenced to ten years' imprisonment, but was released during an amnesty
in 1951.
, as well as two versions of his memoirs. He was one of the first to refer to an "Iron Curtain
" coming down across Europe
, in a broadcast to the German people on May 2, 1945, a phrase which he had picked up from an article by Joseph Goebbels
, and which was later made famous by Winston Churchill
.
Schwerin von Krosigk died in 1977 in the city of Essen
, North Rhine-Westphalia
, West Germany
, at the age of 89.
----
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...
jurist
Jurist
A jurist or jurisconsult is a professional who studies, develops, applies, or otherwise deals with the law. The term is widely used in American English, but in the United Kingdom and many Commonwealth countries it has only historical and specialist usage...
and senior government official, who served during May of 1945 in the historically unique position of Leading Minister of the German Reich, the equivalent of a Chancellorship in the short-lived Flensburg government
Flensburg government
The Flensburg Government , also known as the Flensburg Cabinet and the Dönitz Government , was the short-lived administration that attempted to rule the Third Reich during most of May 1945 at the end of World War II in Europe...
of Reich President Karl Dönitz
Karl Dönitz
Karl Dönitz was a German naval commander during World War II. He started his career in the German Navy during World War I. In 1918, while he was in command of , the submarine was sunk by British forces and Dönitz was taken prisoner...
. Schwerin von Krosigk was also Foreign Minister in the provisional government, an office which had next to no purpose given the state of Germany and its administration at the time. In addition, he remained at his post as Finance Minister of Germany, which he had assumed in 1932 (under Reich Chancellor Franz von Papen
Franz von Papen
Lieutenant-Colonel Franz Joseph Hermann Michael Maria von Papen zu Köningen was a German nobleman, Roman Catholic monarchist politician, General Staff officer, and diplomat, who served as Chancellor of Germany in 1932 and as Vice-Chancellor under Adolf Hitler in 1933–1934...
) and held throughout the span of the Third Reich. Besides 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...
himself, he and Wilhelm Frick
Wilhelm Frick
Wilhelm Frick was a prominent German Nazi official serving as Minister of the Interior of the Third Reich. After the end of World War II, he was tried for war crimes at the Nuremberg Trials and executed...
were the only members of the Third Reich's cabinet to serve continuously from Hitler's appointment as Chancellor until his death.
Early life
He was born Johann Ludwig von Krosigk in RathmannsdorfStaßfurt
Staßfurt is a town in the Salzlandkreis district, in Saxony-Anhalt, Germany. It is situated on both sides of the river Bode, approximately northeast of Aschersleben, and south of Magdeburg. Pop. 23,538....
, Anhalt
Anhalt
Anhalt was a sovereign county in Germany, located between the Harz Mountains and the river Elbe in Middle Germany. It now forms part of the state of Saxony-Anhalt.- Dukes of Anhalt :...
, Germany
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...
to a father from an old noble
Aristocracy
Aristocracy , is a form of government in which a few elite citizens rule. The term derives from the Greek aristokratia, meaning "rule of the best". In origin in Ancient Greece, it was conceived of as rule by the best qualified citizens, and contrasted with monarchy...
family of Anhalt and a mother who was a daughter and heiress of a Count (Graf) von Schwerin. He studied law and political science at Halle
Halle, Saxony-Anhalt
Halle is the largest city in the German state of Saxony-Anhalt. It is also called Halle an der Saale in order to distinguish it from the town of Halle in North Rhine-Westphalia...
, at Lausanne and as a Rhodes Scholar at Oxford University. 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...
, he served in the German Army, finally as a First Lieutenant, and was awarded the Iron Cross
Iron Cross
The Iron Cross is a cross symbol typically in black with a white or silver outline that originated after 1219 when the Kingdom of Jerusalem granted the Teutonic Order the right to combine the Teutonic Black Cross placed above a silver Cross of Jerusalem....
. In 1918, Krosigk married Baroness Ehrengard von Plettenberg (1895-1979), with whom he had four sons and five daughters. In 1922 he became an Oberregierungsrat (senior government official) and 1929, ministerial director and superior of the budget department at the German Reichs finance ministry. In 1931, he joined the department of reparations payments, formed to deal with the reparations 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...
owed the Allied Powers after 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...
.
Pre-World War II
Schwerin von Krosigk was appointed Minister of Finance by Franz von PapenFranz von Papen
Lieutenant-Colonel Franz Joseph Hermann Michael Maria von Papen zu Köningen was a German nobleman, Roman Catholic monarchist politician, General Staff officer, and diplomat, who served as Chancellor of Germany in 1932 and as Vice-Chancellor under Adolf Hitler in 1933–1934...
in 1932, and continued in that office at the request of President Paul von Hindenburg
Paul von Hindenburg
Paul Ludwig Hans Anton von Beneckendorff und von Hindenburg , known universally as Paul von Hindenburg was a Prussian-German field marshal, statesman, and politician, and served as the second President of Germany from 1925 to 1934....
under Kurt von Schleicher
Kurt von Schleicher
Kurt von Schleicher was a German general and the last Chancellor of Germany during the era of the Weimar Republic. Seventeen months after his resignation, he was assassinated by order of his successor, Adolf Hitler, in the Night of the Long Knives....
and throughout the period of Nazi rule. Several members of his family took part in assassination
Assassination
To carry out an assassination is "to murder by a sudden and/or secret attack, often for political reasons." Alternatively, assassination may be defined as "the act of deliberately killing someone, especially a public figure, usually for hire or for political reasons."An assassination may be...
attempts against 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...
. Schwerin von Krosigk was rarely seen in public appearances and Hitler did not have regular Cabinet meetings.
World War II
President of Germany
The President of the Federal Republic of Germany is the country's head of state. His official title in German is Bundespräsident . Germany has a parliamentary system of government and so the position of President is largely ceremonial...
(Reichspräsident) Karl Dönitz
Karl Dönitz
Karl Dönitz was a German naval commander during World War II. He started his career in the German Navy during World War I. In 1918, while he was in command of , the submarine was sunk by British forces and Dönitz was taken prisoner...
asked Schwerin von Krosigk to become the Chancellor (Reichskanzler) of the Acting Government
Flensburg government
The Flensburg Government , also known as the Flensburg Cabinet and the Dönitz Government , was the short-lived administration that attempted to rule the Third Reich during most of May 1945 at the end of World War II in Europe...
. He declined but did accept the position of "Leading Minister".
Rapidly advancing Allied forces limited the jurisdiction of the new German government to an area around Flensburg
Flensburg
Flensburg is an independent town in the north of the German state of Schleswig-Holstein. Flensburg is the centre of the region of Southern Schleswig...
near the Danish
Denmark
Denmark is a Scandinavian country in Northern Europe. The countries of Denmark and Greenland, as well as the Faroe Islands, constitute the Kingdom of Denmark . It is the southernmost of the Nordic countries, southwest of Sweden and south of Norway, and bordered to the south by Germany. Denmark...
border, where Dönitz's headquarters were located, along with Mürwik. Accordingly, this administration was referred to as the Flensburg government
Flensburg government
The Flensburg Government , also known as the Flensburg Cabinet and the Dönitz Government , was the short-lived administration that attempted to rule the Third Reich during most of May 1945 at the end of World War II in Europe...
. Dönitz and Schwerin von Krosigk attempted to negotiate an armistice with the Western allies while continuing to resist the Soviet Army. On May 7, 1945, Dönitz authorized the signature of the German Instrument of Surrender to the Allies, which took place in Rheims before General Dwight D. Eisenhower
Dwight D. Eisenhower
Dwight David "Ike" Eisenhower was the 34th President of the United States, from 1953 until 1961. He was a five-star general in the United States Army...
; Dönitz would later authorize the German military to sign another instrument of surrender in Berlin
Berlin
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...
, in a ceremony presided over by the Soviets. The speech by Winston Churchill
Winston Churchill
Sir Winston Leonard Spencer-Churchill, was a predominantly Conservative British politician and statesman known for his leadership of the United Kingdom during the Second World War. He is widely regarded as one of the greatest wartime leaders of the century and served as Prime Minister twice...
announcing victory to the British people
British people
The British are citizens of the United Kingdom, of the Isle of Man, any of the Channel Islands, or of any of the British overseas territories, and their descendants...
is evidence of a de facto recognition of the Flensburg Government's authority, for Churchill stated that the surrender was authorized by "Grand Admiral Dönitz, the designated Head of the German State". However, after the unconditional surrender, the Flensburg government was mostly treated as inconsequential by the western military command. On May 23, 1945, a British liaison officer went to Dönitz's seat of government at Flensburg
Flensburg
Flensburg is an independent town in the north of the German state of Schleswig-Holstein. Flensburg is the centre of the region of Southern Schleswig...
and asked to address the government. He then read an order from the Supreme Commander dissolving the government and ordering the arrest of its members.
Schwerin von Krosigk was tried at Nuremberg
Nuremberg Trials
The Nuremberg Trials were a series of military tribunals, held by the victorious Allied forces of World War II, most notable for the prosecution of prominent members of the political, military, and economic leadership of the defeated Nazi Germany....
along with other leading members of the German government during the time of Nazi government. Found guilty in the Ministries Trial
Ministries Trial
The Ministries Trial was the eleventh of the twelve trials for war crimes the U.S. authorities held in their occupation zone in Germany in Nuremberg after the end of World War II. These twelve trials were all held before U.S...
in 1949, he was sentenced to ten years' imprisonment, but was released during an amnesty
Amnesty
Amnesty is a legislative or executive act by which a state restores those who may have been guilty of an offense against it to the positions of innocent people, without changing the laws defining the offense. It includes more than pardon, in as much as it obliterates all legal remembrance of the...
in 1951.
After World War II
In later years Schwerin von Krosigk wrote several books on economic policyEconomic policy
Economic policy refers to the actions that governments take in the economic field. It covers the systems for setting interest rates and government budget as well as the labor market, national ownership, and many other areas of government interventions into the economy.Such policies are often...
, as well as two versions of his memoirs. He was one of the first to refer to an "Iron Curtain
Iron Curtain
The concept of the Iron Curtain symbolized the ideological fighting and physical boundary dividing Europe into two separate areas from the end of World War II in 1945 until the end of the Cold War in 1989...
" coming down across Europe
Europe
Europe is, by convention, one of the world's seven continents. Comprising the westernmost peninsula of Eurasia, Europe is generally 'divided' from Asia to its east by the watershed divides of the Ural and Caucasus Mountains, the Ural River, the Caspian and Black Seas, and the waterways connecting...
, in a broadcast to the German people on May 2, 1945, a phrase which he had picked up from an article by 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...
, and which was later made famous by Winston Churchill
Winston Churchill
Sir Winston Leonard Spencer-Churchill, was a predominantly Conservative British politician and statesman known for his leadership of the United Kingdom during the Second World War. He is widely regarded as one of the greatest wartime leaders of the century and served as Prime Minister twice...
.
Schwerin von Krosigk died in 1977 in the city of Essen
Essen
- Origin of the name :In German-speaking countries, the name of the city Essen often causes confusion as to its origins, because it is commonly known as the German infinitive of the verb for the act of eating, and/or the German noun for food. Although scholars still dispute the interpretation of...
, North Rhine-Westphalia
North Rhine-Westphalia
North Rhine-Westphalia is the most populous state of Germany, with four of the country's ten largest cities. The state was formed in 1946 as a merger of the northern Rhineland and Westphalia, both formerly part of Prussia. Its capital is Düsseldorf. The state is currently run by a coalition of the...
, West Germany
West Germany
West Germany is the common English, but not official, name for the Federal Republic of Germany or FRG in the period between its creation in May 1949 to German reunification on 3 October 1990....
, at the age of 89.
Works
- Es geschah in Deutschland, 1951
- Die große Zeit des Feuers - Der Weg der deutschen Industrie, 3 volumes, 1959
- Alles auf Wagnis - der Kaufmann gestern, heute und morgen, 1963
- Persönliche Erinnerungen, memoirs, 3 volumes, 1974
- Staatsbankrott (Studie über die deutsche Finanzpolitik von 1920 bis 1945), 1975
- Memoiren (short version of Persönliche Erinnerungen), 1977
Terminology note
- Regarding personal names, GrafGrafGraf is a historical German noble title equal in rank to a count or a British earl...
is a German noble title, translated as CountCountA count or countess is an aristocratic nobleman in European countries. The word count came into English from the French comte, itself from Latin comes—in its accusative comitem—meaning "companion", and later "companion of the emperor, delegate of the emperor". The adjective form of the word is...
, but is now (since 1918, the end of the German monarchy) seen as part of the person's family name. The feminine form is "Gräfin".
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