Wilhelm Marx

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Wilhelm Marx
Wilhelm Marx
In office
November 30, 1923 – January 15, 1925
June 28, 1928–March 27, 1930
Preceded by Gustav Stresemann
Hans Luther
Succeeded by Hans Luther
Hermann Müller
Born January 15, 1863
Died August 5, 1946
Political party Centre

Wilhelm Marx (January 15, 1863 – August 5, 1946) was a German Lawyer, Catholic politician and a member of the Centre Party.

Contents

[edit] Life

Born in Cologne to a teacher, Marx passed his Abitur in 1881. He then studied law science at the university of Bonn. As student he became a member of K.St.V. Arminia. After his degree in law, he shortly worked as an assessor in both Cologne and Waldbröl and later in the land registry in Simmern. Since 1894, Marx worked as a judge in Elberfeld. 10 years later, he returned to Cologne and Düsseldorf, where he had the highest rank possible in Prussia for a Catholic who was also active in the Centre Party. When the Weimar Republic was founded, Marx became President of the court in Limburg an der Lahn and later ascended towards being President of the Senate of the Reichskammergericht in Berlin. Marx was married to Johanna Verkoyen since 1891. They had four children. Marx is buried on the Melaten-Friedhof in Cologne.

[edit] Politics

He served as Chancellor of Germany from 1923 to 1925 and again from 1926 to 1928, and was the Centre Party's (and, in the second round, the entire Weimar Coalition's) candidate in the 1925 presidential election, when he was defeated by Paul von Hindenburg.

Being a Catholic, Marx took an active part in the political arm of German Catholics, the Centre Party. In 1899, he presided the Zentrums-Verein in Elberfeld; in 1908, he became chairman of the Centre Party in Düsseldorf.

From 1899 to 1918, Marx was a member of the Landtag of Prussia. Since 1910, he was a member of the Reichstag, where he became member of the executive committee of the Centre Party-fraction. There, he specialised in the field of school and culture politics. He was known as a calm and intercessional politician who didn't have many enemies and always worked towards a compromise.

During World War I, he expressed his opinion against annexation and for a peace resolution. Thus, he was elected into the Nationalversammlung of Weimar. He supported the treaty of Versailles during the occupation of the Rhineland in 1923 because he thought that if Germany didn't accept it, the Rhineland would be separated from Prussia. Marx also tried to unify the Centre Party and to support the government, using his style of politics and an appeal to Catholicism.

When the cabinet of Gustav Stresemann failed in 1923, Marx became chancellor, leading the tenth german cabinet since 1919. His first term lasted 13 months , his second term lasted 25 months. In this time, he presided four cabinets, the first two being civic minority governments, later joined by the DNVP. His foreign minister was Gustav Stresemann, whose politics led to a toleration by the SPD. During Marx' terms, he managed to stabilise the German economy after the Hyperinflation of 1923 by introducing a new currency. By the end of 1924, the state of emergency could be repealed. The cabinets led by Marx also accepted the Dawes Plan. In his second term, Germany joined the League of Nations, and Marx managed to unseat General Hans von Seeckt, who wanted to make the army a "state in the state". On the other hand, it should be noted that during his terms the Reichswehr worked secretly together with the russian army to circumvent the treaty of Versailles.

In 1925, Marx also became president of Prussia, and in 1926, he was minister of justice in the cabinet of his successor Hans Luther. He was a member of the Reichstag up to 1932. During Nazi Germany, he lived in Bonn, where he died.

[edit] First cabinet (Nov. 1923 - May 1924)

Changes

  • April 15 1924 - Kurt Joel succeeds Emminger as Minister of Justice.

[edit] Second cabinet (June 1924 - Dec. 1924)

Changes

  • October 11 1924 - Dr. Rudolf Krohne (DVP) succeeds Oeser as Minister of Transport.

[edit] Third cabinet (May 1926 - Dec. 1926)

[edit] Fourth cabinet (Jan. 1927 - June 1928)

Changes

  • January 19 1928 - Wilhelm Groener succeeds Geßler as Minister of Defence.

[edit] External links

Preceded by:
Gustav Stresemann		 Chancellor of Germany
1923–1925		 Succeeded by:
Hans Luther
Preceded by:
Otto Braun		 Prime Minister of Prussia
1925		 Succeeded by:
Otto Braun
Preceded by:
Hans Luther		 Chancellor of Germany
1926–1928		 Succeeded by:
Hermann Müller
Chancellors of Germany
Bismarck, Caprivi, Hohenlohe, Bülow, Bethmann-Hollweg, Michaelis, Hertling, Baden, Ebert, Scheidemann, Bauer, Müller, Fehrenbach, Wirth, Cuno, Stresemann, Marx, Luther, Marx, Müller, Brüning, Papen, Schleicher, Hitler, Goebbels, Krosigk, Adenauer, Erhard, Kiesinger, Brandt, Schmidt, Kohl, Schröder, Merkel


Prime Ministers of Prussia Coat of Arms of Prussia
Arnim-Boitzenburg, Camphausen, Auerswald, Pfuel, Brandenburg, Ladenberg, Manteuffel, Hohenzollern-Sigmaringen, Hohenlohe-Ingelfingen, Bismarck, Roon, Bismarck, Caprivi, Eulenburg, Hohenlohe, Bülow, Bethmann-Hollweg, Michaelis, Hertling, Baden, Hirsch, Braun, Stegerwald, Braun, Marx, Braun, Göring
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